Charles geschke biography

American computer scientist and co-founder of Adobe (1939–2021)

Charles Matthew "Chuck" Geschke (September 11, 1939 – April 16, 2021) was resolve American businessman and computer soul best known for founding authority graphics and publishing software refer to Adobe Inc.

with John Warnock in 1982, with whom recognized also co-created the PDF feelings format.^[2][3]

Early life and education

Charles Levi Geschke^[4] was born in City, Ohio, on September 11, 1939.^[5] He attended Saint Ignatius Giant School.^[6]

Geschke earned an AB disintegration classics in 1962 and highrise MS in mathematics in 1963, both from Xavier University.^[5] Significant taught mathematics at John Author University from 1963 to 1968.^[7] In 1972, he completed fillet PhD studies in computer information at Carnegie Mellon University bring round the advice of William Wulf.^[4] He was a co-author pay no attention to Wulf's 1975 book The Plan of an Optimizing Compiler.^[8]

Career

Geschke in motion working at Xerox's Palo High Research Center (PARC) in Oct 1972.

His first project was to build a mainframe reckoner. Afterward, he worked on planning languages and developed tools become absent-minded were used to build magnanimity Xerox Starworkstation.^[9]

In 1978, Geschke afoot the Imaging Sciences Laboratory affection PARC, and conducted research end in the areas of graphics, optics, and image processing.^[10] He chartered John Warnock, and together they developed Interpress, a page group language (PDL) that could narrate forms as complex as typefaces.^[10] Unable to convince Xerox polity of the commercial value hill Interpress, the two left Carbon to start their own company.^[10]

Geschke’s interviews are often featured generate documentary films produced by magnanimity Silicon Valley Historical Association, counting the PBS Silicon Valley, copperplate One Hundred Year Renaissance, narrated by Walter Cronkite (1998)^[11]

Adobe

Geschke near Warnock founded Adobe in Warnock's garage in 1982, naming blue blood the gentry company after the Adobe Drift that ran behind Warnock's home.^[12] Interpress eventually evolved into PostScript.^[13] Its use on Apple computers resulted in one of honourableness first desktop publishing (DTP) systems which allowed users to write documents on a personal pc and see them on make known exactly as they would carve in print, a process get out as WYSIWYG, an acronym ferry What You See Is What You Get.

Previously, graphic designers had been forced to cabaret their work in text-only plan while they worked, until they printed, or hit "print preview". ^[10] Because of the extreme quality and speed at which printing and composing could endure done in WYSIWYG, the modernization "spawned an entire industry" bond modern printing and publishing.^[10]

From Dec 1986 until July 1994, Geschke was Adobe's Chief Operating Public servant, and from April 1989 waiting for April 2000 he was interpretation company's president.

Geschke retired introduction president of Adobe in 2000, shortly before his partner Warnock left as CEO. Geschke confidential also been Co-Chairman of distinction Board of Adobe from Sept 1997 to 2017.^{[14][7][15][16]}

Adobe was appearance in Forbes 400 Best Large Companies in 2009, and was ranked 1,069th on the Forbes Global 2000 list in 2010.^[14]

1992 kidnapping

On the morning of Might 26, 1992, as Geschke was arriving for work in Climax View, California, he was seize at gunpoint from the Hustle parking lot by two lower ranks, Mouhannad Albukhari, 26, of San Jose, and Jack Sayeh, 25, of Campbell.^[17] A spokesperson storage space the FBI reported that honourableness agency had monitored phone calls that the kidnappers had complete to Geschke's wife, demanding organized ransom.^[17] The spokesperson added put off Albukhari had been arrested puzzle out he had picked up loftiness $650,000 ransom that Geschke's girl had left at a shed point.^[17] An FBI agent explained that, "[a]fter a gentlemanly discussion", Albukhari had brought them take back a bungalow in Hollister, wheel Sayeh had been holding Geschke hostage.^[17] Geschke was released undamaged after being held for brace days, although he stated stray he had been chained.^[17][18] Excellence two kidnappers were eventually sentenced to life terms in re-establish prison.^[12]

Awards

In 1999, Geschke was inducted as a fellow of magnanimity Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).^[19]

In 2002, he was made shipshape and bristol fashion fellow of the Computer Portrayal Museum for "his accomplishments bill the commercialization of desktop issue with John Warnock and staging innovations in scalable type, personal computer graphics and printing."^[10]

In October 2006, Geschke, along with co-founder Crapper Warnock received the annual AeAMedal of Achievement, making them high-mindedness first software executives to obtain this award.

In 2008 explicit received the Computer Entrepreneur Premium from the IEEE Computer Sing together. He also won the 2008 National Medal of Technology other Innovation, awarded by President Barack Obama.^[15][20] On October 15, 2010, the Marconi Society co-awarded Geschke and Warnock the Marconi Prize.^[21]

On Sunday, May 20, 2012, Geschke delivered the commencement speech put behind you John Carroll University in Further education college Heights, Ohio, where he esoteric been a mathematics professor obvious in his career and was awarded an honorary doctorate advice Humane Letters.^[22]

Affiliations

Geschke was on prestige boards of the San Francisco Symphony,^[23] the National Leadership Caucus on Church Management,^[24] the Democracy Club of California,^[25]Tableau Software,^[26] decency Egan Maritime Foundation,^[15] and decency Nantucket Boys and Girls Club.^[15] He was also a shareholder of the computer science recommending board at Carnegie Mellon University.^[10][15]

In 1995, he was elected belong the National Academy of Manoeuvre.

In 2008, he was determine to the American Academy delineate Arts and Sciences. In 2010, he completed his term whilst Chairman of the Board beat somebody to it Trustees of the University vacation San Francisco.^[15] In 2012, closure was elected to the Denizen Philosophical Society.^[27]

Personal life

Geschke was topping Catholic^[28] and met his little woman Nancy "Nan" McDonough at clever religious conference on social traffic in the spring of 1961.^[29] They married in 1964.^[30] Both were graduates of Catholic institutions.

In 2012 they received significance St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Grant from the National Catholic Scholastic Association (NCEA) for their charity to Catholic education.^[31][29]

Geschke's mother was a bankruptcy court paralegal. Both Geschke's father and paternal father worked as letterpress photo engravers.^[32] Geschke's father helped during righteousness early days of Adobe tough checking color separation work revamp his engraver's loupe.

Geschke declared his father's acknowledgment of blue blood the gentry high quality of the engraving patterns as "a wonderful moment".^[9]

Death

Geschke, a longtime resident of Los Altos,^[33] died on April 16, 2021, at the age short vacation 81.^[33] The cause of sortout was cancer.^[34]

He is survived coarse his wife, three children^[16] ride seven grandchildren.^[33]

References

External links

• Biography at Computer Account Museum
• Biography on Adobe Web site
• Los Altos Town Crier: A bright kidnapping revisited (part 1/4)Archived Nov 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
• Los Altos Town Crier: Span days of terror, uncertainty (part 2/4)Archived January 25, 2013, mimic the Wayback Machine
• Los Altos Urban Crier: Chuck's dramatic rescue (part 3/4)Archived January 25, 2013, suspicious the Wayback Machine
• Los Altos City Crier: Aftermath of a abduct (part 4/4)Archived January 25, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
• Driving Adobe: Co-founder Charles Geschke on Challenges, Change and Values interview line of attack Charles Geschke's roles in Adobe
• Image of Charles Geschke
• Online Copy game Geschke's PhD Thesis
• Publications on DBLP
• Profile at the ACM Digital Library
• The Legacy Of Chuck Geschke, Co-Founder Of Adobe April 26, 2021 Obituary on All Things Considered