Today we feature Nina crew member Dr. Evi Nemeth and her story is told by son Laszlo Nemeth, niece Libby Pratt, and comments from friends and colleagues.
From the Nemeth and Pratt families:
In college I took a class called Psychology of Adjustment. During this class the Professor discussed that her main job was working with the elderly and helping them come to terms with regret; regret over the things they didn’t do, the experiences they talked themselves out of, the actions they rationalized not taking. Evi Nemeth is a woman that lives life for the experiences. She has been around boats for over 40 years. She has crossed the Atlantic Ocean and survived a variety of conditions. She is an expert fisherman, great swimmer and has a very strong will. She is a strong woman; a woman who knows how to survive. She has traveled around the world and lives to share her experiences with others.
Before retirement, Evi was a college professor in Computer Science. Her strength is mentoring her students. She inspires her students and loves being a teacher. She enjoys inviting her family and friends to visit her on her boat and to teach them about sailing, encouraging them to have new experiences. Evi has two grandchildren Zokni and Ziggy. Zokni is Evi’s granddaughter. She is 14 years old and loves soccer. When Evi visits us in Colorado she makes a point to go to every one of Zokni’s soccer games. During her visits, Evi will steal Zokni’s books and spend all night reading them so they can share the excitement over the story. Ziggy is Evi’s grandson. He is 8 years old and loves computers. Evi always wanted someone to follow in her computer footsteps. Ziggy may be that person. Evi makes an effort to listen to his endless stories about computer games and his grand plans for designing one. She taught Ziggy to ride his bike so they can take bike rides together. Evi has also inspired her nieces and nephew to experience life on a boat as well, traveling the seas and teaching them independence.
Someone recently referred to Evi as the “elderly woman” aboard Nina. Evi may be 73 years old, but she is far from elderly. Two years ago she reroofed her own roof, and she is quite handy with a chain saw when cutting up fallen trees. Evi works circles around everyone else. She’s a very strong and capable sailor, and we are sure that she is keeping everyone smiling with tales of her adventures in life.
As a family, we have benefited by Evi’s adventurism and expertise. Whenever we question whether to make a trip with her, we always base our decision on creating memories, not regrets. It is that philosophy that motivates us to write this letter. We don’t want anyone to have regrets or doubts about their decisions. We don’t want to regret not doing everything we can to find the Nina. The Nina is a boat with a grand history and the 7 people currently on that boat have the ability and tenuousness to survive.
From Friends and Colleagues of Evi:
“Evi Nemeth played a huge role in shaping USENIX, the Advanced Computing Systems Association, writing about network and system administration, and teaching and mentoring generations of students. We will join together on Wednesday, August 14, at 7:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill at the 22nd USENIX Security Symposium to remember and celebrate Evi and her key role in our community.”
“When I think of Evi the picture in my mind is from the first time I met her. I was a wide-eyed young sysadmin in a class she taught at LISA. She was standing at the front of the packed classroom. A grey haired, diminutive woman passionately educating the first large generation of Unix/Linux system administrators about how to create the future by staying on top of the latest tools and techniques. Thank you, Evi!”
“Her book gave such level-headed advice in as jargon-free a manner (as you can make a UNIX book). She was a legend and a godmother to a generation of UNIX sysadmins.”
“I hardly know what to say. She retired a few years ago and when off to live on her boat. She is a remarkable woman, and I am sad for anyone who didn’t get to know her.”