Roberta Harvey: An Appreciation

Roberta Harvey (1939-2001)

Professor in Computer Science
Foothill College, Los Altos, CA

Roberta was my first computer instructor at Foothill College. In Fall 1991, I took the CIS-50B "Beginning Macintosh" class with her. Roberta was a great instructor. Before each class, she wrote on the blackboard two lists: subjects taught the previous week and the topics she was going to cover that day. She made sure everyone understood the concepts and checked off each item before moving on. What I appreciate about Roberta was that in addition to the regular assignments from the book, she allowed us to apply the softwares we've learned on any project of our choosing. I found the folder of my first computer class a day after attending Roberta's memorial service. I am honoring Roberta Harvey and her exemplary teaching with a few web pages showing some her homework assignments, and how they inspired me to be a better instructor and lab consultant at Foothill College. Roberta's final project was to have us integrate four different software applications together in a coherent whole. I chose to analyze the birthdays of 27 musical conductors using Basic Programming, Filemaker Pro, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Word. I found that a greater than average (from double to quadruple) of conductors were born under the first signs of the week (Sunday), month (Aries), and year (Rat Year). I concluded that this showed their natural ability to lead and orchestrate a diverse group of musicians to create a harmonious work of symphony. Roberta's comment on my paper: “when you become famous for this theory, remember me!” But I was even more touched when she commented “I loved this part” on my poem Memories of Li Huang when my Dad's best friend passed away. I knew Roberta read all my assignments from her comments on my papers. So each week I would add something illuminating and inspirational that related to the class work to share with her. Roberta had an open mind and a generous heart that allowed me to blossom as a poet while learning computers.

Peter Y. Chou December 6, 2001

| Foothill College | Palo Alto Weekly Obituary (1-16-2002) | Foreword: Salute to Roberta Harvey |