Dave Farber Dies at Age 91

Source: Slashdot

Announcement

The mailing list for the North American Network Operators’ Group discusses Internet infrastructure issues like routing, IP address allocation, and containing malicious activity. This morning there was another message:

We are heartbroken to report that our colleague — our mentor, friend, and conscience — David J. Farber passed away suddenly at his home in Roppongi, Tokyo. He left us on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the too‑young age of 91…

Biography

• Education & Early Career – Farber studied at Stevens Institute of Technology, later serving as a Trustee of the institution.
• Professional Roles – He joined Bell Labs during its heyday, worked at the Rand Corporation, and served as Chief Technologist of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
• Other Pursuits – He was an instrument‑rated pilot and an active board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital civil‑liberties organization.

His professional accomplishments and impact are often captured by the moniker “grandfather of the Internet”, acknowledging the foundational contributions made by his many students at the University of California, Irvine; the University of Delaware; the University of Pennsylvania; and Carnegie Mellon University.

In 2018, at the age of 83, Farber moved to Japan to become Distinguished Professor at Keio University and Co‑Director of the Keio Cyber Civilization Research Center (CCRC). He loved teaching and delivered his final class on January 22, 2026.

Legacy

It is impossible to summarize a life and career as rich and long as Farber’s in a few words. Each of us, even those who knew him for decades, represents just one facet of his life. Because we are at the end of his journey, we have the sad duty of sharing this news.

Notable Quote

Farber once said, “At both Bell Labs and Rand, I had the privilege, at a young age, of working with and learning from giants in our field. Truly I can say (as have others) that I have done good things because I stood on the shoulders of those giants. In particular, I owe much to Dr. Richard Hamming, Paul Baran and George Mealy.” — source