Mike Eisenberg
Mike Eisenberg was Ben’s Ph.D advisor in computer science at University of Colorado. Sadly, Mike passed away a couple of years ago. Mike was special and was a wonderful mentor to Ben and a good friend to me.)
I first met Mike in 1982. I had just started work at NYU when Leona Schauble (an acquaintance from Children’s Computer Workshop) asked me if I would like to see “Hackers” — an off-broadway play written by one of her “computer” friends (Mike Eisenberg). I remember thinking, “it’s not going to be that great — the guy is a computer scientist, a geek not a playwright.” Well, the play was great! In fact, it was wonderful—a witty, funny and moving story of a young man struggling to understand how his obsession with “code” was affecting his humanity. As I got to know Mike, I understood that the play represented a fundamental truth about Mike Eisenberg: Mike can be funny (hilarious and silly, in fact). But there is always a seriousness, a quest for beauty and truth in whatever he does.
Mike and I kept in touch through the years. Our sessions were always a joy — a blend of topics in computer science, cognitive psychology with a pinch of Groucho Marx. I always came away from our sessions in awe of his intellect and rage of interests. I have heard from a respected source that Mike has credited one of these chats as the trigger for his idea of idea of using origami as a vehicle for helping people learn concepts in math and computer science. Hence, the wonderful craft lab at UC at Boulder (where Mike met Ann).
Perhaps my most unforgettable experience with Mike occurred in April of 1997. Mike had invited me to give a talk to his cognitive science class at UC Boulder. Mike and Ann (who he had been recently dating) picked me up at the Denver airport and we drove to dinner. During the ride to the restaurant Mike (who was driving) insisted on driving with one hand and talking to me via a sock puppet — an origami puppy-like creature he and Ann had developed in the craft lab. Mike also said to me something during the drive that I always think about whenever I’m on the road. He said, “You know, if you pull alongside another car, and stay even with the other car’s speed, the driver will do almost anything to get away from you!” Typical Mike. An offhand remark with some deep insight about humans (but I could never quite put my finger on it).
After dinner Mike dropped me off at his apartment in Boulder. (He was staying with Ann) The space was a jungle of books piled from floor to ceiling and filling every nook and cranny. Books on science, art, literature and mathematics. I had to hack a path through these books to find the bedroom (also filled with books). The next morning I awoke to the worst blizzard in Colorado history. Not only was my talk cancelled but all roads were closed in Boulder. I was marooned. Not surprisingly, there was nothing to eat in Mike’s kitchen — except a can of tuna. Later that afternoon, Mike and Ann showed up on foot. We spent the rest of the day trudging through snow drifts in a Boulder mall. The highlight of the trip was when Mike decided he needed to dry out his wet socks in one of the mall’s spaces. I think it was a bowling alley. Or maybe a shoe store. In any event, we had a great dinner and I flew back to San Francisco the next day without having given my talk.
I am so grateful to know Mike. Ann too. He was one of the great human beings. Also, I am forever thankful that I was able to connect Mike with my son Ben. I have often said that if I could choose anyone in the world to be a mentor and thesis advisor, it would be Mike Eisenberg.
