Pittsburgh Review

C. Gordon Bell, a pioneering designer of computer systems and former Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) faculty member, passed away on May 17 at his home in Coronado, California. He was 89.

"Most people consider Gordon the father of computer architecture," said Daniel Siewiorek, the Buhl University Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science at CMU and Bell's close friend and colleague.

"Gordon laid the foundation for modern computing and transformed how people interact with technology," said CMU President Farnam Jahanian. "His infectious curiosity will continue to inspire — both in the world at large and here at Carnegie Mellon University, through the alumni who benefited from his wisdom during his tenure on our faculty and through his generous support of our computer science students and faculty today. Our thoughts are with Gordon's family and loved ones as we remember his remarkable legacy and celebrate his many contributions to society."

Bell had already established himself as one of the preeminent computer architects in the world by designing minicomputers for Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) when he joined CMU in 1966.

"Gordon had great admiration for the scientific mind of Allen Newell, and it was Newell who convinced him to go to Carnegie Mellon," said Edward Feigenbaum, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at Stanford University. "It was a hotbed of new ideas, and Newell agreed to collaborate with him."

Professorship was a leap for Bell, who had only a handful of scholarly publications and no Ph.D. when he arrived on campus. He had started doctoral work at MIT but abandoned it soon after.

"I didn't really want a Ph.D.," Bell said in a 1991 interview. "I wanted to build things."

"The computers that Gordon built were his publications," Siewiorek noted. "CMU was very broad in recognizing contributions and things that can have an impact."

At CMU, Bell teamed up with Newell to write "Computer Structures: Readings and Examples," a nearly 700-page text that established a taxonomy for computer architecture.

"It basically legitimized the study of computer structures," Siewiorek added. "It really taxonomized and organized the field, adding much more value than just citations."

Chester Gordon Bell was born in Kirksville, Missouri, on August 19, 1934. His mother was a school teacher; his father an electrician. Bell showed an early interest in technology by taking apart home appliances in his father's shop.

After earning bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from MIT, Bell went on to study as a Fulbright scholar at the University of New South Wales. In 1960, he began designing minicomputers for DEC where he became the primary architect of the PDP-8 — the first commercially successful minicomputer.

"Gordon was a master of systems but also had an aesthetic about systems," Feigenbaum remarked. "They had to be not just functional but beautiful."

After six years at CMU, Bell returned to DEC until 1983 when health issues prompted him to leave the company.

Bell later founded two startups and invested in over 100 others. In 1987, he joined the National Science Foundation to help build what would become an early iteration of the internet through the National Research and Education Network project. That same year saw him sponsor the ACM Gordon Bell Prize which annually recognizes achievement in high-performance computing.

Bell served as an adviser to Microsoft before joining its Silicon Valley Research Lab from 1995 until 2012; he returned in an emeritus role in 2015.

An avid collector of historical computer hardware pieces along with his first wife Gwen, Bell co-founded what is now known as the Computer History Museum.

"He started collecting items in his house; when it overflowed, DEC offered space," Siewiorek recalled.

The museum eventually moved from Boston’s Museum Wharf to Mountain View, California.

In recognition of his contributions, CMU awarded Bell an honorary Doctor of Science and Technology degree in 2010; additionally naming a conference room after him within their Gates-Hillman Centers.

"He was just amazing," said Raj Reddy, Moza Bint Nasser University Professor of Computer Science & Robotics at CMU."Gordon was a master organizer but also incredibly friendly.”

"He inspired many,” added Siewiorek."He enabled countless individuals through encouragement.”

Bell is survived by Sheridan Sinclaire-Bell; son Brigham & daughter Laura from his first marriage; stepdaughter Logan Forbes; sister Sharon Smith; four grandchildren.

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