JONATHAN MILLS - CLASS OF 1973

JONATHAN MILLS - CLASS OF 1973

Mills, Jonathan Wayne of Bloomington, Indiana

1952 – 2016

Jonathan Wayne Mills of Bloomington, Indiana passed away in the presence of family on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at the age of 64, after a six month fight against cancer.

Jonathan was born in Kalamazoo Michigan on January 19, 1952, and attended Loy Norrix high school and college at Western Michigan University on an ROTC scholarship, after which he joined the US Army. It was there that he realized his love of computing, which led him to complete a PhD in computer science at Arizona State University before joining the Faculty of the Computer Science department at Indiana University in 1988.

His research focused on unconventional computing, and he was the holder of several patents relating to the analog computing systems he designed. He was also the inventor of a small robot, 'Stiquito', which was adapted for teaching robotics and computing.

As a professor, he cared deeply about teaching and worked to include unique elements such as music, toys, and card games into the computing courses he taught. Jonathan's creative genius extended beyond his professional work, into both art and music. He painted nature scenes throughout his life, inspired by his early experiences at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. He also composed and performed electronic music, and was featured several times at the 'Different Skies' music festival in Arcosanti, AZ.

Jonathan is remembered for his kindness, humor, and a deep and personal spirituality. Jonathan was preceded in death by his mother Gloria Ann (Matson) Mills of Allegan, Michigan. Jonathan is survived by his father Kenneth Mills of Kalamazoo, MI; his brother Pete Mills of Scotts, MI; his former wife Ellen Mills of Sugarcreek, OH and his children Elisabeth Mills of Tucson, AZ and Stephen Mills of Bloomington, IN. Donations to remember Jonathan may be made to the Kalamazoo Nature Center.