Ken Anderson died suddenly in January of 2005 at a Spam conference in Cambridge, where he was in great spirits talking about his current project, JScheme.

Ken joined BBN in 1982, and was a constant force in the advancement and utilization of programming languages. Ken was involved in JScheme from the beginning in 1997, and built the Scheme-Java interface that became the javadot notation. He was responsible for the beautifully designed caching techniques that make javadot so efficient. He was a tireless developer, chasing down bugs and dreaming up and seriously analyzing proposed new optimizations, as well as a talented software engineer who loved building an elegant and simultaneously practical language. Ken also organized the SDP Software Development seminar series for the last several years.

Yet Ken was much more than a prolific programmer who pursued his work with enthusiasm and passion. He served as a mentor and teacher to many BBNers, touched many lives, and brought many communities together. He played a major role in the Lightweight Language conferences, and was active in the anti-Spam effort. JScheme will remain an active project, and is very much part of what Ken has given to the world. His BBN colleagues will miss him for his professional contributions, but even more for his kind, generous, and thoughtful ways.

The preceding memorial appeared in the BBN Science Development Program's annual report for 2004.