Fwd: [cherry.heiyui@keio.jp: Sad news: Dave Farber has passed away] – NANOG

From: “Cherry, Hei Yui WONG”
Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2026 11:06:40 +0900
Subject: Sad news: Dave Farber has passed away

We are heartbroken to report that our colleague — our mentor, friend, and
conscience — David J. Farber passed away suddenly at his home in Roppongi,
Tokyo. He left us on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the too-young age of 91.

To his son Manny, he was simply ???Dad???, his bedrock whom he will miss
immeasurably. They spoke almost daily by video throughout his time in
Japan, and shared special times on numerous visits. He is survived by son
Manny Farber and daughter-in-law Mei Xu, daughter-in-law Carol Hagan and
grandsons Nate Farber and Sam Farber. He was preceded in death by his wife
Gloria (G.G.) and son Joe Farber.

Dave???s career began with his education at Stevens Institute of Technology,
which he loved deeply and served as a Trustee. He joined the legendary Bell
Labs during its heyday, and worked at the Rand Corporation. Along the way,
among countless other activities, he served as Chief Technologist of the
U.S. Federal Communications Commission; became a proficient
(instrument-rated) pilot; and was an active board member of the Electronic
Frontier Foundation, a digital civil-liberties organization.

His professional accomplishments and impact are almost endless, but often
captured by one moniker: ???grandfather of the Internet,??? acknowledging the
foundational contributions made by his many students at the University of
California, Irvine; the University of Delaware; the University of
Pennsylvania; and Carnegie Mellon University

In 2018, at the age of 83, Dave moved to Japan to become Distinguished
Professor at Keio University and Co-Director of the Keio Cyber Civilization
Research Center (CCRC). He loved teaching, and taught his final class on
January 22, 2026.

At CCRC, one of his most enjoyable activities was co-hosting the IP-Asia
online gathering, which has met every Monday for more than five years and
has addressed many aspects of the impact of technology on civilization.
Dave thrived in Japan in every way.

We, the IP-Asia community, will gather for an online remembrance of Dave at
the usual time and place, 2100 JST on Monday, February 9, 2026.

It???s impossible to summarize a life and career as rich and long as Dave???s
in our few words here. And each of us, even those who knew him for decades,
represent just one facet of his life. But because we are here at its end,
we have the sad duty of sharing this news. Further information and a more
formal obituary are forthcoming.

With condolences to Manny and the rest of the family,

Jiro Kokuryo
Cherry Wong
Kaori Suzuki
Rodney Van Meter
Dan Gillmor

Manny can be reached at manny.farber@gmail.com.