[COFF] was: [TUHS] Dennis Ritchie's Dissertation

[COFF] was: [TUHS] Dennis Ritchie's Dissertation

[will.senn]

On 8/1/20 9:13 AM, Larry McVoy wrote:
> My dad wasn't famous, but he had a PhD in physics. He never asked people
> to call him Dr McVoy.  As we grew up and realized he could be called that
> we asked him why not.  He said it sounds fancy, the only time he used it
> was when he wanted a table at a crowded restaurant (which was very rare,
> Madison didn't pay him very well).
>
> Somehow that stuck with me and I've always been sort of wary of people
> who use their title.  The people I admire never did.
>
> Someone on the list said that they thought Dennis wouldn't appreciate
> it if we got his PhD official.  I couldn't put my finger on it at the
> time, but I agreed.  And I think it is because the people who are really
> great don't need or want the fancy title.  I may be over thinking it,
> but Dennis does not need the title, it does nothing to make his legacy
> better, his legacy is way way more than that title.
>
> Which is a long ramble to say I agree with Markus.
I agree with your dad, completely, it's fancy. I too am uncomfortable 
with the title. I think it's because I was a street kid and as the 
saying goes, you can take the kid out of the street, but you can't take 
the street out of the kid. I work in the academy, so it's prevalent, but 
I find it pretentious to insist on people calling you doctor. I ask 
people to just call me Will. It's interesting to watch the reactions. 
Some folks are glad to, some are fearful to (mostly students), and some 
outright reject the proposition (mostly those pretentious types).

With regards to Dennis and his view on things, I haven't the slightest 
clue, but if someone were to present him with an honorary degree, it 
would be their attempt to recognize his exemplary contributions and 
would not be meant as anything other than highest praise. As someone who 
loves programming in C, I'm a direct beneficiary of his legacy and would 
gladly support his being recognized in this manner. I know several 
people who have been granted honorary doctorates, at least one of who 
had no prior degree. They accepted and enjoyed telling their close 
friends about their now having to call them doctor, but otherwise taking 
it as a compliment and honor and not bothering about the title.

Will



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