Lee Becker: Testimonials
Dear family and friends of Lee,
I am Mike Gennert, Head of the Computer Science Department at WPI.
I'd like to share with you a few images of Lee.
Archie Rao was one of several students who wrote to me after learning of Lee's passing. She says,
Please convey my heartfelt condolences to Prof. Becker's family - I never took a course with him but seem to have this image of him stuck in my head getting ready to zoom off on his motorbike... :-)
As a WPI alum, I am really sorry.
Archie.
Lee was famous for his presentations. He used transparencies and his talks were often extracted from different folders of slides. He usually had about 10 slides left during the last minute, so he'd whip thru them in sequence, saying, "don't worry about a thing" and "there's plenty of time". What one of his colleagues calls "A crescendo of slide flipping"!
Lee was a very generous and considerate colleague. This spring, when he was sick, he slipped into our building one weekend and left each faculty member a little gift and farewell note. He also left a big stack of chocolate Easter bunnies in the office for everyone to enjoy.
One of the best pieces of advice for any teacher is: teach something you know about. So Lee would often use food in his computer science classes. If you look on our web site, you can find his courses, with homework assignments involving mashed potatoes, beef goulash, Lee eating an apple, spicy food, and recipe databases. He even advised a Master's thesis about restaurant menus.
Lee loved bagels. We have a toaster in the department across the hall and he'd often toast a bagel and bring it into the CS Office. Sometimes, you'd walk down the corridor and smell one of his bagels and it would smell really good. And then, when you walked into the CS Office, he'd be standing there, eating his bagel. Sometimes, you'd walk down the corridor and smell one of his burnt bagels, and it smelled really bad. And then, when you walked into the CS Office, he'd be standing there, eating his burnt bagel. Lee didn't care - it was food!
Lee loved to play chess. My favorite chess memory of Lee includes food, too. One day we're playing, using my old chess set. One of the white pawns is missing, so we use a hard candy instead as a pawn. He's black, I'm white, so I have the candy pawn. In the opening, he takes one of my pawns. A real, wooden one. Well, in one motion, he takes my pawn and switches it for the hard candy pawn. And puts it in his mouth. He didn't say anything; he just grinned.
Lee had a great outlook. One of his favorite sayings was "We're in great shape!" It didn't matter what it was, or how close to the deadline it was. If it had at least been started, then we were "in great shape!" Sometimes, when he'd pass you in the hall, he'd just say "Great shape!". And smile.
Lee had a great smile. He was always glad to see you. When you saw him, he made you feel like you were just the person he wanted to see at that moment. And at that moment, he was just the person you wanted to see, too. When Lee got sick, he had to wear a surgical mask when he came to visit WPI, to avoid germs. You couldn't see his smile, but you could tell from his eyes that he was smiling even though he was sick, and you knew that behind the mask, there was a smile.
I like to think that somewhere, somehow, he's still smiling at us.
- Spoken at the Memorial Service, Friday, July 30, 2004, by
Mike Gennert (CS Department Head)
I join you in mourning the loss of Lee Becker. At your convenience, and as appropriate, please convey my condolences to his family, to the department, and to the WPI community.
- James M. Coggins, Ph.D. (former WPI CS faculty member)
Lee Becker was a good and gentle person. I got to know him shortly after I joined WPI almost 20 years ago. Our meetings were always enjoyable and left me with a warm and good feeling. The news of his illness and untimely demise came as a big shock to me. My condolences to you on the loss of a cherished colleague, and to all the members of Lee's family.
- P.K.Aravind (Physics, WPI)
I just learned about the sad news today. I've cried at my desk ... and my heart is so heavy right now that I just needed to reach out.
I had no idea about his illness ... I wish I had kept in touch ... I wish. He really was a special man.
My respect for him has grown deeper over the years as I have myself grown as a human being. I've realized that people like Lee Becker help us embrace our own humanity and grow whole.
How did I let 15 years pass by? He had no idea that I thought of him. I still quote him on so many occasions ...
I won't be able to make the trip across the country for Friday's services, but I like to think that I'll be there in spirit to share those last moments with all those who knew him.
- Kamran Jazayeri (CS grad student, '88)
Thanks for forwarding this ... That is very sad news. Professor Becker was the first CS professor I had at WPI. He was a great teacher.
- Daniel Gaines (CS BS '94)
Yes, I received the message. I was shocked to read it. I will always remember Lee as a cheerful and funny man with whom I shared great moments. It was a privilege to have known and worked with him. Good luck to you all in coping with this tremendous loss.
- Paul Leemans (CS PhD '01)
Very sad news indeed - please let me know about memorial services, etc.
- Stephanos Bacon (CS MS '88)
I am so sorry to hear about Professor Becker! Yes, I still remember his big smile ... I will think about him for the next few days. Thanks for forwarding the news.
- Teresa Chiang (CS MS '87)
Such very sad news. I know he'll be missed. Sorry I can't make any of the services, but I'll certainly work to keep his memory alive.
Hope all is well with you, and that you're having a good summer. Messages like this reinforce for me that I need to appreciate every moment.
Thanks for thinking of me and sending me the news.
- Doug Green (CS MS '86)
I am so so sorry to hear the news about Lee. Leukemia is such a terrible disease. He was a good teacher and a fun person. He will be missed.
Please extend my condolences to the department and Lee's family. Thank you for letting me know.
- Maryann Spillane (CS MS '90)
Thanks for forwarding this mail. It is really a sad thing for the whole WPI community.
- Ilan Berker (CS MS '95)
I was traveling until yesterday and am very shocked and sorry to hear about Lee Becker, and to have missed the service for him. He was part of the team that team-taught "Light, Vision and Understanding" when we redesigned it ten years ago. He was a fine colleague and an excellent guy to know.
- David M. Samson (Humanities and Arts, WPI)
I happened to learn yesterday from WPI CS web page about Prof Lee Becker's decease about two months ago... So much sadness inside me made me realize how dear he has meant to me as an american teacher. Everytime I think about WPI and my experience there, Lee Becker's smiling face, his trust and favor in me are always among the first things that jumped in my mind. His warmth towards foreign students and sincere interests in Chinese culture and language can not be taken for granted, as how few of the teachers here are really like him. He is a great inspiration for me as a teacher. Nothing will make a difference in a student's life, only the teacher's genuine love, warmth and trust towards her, because only those things will really touch her. He is very much missed! I wonder if you could kindly send my condolence and best wishes to his beloved family.
- Ming Li (CS MS)
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