Donald Bitzer
Donald Bitzer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Donald Lester Bitzer January 1, 1934 East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 10, 2024 (aged 90) Cary, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Occupations | |
| Spouse |
Maryann Drost
(m. 1955; died 2022) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | See full list |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (B.S.) (M.S.) (Ph.D.) |
| Academic work | |
| Sub-discipline | Computer science |
| Institutions | North Carolina State University |
| Notable works | PLATO, Plasma display |
Donald Lester Bitzer (January 1, 1934 – December 10, 2024) was an American electrical engineer and computer scientist. He was the co-inventor of the plasma display and was widely regarded as the "father of PLATO".
Life and career
[edit | edit source]Donald Lester Bitzer was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, on January 1, 1934.[1][2][3] He grew up in Collinsville, Illinois.[3] Bitzer received three degrees in electrical engineering (B.S., 1955; M.S., 1956; Ph.D., 1960) from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.[4]
Bitzer held several patents in numerous areas, while the PLATO computer system, the first system to combine graphics and touchscreens, is the most famous of his inventions.[5]
Bitzer co-invented the flat plasma display panel in 1964.[6]
In 1974, Bitzer was elected as a member into the National Academy of Engineering for "his leadership in the utilization and development of technology for improving the effectiveness of education".
From 1989, Bitzer was a Distinguished University Research Professor of Computer Science at North Carolina State University.[7]
Bitzer was married to Maryann Drost, a nurse and educator, from 1955 until her death in 2022 and had a son, along with three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.[8][3] He died of congestive heart failure at home in Cary, North Carolina, on December 10, 2024, at the age of 90.[9][3]
Awards
[edit | edit source]In 1973, the National Academy of Engineering presented Bitzer with the Vladimir K. Zworykin Award, which honors the inventor of the iconoscope.[10]
Bitzer was a designated National Associate, an honor which was granted to him by the National Academies in 2002. He was also a member of the American Society for Engineering Education.[7]
- Member of the National Academy of Engineering (1974)[11]
- Computer Society Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (1982)[12]
- Slottow Creativity Award (1989)[13]
- Emmy Award (2002)[14]
- Inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame (2013)[15]
- Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (2018)[16]
- Holladay Medal (2019)[17]
- Fellow of the Computer History Museum (2022)[18]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame 2006 inductee bio. (PDF). October 17, 2006. Archived October 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
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External links
[edit | edit source]- NCSU Faculty Profile
- Oral history interview with Donald L. Bitzer. Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota. Bitzer discusses his relationship with Control Data Corporation during the development of the PLATO system.
- Oral history interview with Thomas Muir Gallie. Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota. Gallie, a program officer at the National Science Foundation, describes the impact of Bitzer and the PLATO system.
- University of Illinois Computer-based Education Research Laboratory PLATO Reports, PLATO Documents, and CERL Progress Reports. Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota. Archival collection that contains internal and external reports and publications related to the development of PLATO and its operations.
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- 1934 births
- 2024 deaths
- Deaths from congestive heart failure in the United States
- 20th-century American inventors
- American computer scientists
- American electrical engineers
- Grainger College of Engineering alumni
- North Carolina State University faculty
- Emmy Award winners
- Computer-based Education Research Laboratory
- People from East St. Louis, Illinois
- People from Collinsville, Illinois
- People from Raleigh, North Carolina
- People from Cary, North Carolina
- Fellows of the IEEE
- Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering