As senior Vice President of Internet Architecture and Technology, Vinton G. Cerf is one of the most influential peopl in the history of the Internet, if not the most influential, period. He was awarded, 1997, with the U.S. National Medal of Technology by Bill Clinton for, with his partner, Robert E. Kahn, founding and, then, developing the Internet. He is widely known as the "Father of the Internet." (1)

Cerf lost much of his hearing ability at a young age disallowing him to talk on the phone with the control and authority that a man of his stature so surely requires of himself. In an ironic twist, he was able to form an outlet for the deaf by creating the Internet, and with that, email, a way of communicating that does not rely on conversation. (2)

Cerf's resume is sprinkled with established jobs and great accomplishments in the world of technology and communication. He began in 1976 with the U.S. Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) where he began his journey in building one of the greatest news and communication outlets of all time. After leaving the DARPA in 1982, Cerf became the vice president of MCI Digital Information Services where he led the way for the emergence of MCI mail, the first example of email ever seen. Cerf also was the vice president of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives after leaving MCI in 1986, before joining the company in 1994. (1)

Without Cerf, the Internet might have been only a dream. He now serves as senior vice president of Architecture and Techology for Worldcom. (3)

NOTES:

(1)ICANN (2000). Biography: Vinton G. Cerf. [Online]. Available: http://www.icann.org/biog/cerf.htm

(2)Olson, Kathy. Internet History: Important People [Online]. Available: http://www.unc.edu/courses/jomc050/pioneers2b.html#case

(3)Cerf, Vinton (2003). Cerf's Up. [Online]. Available: http://www.worldcom.com/global/resources/cerfs_up/

Three Good Websites on Vinton G. Cerf

1. Title of Web Page: Vinton G. Cerf, Al Gore and the Internet

Web Address: www.absoluteone.com

Brief Description: Analysis of Cerf and Gore's involvement in the creation of the Internet.

Source of Website: Absolute One

2. Title of Web Page: Vinton G. Cerf

Web Address: http://www.itu.int/TELECOM/wt95/pressdocs/profiles/cerfbio.html

Brief Description: Cerf's history at MCI.

Source of Website: Telecom

3. Title of Web Page: 25 Movers and Shakers

Web Address: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,98323,00.asp

Brief Description: What Cerf is up to today.

Source of Website: eWeek