ORONO – Edward Stafford Northam, 82, passed away March 13, 2010, of congestive heart failure at his home. He was born Oct. 18, 1927, in Lansing, Mich., the son of Edward Arthur Northam and Mildred Carolyn McMillan. Edward earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and a Master of Science degree in physics from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in mathematics from Michigan State University in 1953. From 1953 to 1954 he worked in the research department at Bendix Aviation, Detroit, before beginning his teaching career at Wayne State University, Detroit, where he taught mathematics from 1954 to 1964. While on sabbatical in 1961, he visited Princeton University. In 1964 he and his family moved from Michigan to Orono, where he grew to love the state of Maine and taught mathematics at the University of Maine, transferring to the Computer Science Department in 1985 where he played an integral part in building the university’s computer science teaching program. He continued to teach at the university as a professor of computer science, until his retirement in 1991. Maine was Edward’s favorite place to live, and he especially enjoyed hiking in Acadia National Park with his children. Edward truly enjoyed teaching and mentoring students, and was an avid chess player, competing in tournaments in the 1950s and 1960s. He conducted research in his later years into new chess game variants, including Chess960 where he created new methods that can be used by players to determine the starting positions of their pieces. He also enjoyed the Chinese game Go. Edward dedicated his professional career and his life to helping and inspiring others. During his teaching career of 37 years, he assisted many students with research projects and their studies, and took great pride in inspiring students to learn and explore knowledge. He especially enjoyed helping students discover for themselves the answers to their questions. At home he deeply cared for his wife and family, and was widely regarded in the community for his kindness, generosity, and his passion for life and helping others. In recent years, he took great joy in spending time with his three grandchildren and enjoyed watching them grow. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Jean Smolak Northam of Orono; his two children: son, Mark Northam and wife, Rebecca Lee and grandchild, Lynelle Northam, of Sydney, Australia, and daughter, Diane Northam and husband, Thomas Pope and grandchildren, Anne Kailin Northam and Adric Northam, of Braddock Hills, Pa.; his sister, Nancy Northam of Portland, Ore., and her sons, John P. “Raj,” Robert, Peter, Paul and Stephen; brother-in-law, George Smolak and wife, Frances; sister-in-law, Anna Eldridge; many nieces and nephews. Please visit his memorial Web site at www.edwardnortham.com.
EDWARD S. NORTHAM
