David L. Mills

David L. Mills, of Newark, DE, passed away on January 17, 2024, surrounded by family at the age of 85.

David grew up in Oakland, California. He attended the University of Michigan, where he received his doctorate. Throughout his career as a researcher and professor, he worked at the University of Edinburgh, the University of Maryland, the COMSAT Corporation, the Linkabit Corporation, and the University of Delaware, before retiring to spend time with family.

He was an internet pioneer and a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Internet Society (ISOC) the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), and the Amateur Satellite Organization (AMSAT).

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Beverly C. Mills. He is also survived by his daughter Eileen Schnitzler of Lebanon, PA, his son Keith D. Mills, of Jackson, MS, and his brother Gregory Mills of Ann Arbor, MI.

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Eileen Schnitzler (nee Mills) lit a candle and writes,

Hi Dad, A friend once told me "One never really dies. We just become One with the Universe." If this is true, then I'm sure you are now giving Albert Einstein and Carl Sagan a run for their money! I love you very much, and I miss you tremendously! Please know that I carry you in my heart. Now and forever. Luf, E

01/24/2024 04:45 pm

Charles Boncelet lit a candle and writes,

I had the privilege of knowing, and working with, Dave for almost forty years while he was at UD. He helped "put us on the map". He was my friend. I will miss him. Dave, rest in peace.

01/24/2024 07:38 pm

Vint Cerf writes,

I had the privilege of working with Dave Mill from the earliest days of the Arpanet and the Internet. He became Mr. Internet Time thanks to the development of the Network Time Protocol. He also invented the so-called Fuzzball Router (a PDP-11 with Internet Protocol forwarding capability) which animated the first implementation of the NSFNET backbone around 1986. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Science_Foundation_Network. Mills was a consummate educator, challenging his students to learn by doing. His project assignments were challenging and often counted for a good fraction of a final grade. Mills loved language and reveled in what became known as Millspeak. He was a stickler for proper grammar and usage. Nearly blind from birth, he overcame this limitation with assistive devices including a portable monoscope that allowed him to see whiteboard/blackboard content from a distance. He demanded no more from others than he demanded from himself. He led the Internet Architecture Task Force in the Early Internet Activities Board formed in the early 1980s by ARPA . The IAB emerged from the earlier Internet Configuration Control Board that served as a kind of kitchen cabinet for the Internet's evolution while stewarded by ARPA's Information Processing Techniques Office. Mills is a legend in the Internet space and will be long remembered for his many contributions.

01/27/2024 01:45 pm

Michael Piovoso writes,

I am deeply sadden to learn of David's passing. Please accept my sincerest condolences. May his memory be a blessing to everyone who knew Dave.

01/29/2024 11:07 am

Louis Mamakos writes,

Dave is, of course, well known for this professional achievements over the span of his career. He also had profound impact on the people he crossed paths with. I can directly attribute the entire path of my career over the years back to a time in 1980 when I took a "special topics in networking" class from Dr. Mills at the University of Maryland. It was truly one of those few pivotal moments in my life. That opened my eyes to a whole new world, and took my computer science degree in a completely unexpected direction. And later after that class and another independent study course, Dave was a mentor to me as we worked together "professionally" on network time synchronization that he was known for. He was generous with his time and advice, and I'm so thankful for the chance to learn and work with him.

02/06/2024 12:47 am

Yingchai Berananda lit a candle and writes,

Best Regards, from UDEE alumni

03/03/2024 10:57 pm

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