Andrew Hancock Sudduth
1961 -2006
Andrew died of pancreatic cancer at his family home in Marion on July 15, 2006. He faced death with the same integrity, passion and focus that he lived his entire life. With his usual grace, he brought his friends and family close to him as he approached dying. Andy had a tremendous capacity to give and receive love in his quiet way. Over the course of his illness we were blessed with the love and prayers of hundreds of people Andrew touched over the course of his life.
There was nothing mediocre about Andy. Everything he did, he did intensely and well. His rowing achievements are the most public: eight National and Olympic teams, including a 1984 Olympic Silver medal, four medals at the World Rowing Championships (including a silver in the legendary race where as a young upstart he almost beat Karpinnen in 1985), the never-repeated triumphs of the 1985 Harvard crew at Sprints, Nationals and the Grand Challenge at Henley, three victories at the CRASH-B sprints and his five-time victories in the Championship single at the Head of the Charles.
His determination to push himself, to grow, and to do the right thing (rather than the popular thing) permeated his life. In Junior High School in Exeter, NH, he set up the school’s first computer network. In 1988, Andy circulated the first major warning of a computer virus in the “Internet Worm” event, when he was working late at night at Harvard’s Aiken computer lab. Never a conventional engineer, he approached computer programming with a brilliance and artistic style that was not always easy for his colleagues to follow but was always directed toward providing technologies that customers needed and would use. He worked on DHCP and DNS servers in the early days, which now help form the backbone of the internet. At American Internet (AIC), he shares a patent for his help to invent 'self provisioning', which allows individuals to choose their own services, pay for them, and connect to the Internet without human intervention on the side of the Service Provider. This technology is what brought AIC to the attention of Cisco and ultimately what led to the purchase of AIC by Cisco. At Cisco, Andy continued to innovate, helping to define and develop Cisco’s Address Management technology and products, as well as finding many innovative uses for DHCP and DNS servers. Cisco was remarkable to him, giving him tremendous creative freedom and, ultimately, full support as he became ill.
Andrew was an avid athlete outside of rowing – a passionate sailor whether racing lasers and 420’s at Beverly Yacht Club as a teenager, sailing his Shields, “Zoetrope” on Buzzard’s Bay, or cruising the Caribbean trying to push speed out of a tublike charter boat – Andrew was fluent and graceful on a boat. He became an accomplished distance bicyclist in the last several years, eschewing competition for long rides such as the Petersham Double Century. He even rode his bike into the hospital in Cambridge from Stow for one of his earlier cancer procedures.
His love and passion for his children and for those who were close to him was equally intense. Especially in the last few years, Andy brought the light of his faith and love to teaching his daughters and instructing them in life lessons. Mundane car trips to school became opportunities to teach: from the formation of clouds to global warming to ethical dilemmas.
Andy leaves a huge wealth of people who love him: his two daughters, Zoe and Sophie, his wife, Ruth Kennedy Sudduth, his parents: Sharlie Sudduth of Marion, MA, S. Scott Sudduth, MD of Newfields, NH, his siblings: Rob Sudduth of Marion, MA, Jennifer Sudduth Walsh of Newton, MA, and Matthew Sudduth of Portsmouth, NH and their families, a large and loving extended family and hundreds of former teammates, friends, colleagues and admirers. Many have remembered Andy on this website, in reflections, the guestbook, and in excerpts from the memorial services held in Marion and at Newell Boathouse at the Head of the Charles, 2006.
We continue to celebrate Andy's life and the hope that pancreatic cancer will
ultimately be treatable, and even cureable. One concrete way is by riding in
the Pan Mass Challenge to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute where Andy
received his treatment. Andy's brother, Matthew, and widow, Ruth, will be riding
this year in his memory. We would be most grateful if you would join us in supporting
the efforts to treat and cure cancer, the website is www.pmc.org.
To make a donation for Andy, enter Matthew Sudduth or Ruth Kennedy Sudduth's
names, or their numbers MS0301 or RS0212.