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Reblogged by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):
ErisCaffee@masto.ai ("Eris :trans:") wrote:
Famous electrical engineer and trans woman Lynn Conway has died. May her memory be a blessing.
#LynnConway #lgbt #lgbtq #trans #transgender #computer #engineer
Attachments:
- Partial transcription of obituary. Lynn Ann Conway January 2, 1938 - June 9, 2024 Prepared by Dallas Denny June 10, 2024 Lynn Ann Conway was an electrical engineer, computer scientist, and an activist on behalf of transgender people. She died in Jackson, Michigan on Sunday, June 9, 2024 of heart trouble. Lynn was born in Mount Vernon, New York on January 2, 1938. She was a reserved but exceptionally bright student who attended MIT but did not graduate due a difficult and ultimately unsuccessful gender transition. She continuing her education at Columbia University, where she earned B.S. and M.S.E.E. degrees in 1962 and 1963, respectively. In 1994, she accepted a position as a researcher at IBM's facility in Yorktown Heights, New York. There, she worked with others on an advanced supercomputer project. She was fired in 1968 when it became known that she intended to transition. IBM later apologized for that action. That same year, Lynn consulted Dr. Harry Benjamin and became a patient. She completed her gender transition, also in 1968. In a divorce, she was denied the right to visit with her minor children. Using her new name, Lynn continued work as a computer research scientist, working at Computer Applications, Inc., Memorex, and, Xerox PARC, and DARPA. In 1985, she became a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan and, simultaneously, Associate Dean of Engineering. (remote)
