Searching for Ron Britvich(continued)
Roderick C. Moyes
So I begin my search.
There was speculation among his followers. Newsgroups devoted to his work sprung up all over the web. Individuals offered accounts of his whereabouts. There were even reported sightings in Las Vegas. Some took the high road by saying he was just lying low, working on the next big thing. Others were less flattering and offered darker, more troubling assumptions. Was it possible that he just broke down? Could this man who had faced down the giants and won simply succumb to the pressure? Perhaps there was just no more challenge. Whatever the reasons, I was determined to find out.
Born 1958 in Newport Beach California, he took very little time in distinguishing himself, showing a much higher capacity for learning than an "average" child. He displayed all of the idiosyncratic mannerisms of a child genius. When other students were busy struggling over simple equations, Britvich was practicing advanced algebra in his head.
Entering first grade, his class was given a math workbook that would last them the year. He took it home and completed it in one night. When he showed his work to his teacher, she met him not with praise, but with a scathing litany of remarks about following instructions. From then on he was ordered to sit in the corner of the room during math lessons and occupy himself with paper and paste. He found he liked to eat his materials as much as work with them and developed a lifelong habit of chewing on paper when he is engaged in heavy thought.
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