Homage to Michael Gelfond on His 65 th Birthday

Michael Gelfond is one of the world leading scientists in the field of logic programming and nonmonotonic reasoning. This essay covers several aspects of Michael’s personal life, starting from his birth in the USSR, through his experiences in the USSR up to the time he emigrated to the United States (U.S.). This is followed by his first experiences in the U.S.: how he became involved in logic programming and nonmonotonic reasoning and some of his major scientific achievements. Michael is a warm, generous person, and I discuss his impact on some colleagues and students. In the concluding section, I observe that starting his career with impediments in the FSU, he overcame them to become one of the top computer scientists in logic programming and nonmonotonic reasoning.