Lynn Ann Conway—a computer scientist, electrical engineer and a trans-rights activist—died in Jackson, Michigan on June 9 of heart trouble. She was 86.Conway was fired in 1968 when it became known that she intended to transition. IBM later apologized for that action. That same year, Conway consulted Dr. Harry Benjamin and became a patient. She completed her gender transition, also in 1968. In a divorce, she was denied the right to visit with her then-minor children.

Using her new name, Conway continued work as a computer research scientist, working at Computer Applications, Inc.; Memorex; Xerox PARC; and DARPA. In 1985, she became a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan and, simultaneously, associate dean of engineering. Her post-transition accomplishments were foundational in the development of computers, but her pre-transition work was not credited to her until 1998.