ABSTRACT
As a high school senior in Milwaukee, Donald E. Knuth had doubts about his ability to graduate from college. Four years later he received his B.S. in mathematics, summa cum laude, from the Case Institute of Technology in 1960. His work had been so distinguished that by a special (unprecedented) vote of the faculty he was simultaneously awarded an M.S. degree. In 1963 he received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the California Institute of Technology. Over the years he has received many prestigious awards. In 1979, at age 41, he was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Carter .
