The Professor Behind the Professor

One person can change everything. Professor Paul Myers knows this better than most.

Myers was a master's student in computer science at the University of Denver when he first encountered Professor Ron Prather. From the start, something about the way Prather taught - the rigor, the curiosity, the rare ability to make abstract ideas feel alive - left a lasting impression.

Over time, that impression deepened into something more: mentorship, then friendship, then a bond that would inspire Myers to ensure future students could experience the same lasting impact Prather had left on him.

As Myers neared the end of his master's program, Prather encouraged him to stay at Denver and pursue his Ph.D. Myers listened. He became Prather's first doctoral student, and in doing so, discovered something he hadn't anticipated: a love of teaching.

"That decision changed everything," Myers reflects. "It opened up an entirely new career path I hadn't considered."

That's what one person can do. One conversation. One nudge in the right direction. One mentor who sees potential before the student sees it in themselves.

In 1985, Myers became a faculty member at Trinity University, a position he has held ever since. Not long after, he extended an invitation of his own, nominating Prather to join Trinity as its first distinguished professor in computer science, a role the University honored with the title of Caruth Distinguished Professor of Computing and Information Science. The mentor would follow the student. Or perhaps more accurately, they had found their way to the same place together - and in doing so, went on to shape the careers and lives of countless students who would pass through Trinity's computer science program for decades to come.

Prather taught at Trinity until his retirement in 1999, leaving behind a body of work as wide-ranging as it was deep. He was a prolific author, contributing foundational scholarship on mathematical theory in computer science, software testing, and software complexity. He authored books that shaped how a generation of students understood the field. Since Prather's retirement, Myers has carried that tradition forward, now holding that same distinguished title.

For Myers, the throughline has always been clear: Prather gave him something that couldn't be quantified, and that kind of gift doesn't stop with the person who receives it. It moves forward. It multiplies. It shows up in the careers of students who don't yet know what they're capable of.

The seed of giving back had been planted in 2011, when Myers played an instrumental role in establishing the Howland, Eggen & Pitts (HEP) Fellowship, a fund supporting summer research opportunities in Trinity's computer science department. Created to honor three retired faculty members, the fellowship showed Myers the power of preserving the memory of those who shaped a field.

When he learned about the Trinity Commitment in 2024, Trinity's matching gift initiative that would double his contribution, the decision required no further deliberation. Myers committed $50,000 to establish the Ronald E. Prather Computer Science Scholarship Fund in support of students pursuing a computer science degree. The Trinity Commitment matched it in full, transforming one man's gratitude into a resource that will touch the lives of students for generations.

Generosity, it turns out, has a compounding effect.

In 2025, Ron Prather passed away suddenly - a loss felt deeply by those who knew him and by a field he spent a lifetime shaping. What began as an act of gratitude became something more: a tribute, a memorial, and a promise.

Myers' hope is a simple one: that future scholarship recipients will encounter Prather's name, feel a flicker of curiosity, and carry something of his spirit into their own careers - maybe even passing it on to someone else who needed exactly that, at exactly the right moment.

"I feel like I've gotten a lot from Trinity and from different individuals throughout my education and tenure, including from Ron Prather," Myers says. "It's been a good career and I love being here. I think that if people feel grateful, they probably instinctively want to give back, like me."

Prather's influence didn't retire in 1999. Thanks to Myers, it's just getting started.