In Memory of Paul Kunz, 1942 - 2018

After completing a PhD in Physics at Princeton University, in 1974 Paul Kunz began his 35-year career at SLAC as a Research Associate in David Leith's Group B. Kunz made many important and dramatic contributions to SLAC physics and computing in his time at the lab that were outlined in some detail in the tribute statement made on the occasion of his 30-year service award ceremony:

Leading the group that put the LASS data acquisition software and hardware together

Inventing the 168/E microprocessor. The first of the HEP designed processors for data processing

Leading the group that put the first data processing farm together using the 168/E processors

Forming a collaboration with DESY for use of 168/E processors on line for the Tasso experiment

Forming a collaboration with CERN to build 168/E processors. They were used for the UA1 "express line" with great success. The experiment led to CERN's first Nobel Prize

Forming a collaboration with CERN to design and build 3081/E processors. It was the first use at SLAC and CERN of computer simulation techniques in design of hardware

Introduced the idea of putting processors in CAMAC crates and served as chair of the distributed intelligence in CAMAC subcommittee

Founding member of the IEEE Fastbus committee

Serving many years on the advisory committee of IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium. Played a pivotal role in making this conference the place to present papers on front-end electronics and data acquisition systems

Being one of the first adaptors of Rexx scripting language for IBM VM/CMS operating system outside of IBM. Wrote many useful scripts for command line and Xedit editor that were used world wide

Writing a front-end to the SLAC VM/CMS batch system that eventually became the standard at both SLAC and CERN

Serving on the Fermilab computing review committee which eventually led to modernization of their computing facilities

Being a visible promoter of wide area networking in the early days of BITNET

Serving on HEP networking review of DoE supported MFENet proposed networking initiative. Played a pivotal role in the rejection of the original plans which eventually led to the DOE adapting the current Internet protocols

Co-chairing the Computing in HEP conference (CHEP) of 1987 in Monterey. This was first conference in which papers on software applications were accepted and the first HEP conference where participants could read their e-mail. Paul also served on international advisory committee of CHEP conference for many years

Co-chairing the workshop on data structures in HEP held in Erice, Italy in 1990. This workshop was perhaps the beginning of HEP realizing it has to go beyond Fortran

Being an early adopter of object oriented programming (OO) in HEP

Being an early physicist adopter of UNIX desktop computing using NeXT computers. Paul managed up to 70 NeXT computers at SLAC

Presenting the only two papers on OO programming at the 1970 computing in HEP conference

Promoting the idea of using OO programming for detector simulation that led to the GISMo project at SLAC, and eventually to GEANT4

Promoting the use of UNIX and their Open Source tools for software development in HEP

Inventing the idea of using the CVS code management system over the Internet. The use of this idea has become fundamental in distributed software development not only in HEP but outside as well, including most Open Source projects

Promoting adoption of C++ as programming language for event reconstruction for BaBar which was the first HEP experiment to use C++. Other HEP experiments have followed BaBar's lead

Developing and teaching "C++ for Particle Physicist" class which has been very well received. It has been given 70 times to over 2400 students on four continents, and continues today

Installed the first World Wide Web server outside of Europe. This server has been called the "killer app" by Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Web. Thus, Paul brought the Web to America, and was instrumental in making SLAC the first US website. (Video interview)

After leaving SLAC, Kunz was an independent consultant (2008-2013) and a software auditor for nexB (2014-2018). Besides his many illustrious contributions to SLAC and the international HEP community, he was a champion BMW autocross driver, and, along with his wife Lynn Hum, a long-time member of the Bay Area BMW club. A past President of the club, Kunz also was a long-time volunteer instructor for its "car control for safety" course for teenager drivers.

CERN Courier obituary     

Memorial arrangements are pending.