2008 Computer Entrepreneur Award: Charles M. Geschke and John E. Warnock
By Tyrus Manuel, On 7/1/09 12:23 AM
Tags:
adobe, awards, graphic design
The 2008 Computer Entrepreneur Award is presented to Charles M. Geschke and John E. Warnock "Âfor inventing PostScript and PDF and helping to launch the desktop publishing revolution and change the way people engage with information and entertainment".
Charles M. (Chuck) Geschke co-founded Adobe Systems Incorporated in 1982. A leader in the software industry for more than 35 years, Geschke retired from his position as president of Adobe in 2000 and continues to share the chairmanship of the board with Adobe'Âs co-founder John Warnock. Prior to co-founding Adobe Systems, Geschke formed the Imaging Sciences Laboratory at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in 1980. He was a principal scientist and researcher at Xerox PARC's Computer Sciences Laboratory from 1972 to 1980.
Geschke actively participates on several boards of educational institutions, nonprofits, technology companies, and arts organizations. In 1995, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. In 2008, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Industry and business leaders, including the IEEE, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Carnegie-Mellon University, the National Computer Graphics Association, and the Rochester Institute of Technology, have honored Geschke'Âs technical and managerial achievements. He received the regional Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1991 and the national Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2003. In 2002, he was elected a Fellow of the Computer History Museum. Geschke received the Medal of Achievement from the American Electronics Association (AeA) in 2006 and in 2007 he received the John W. Gardner Leadership Award. In 2000, Geschke was ranked the seventh most influential graphics person of the last millennium by Graphic Exchange magazine.
Geschke holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie-Mellon University and a M.S. in mathematics and an A.B. in Latin, both from Xavier University.
John E. Warnock is co-chairman of the Board of Directors of Adobe Systems, Inc., a company he co-founded in 1982 with Charles Geschke. Dr. Warnock was President of Adobe for his first two years and Chairman and CEO for his remaining 16 years at Adobe.
John has pioneered the development of graphics, web and electronic document technologies that have revolutionized the field of publishing and visual communication. Dr. Warnock holds seven patents.
John'Âs career has been chronicled by the numerous awards for technical and managerial achievement. A partial list of awards includes: Entrepreneur of the Year from Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch, and Inc. Magazine; University of Utah Distinguished Alumnus Award; Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Software Systems Award. John has also received the Edwin H. Land Award from the Optical Society of America, the Bodleian Medal from Oxford University, and the Lovelace Medal from the British Computer Society. John is a distinguished member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has received Honorary Degrees from the University of Utah and the American Film Institute.
Before co-founding Adobe Systems, John was the Principal Scientist at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Prior to joining Xerox, John held key positions at Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation, Computer Sciences Corporation, IBM, and the University of Utah. John holds B.S and M.S degrees in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, all from the University of Utah.
