Since everyone else is doing their in memoriam for the end of the year, I thought I would do one to.

Goodbye Arecibo

On Dec 1, 2020, the Arecibo Telescope collapsed. This Radio Telescope was in operation since Nov 1963 and made some fantastic discoveries over the years. It is a shame they decided to let this great instrument of exploration die!

Grant Imahara

Those who watched Mythbusters will know Grant Imahara. Grant, an Electrical engineer with a BS from USC, along with the rest of the Mythbusters crew, probably did more to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) than any previous show on TV by making STEM fun, exciting and cool! He was a robotisist, appearing on BattleBots with his robot Deadblow multiple seasons as well as mentoring a FRC Robotics Team (Team #841 – Biomechs) as well as making robotics for TV, Film and Commercials (including the Energizer Bunny and Geoff Peterson from The Late Night Show). He also was a big supporter of STEM Robotics Education!

Alex Trebek

Probably everyone has watched at least one episode of Jeopardy in their lifetime and many have never seen an episode without Alex Trebek. I mention him here since he will hold a place in Computer History as hosting the game show where IBM Watson (an computer AI) beat human players, proving the IBM’s AI technology to the world.

Katherine Johnson

The NASA Mathematician most first heard about via the movie “Hidden Figures”. In 1953, when she was first hired by NASA, she broke both color and gender barriers. A wonderful biography with a list of all her accomplishments can be found HERE. I am glad that she lived long enough to get the recognition she deserved!

Li Wenliang

You might not recognize Dr Li Wenliang, but he was the first doctor to raise alarms about Covid-19. He died from covid-19. Just one of many healthcare workers who did.

Bill English

You probably do not recognize the name, but we use his invention probably every day….the computer mouse. He also led a group at Xerox PARC that led to the first Graphical User Interface giving rise to Microsoft Windows and Mac OS.

If you are a fan of computer history and haven’t heard of all the innovations done at Xerox PARC, you might want to read “Dealers of Lightning – Xerox PARK and the dawn of the computer age” by Michael Hiltzik

Larry Tesler

Another Xerox PARC alumni who is best know for the idea of copy and paste within Graphical User Interfaces. (Again I refer you to “Dealers of Lightning”)

Bert Sutherland

And yet Another Xerox PARC alumni. Bert Sutherland was involved with many of the advancements in computers including Java, the ARPANET and VLSI IC’s.

When at Xerox PARC helping develop software for the Xerox Alto (the first GUI computer) he told his researchers to go outside the lab and ask people who would use the system what they were doing right (and Wrong) and how to make the system more intuitive. What a concept….get user input during the design process! (Pay attention Microsoft!)

Chuck Yeager

Best known for breaking the sound barrier in 1947, I think that much of his work made NASA and the US Space Program happen.

Chris Kraft

I am a bit late on this one….Chris Kraft died in July 2019, but I never really put it on my blog, so here it is.

Chris Craft was an aerospace engineer and the person responsible for NASA Mission Control as we still know it today and was flight directory for some of the most historic missions in space flight. He was on duty for America’s first crewed space flight, fist crewed orbital flight and first spacewalk. He was the flight director during all six Mercury missions, head of mission operations during Gemini and was involved with planing the Apollo missions and so much more.

He was so important to mission control, the main building at Johnson Space Center was renamed in his honor in 2011.

I recommend his book “Flight: My Life in Mission Control” if you are a NASA history buff like me.