I was very saddened to read of the passing of University of Washington professor David Notkin ’77 (Obituaries, November/December). A couple of years older than me, David was a good friend of my stepbrother, and an already fabled graduate of White Plains (N.Y.) High School. When I took the mandatory college tour, David was already sporting his trademark beard and living with his computer science buddies in an apartment near campus. More than thirty years later, I can still recall his animated talk during the high-speed, exuberant campus tour, as well as David’s joyful advocacy of the world of computer science, which was then in its infancy. That evening, out came the deck of cards and some pizza and beer as we began a very animated late-night poker game. The other Ivies I had visited suddenly seemed dour. I knew that I wanted to spend more time with people like David Notkin. And for four years, I did.

Alan Levenson ’82
Norman, Okla.
alevenson@ou.edu