Frederick Purnell, Jr. was professor of philosophy at Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. A specialist in Renaissance and early modern thought, he published numerous articles based on his research in European libraries and archives. His work emphasized the relationship between philosophy and science in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with particular attention to thinkers with ties to Galileo. The Galileo game is dedicated to the memory of Professor Purnell, a fine scholar, committed teacher, and unabashed lover of Rome.