John Hennessy Interview (page: 3 / 8) President of Stanford University	Print Interview

What was it like growing up on Long Island when you were a kid? What was your boyhood like?

John Hennessy: My father was an engineer. He worked during a time right after the Sputnik went up. There was obviously a tremendous demand for engineering talent. I still remember that, as a professional, he sometimes worked the graveyard shift, and if you imagine engineers working the graveyard shift, it shows you how different it was in those days. So my mother did a lot of our education at home and ended up reading to us a lot at night, because my father would be working late.

Get the Flash Player to see this video. I had the great benefit in high school of finding a math teacher who really took an interest in me and was willing to push me and get me to work harder, and said to me, "Well, you have a great mind but it's a little bit lazy." And that really made a big difference to me, because she really pushed me, and urged me to work hard, and forced me to accelerate my math education by taking two math courses in one year, and that was a real benefit. And then, in my junior year in high school, I fell in with a buddy who had a growing interest in computing as well, and we started building our own computer. It turned out it was a tic-tac-toe machine. We built it out of surplus parts that we bought for cheap. Pennies. I mean, the whole machine probably cost $30, but it cost hundreds of hours of labor to actually build. We covered it with black contact paper so it looked mysterious, and lo and behold, it could play tic-tac-toe very well, and beat people at tic-tac-toe. That was really my first big opportunity to get my hands on hardware.

We did all the mischievous things that young kids do, set off rockets and almost kill yourself a few times, of course, in the process, but it was an adventurous time for me growing up there.

Were you a good student when you were a kid?

John Hennessy: I would call myself a good student from high school on. I think I was not adequately challenged in elementary school and through junior high, and as a result, I tended to get by with what I could get by with. Then finally I found some mentors and teachers who would really challenge me in high school, and that made a big difference to me.

So this math teacher was important?

John Hennessy: That math teacher was a key person, and then the person who provided us with some mentorship as we engaged in our science project to build a computer was key as well.

Do you think there was any significance to your moving from public schools to a Catholic high school at that time?

Get the Flash Player to see this video. What was probably most important for me -- because I had not really applied myself during either elementary through 8th grade -- was a shift in institutions, and that really made a big difference to me, because when I moved to high school, I moved to a Catholic high school. I found it was a new opportunity. I could reset the record, and I found some people who were really willing, and they challenged me more than I was challenged earlier and wouldn't let me just relax. They looked at my grades, and they looked at my test scores, and said, "You're not working to capacity," and they were right. I wasn't. So I think that shift of environment, together with some people who were willing to push me harder, made a big difference, and that was what was critical.

What about books? Were there any books when you were growing up that were important to you?

John Hennessy: Well, I certainly read. In fact...

Get the Flash Player to see this video. At a young age, I remember my parents bought me a set of encyclopedias, and I started reading them. Now you think reading encyclopedias is not terribly inspiring, but I found it tremendously interesting, and that really laid a broad foundation for knowledge across a wide variety of fields, and that's something I've always enjoyed. I've enjoyed having some insight and some understanding, not just about my own field but about lots of fields, and talking to scholars and people who work in a variety of fields. Today, it's still one of the things I most enjoy, is getting out and talking to the faculty at Stanford about the work they're doing in everything from medicine to English to economics. It's one thing I've found enjoyable, and maybe reading encyclopedias set the foundation for doing that.

[ Key to Success ] Preparation

What else were you interested in as a kid?

John Hennessy: As a kid, I spent my summers going to summer camp. I was interested in the usual kinds of pursuits that young boys engage in, sailing and playing tennis and getting involved in games, and I did a lot of that. More in individual things rather than teamwork. That was where my athletic skill sets were, and where I found the most enjoyment.

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