Alexandra Illmer Forsythe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alexandra Illmer Forsythe
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| Born | May 20, 1918 |
| Died | January 2, 1980 (aged 61) |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | Swarthmore College Vassar Brown University |
| Known for | Writing the first computer science textbook |
| Spouse(s) | George Forsythe |
| Children | Diana E. Forsythe |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics, computer science |
| Institutions | Stanford University University of Utah |
Alexandra Illmer Forsythe was an important American computer scientist. She is famous for writing some of the very first textbooks about computer science in the 1960s and 1970s. Her book, Computer Science: A First Course, published in 1969, was actually the first computer science textbook ever!
Early Life and Education
Alexandra Forsythe was born on May 20, 1918, in Newton, Massachusetts. She grew up in Cortland, New York.
She went to Swarthmore College and earned a degree in mathematics. There, she met her future husband, George Forsythe. Both Alexandra and George were accepted into a PhD program for mathematics at Brown University.
Even though she was a brilliant student, Alexandra could not finish her PhD. At that time, some people in charge did not think women should be mathematicians. Because of this, her financial support for school was stopped. She then left Brown and earned her master's degree from Vassar College in 1941. She also worked as an instructor there.
A Pioneer in Computer Science
Alexandra Forsythe became a teacher at important universities. She taught at Stanford University and the University of Utah.
She was married to George Forsythe, who was also a computer science pioneer. Together, they helped create the computer science program at Stanford University.
Writing the First Computer Science Textbooks
Alexandra Forsythe is best known for her groundbreaking work in writing textbooks. These books helped many students learn about computers for the first time.
- In 1969, she published Computer Science: A First Course. This book was a huge step forward because it was the first textbook ever written specifically for computer science.
- She released a second edition of this important book in 1975.
- In 1978, Alexandra Forsythe worked with another author, E. I. Organick, to publish Programming Language Structures. This book helped students understand how computer programming languages are built.
Her books made it possible for computer science to be taught as a new subject in schools and universities.
