Farewell, Professor Hector Garcia-Molina
Hector Garcia-Molina, professor of computer science and electrical engineering at Stanford University and honorary doctor of the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, passed away at 65.
Hector Garcia-Molina was a gifted scholar and a pioneer of database research who helped lay the technological foundations for modern search engines. On November 25, he passed away at the age of 65.
Hector Garcia-Molina visited ETH Zurich many times and was awarded an honorary doctoral degree by the Department of Computer Science in 2007. He was a good friend of several members of the department involved in database research.
In the mid-90s, Hector Garcia-Molina was one of the people who launched the Stanford Digital Libraries project that would eventually lead to the creation of Google. Among the 57 doctoral students he advised during his 40-year academic career was Sergey Brin, one of the Google founders. Garcia-Molina, a recipient of numerous awards, was also a professional-level photographer and an inspirational figure to students and colleagues.