Kenneth Goldman, former computer science faculty, 57
Kenneth Goldman, a former associate professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, died Aug. 21, 2020. He was 57
Kenneth Goldman, a former associate professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, died Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, of complications from cancer. He was 57.
Goldman was a member of the computer science faculty from 1990-2008 and led the redesign of many of the core undergraduate computer science courses. His research focused on distributed systems.
"He transformed the curriculum to include more active and collaborative learning at a time when interest in computer science was increasing, so there was synergy between those two things," said Ron Cytron, professor and associate department chair. "He started CS 101, which is now CS 131, the most popular class on campus with more than 1,000 students a year."
Cytron said Goldman was gentle, kind and cared about what students learned. On Sept. 1, the department held a virtual memorial on Zoom for faculty and former students to share their memories.
Goldman and his wife, Sally, former associate department chair, left Washington University in 2008 to join Google, where he was principal software engineer and technical lead of the Google Accessibility Unit.
Goldman is survived by his wife, Sally; three children: Mark (Mary) Goldman, who earned a bachelor's in mechanical engineering at WashU in 2010, Benjamin Goldman, and Julian Goldman; a grandson, Daniel Goldman; and other extended family. Goldman's parents and brother, Louis, also are WashU alumni.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Lift for Life Academy, 1731 S. Broadway, St. Louis, Mo., 63104 or to the charity of one's choice.
