Ernest "Allen" Emerson II

Ernest “Allen” Emerson II, of Austin, Texas, died peacefully at his home on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. Allen was born in Dallas, Texas on June 2, 1954, to Ernest Allen and Ina Lee Emerson. He attended Dallas public schools graduating first in his 1972 David W. Carter High School class. He furthered his education at The University of Texas Austin where in 1976 he received a B.S. in mathematics. In 1981 he received a Ph.D. from Harvard University in Applied Mathematics.

Allen began his career as an assistant professor of computer science at The University of Texas Austin and retired as Professor and Regents Chair Emeritus. His primary research interest centered around formal methods and their automation. He served on the editorial boards of leading journals and travelled extensively giving lectures. He was a co-recipient of the 1998 ACM Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award, a winner of the 1999 CMU Newell Research Excellence Award, and co-winner of the 2006 Test-of-Time Award from the IEEE Symposium on Logic in Computer Science. In 2007 he co-won the A.M. Turing Award, the most prestigious award in computer science, for the invention of Modal Checking, a powerful technique for verifying the correctness of systems. Many hardware and software companies rely heavily on Model Checking. The IEEE awarded him A Pioneer in Computer Science award for “transformative breakthroughs in the creation, development and imagining of what computers could do.”

Allen attended the same public schools as that of his wife Leisa. They married in 1977 and enjoyed 46 very happy years together. Allen often said, “We have had a wonderful life.” Allen loved reading and was an immensely curious person. He had an extensive book collection on an array of topics that he enjoyed loaning out. One of his greatest joys was traveling to and learning about other countries.

His graduate students were his children and seeing them succeed brought him great happiness. In the introduction to a book created by his graduate students it states, “The experience of being Allen’s student was both shared and singular – it shaped each of us in crucial ways, yet the ideas we worked on, the discussions we returned to again and again – these were unique for each of us. Allen, who we all agree, was the greatest teacher and mentor we have ever known.”

Allen is survived by his beloved wife Leisa, best sister Donna Kay Emerson, niece Kristen Kirks Davis, her husband Philip Davis, great niece Emerson Lee Davis, great nephew Levi Richard Coleman Davis, and an unborn great niece due in December. Allen considered his caregiver, Linda Leija, “The best person we could have found.”

A memorial event will be held at The University of Texas in January with a forthcoming date. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Settlement Home for Children are appreciated.