Donald Bitzer
American electrical engineer and computer scientist (1934–2024)
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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".
January 1, 1934
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 |
Life and career
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
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]