We are extremely saddened to report that our longtime colleague, Kevin Cunningham, passed away on August 28, 2025, due to heart failure. He is survived by his loving partner and wife of 48 years, Cindy. They first met when Cindy was a teenager.

  Kevin was a remarkable man. He devoted nearly his entire professional career to LINDO Systems, of which he was a co-founder. Users from around the world who faced difficult optimization problems were always grateful to interact with Kevin and benefit from his insight.

  His contributions to developing powerful and practical software were recognized multiple times over the years. In 1986, Kevin received PC Magazine’s annual Award for Technical Excellence for his work on the What’sBest! Spreadsheet Optimizer. In 2012, he was honored with the INFORMS Impact Prizefor his work on the LINGO optimization modeling language. 

  Kevin was a quiet and reserved fellow who spoke with his actions and results, rather than words. Most of his professional colleagues did not know that he was an experienced sailor as well as a guitar player, devoted animal lover, and accomplished chef.

   He was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He received his bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and economics from Pitzer/Claremont College.  In 1981, Kevin and Cindy moved to Chicago, planning to spend two years getting his MBA at the UChicago Graduate School of Business, and then returning to the Bay Area. Kevin got distracted, however, by optimization at UChicago, and remained in Chicago to make his mark with his work on optimization.  As a semi-substitute for the Bay Area, for a number of years Kevin and Cindy had a quiet little pad in the French Quarter to get a little closer to the ocean climate.

   We are not sure of Kevin’s last request. It would probably have been something like: in lieu sending flowers, each time you use What’sBest! or LINGO, pause for a second, look up, and send a little mental thank you to Kevin. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.