Computer Histories Page XII

John A. Daly

John A. Daly earned a B.S in Engineering and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from UCLA and UC Berkeley, respectively, after which he worked as a research engineer (in the early 1960s) in the laboratories of Astropower, a Douglas subsidiary. His field was pattern recognition research, and he helped build the “Optical Decision Filter,” an early computing advance that allowed recognition and classification of three-dimensional objects regardless of their size and orientation with respect to the viewing lens.

His career took a later turn, as he earned his Ph.D. in Administration and Operations Research from UC Irvine and dedicated himself first to international health and later to science and technology for development.

 Computers and technology were always an integral part of Dr. Daly’s life, both in his work and at home.  He bought early Texas Instrument home computers for his son (and himself), an early “portable” computer for his own use, and a series of personal computers and laptops for home use that he used constantly.

 The Daly family donated three of Dr. Daly’s early home computers to the Rhode Island Computer Museum:  two TI computers and related software and other materials, and a Xerox 1810 portable computer.