Bernard Galler | |
|---|---|
 Bernard A. Galler (2004) | |
| Born | (1928-10-03)October 3, 1928 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | September 4, 2006(2006-09-04) (aged 77) Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. |
| Education | University of Chicago (BS,PhD) University of California, Los Angeles (MS) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Michigan |
| Doctoral advisor | Paul Halmos Marshall Stone |
Bernard A. Galler (October 3, 1928 – September 4, 2006) was an American mathematician and computer scientist at theUniversity of Michigan who was involved in the development of large-scale operating systems and computer languages including theMAD programming language and theMichigan Terminal System operating system.[1][2][3]
Galler attended theUniversity of Chicago where he earned a BSc in mathematics at theUniversity of Chicago (1947), followed by a MSc fromUCLA and a PhD from theUniversity of Chicago (1955), advised byPaul Halmos andMarshall Stone. He joined the mathematics department at theUniversity of Michigan (1955) where he taught the firstprogramming course (1956) using anIBM 704. Galler helped to develop the computer language called theMichigan Algorithm Decoder (1959-) in use at several universities. He formed the Communication Sciences dept (1965), renamed Computer Sciences (CS), which became the Computer and Communications (CCS) dept (1984), and Computer Science Department in the 70s, where he retired in 1994.
Galler's class developed the realtime course scheduling program called Computer Registration Involving Student Participation (CRISP) which allowed students to register for courses without waiting in long lines.[4] The University used the CRISP application for over fifteen years.
From 1968 to 1970, Prof. Galler was the President of theAssociation for Computing Machinery (ACM). In 1994 he was inducted as aFellow of theAssociation for Computing Machinery. He was the founding editor of the journalIEEE Annals of the History of Computing (1979–87). He was also the President of theSoftware Patent Institute (1992). For fifteen years, he served as an expert witness in numerous important legal cases around the country involving computer software issues.
Galler was married to Enid Harris, played violin in several orchestras and chamber groups, co-founded the Ypsilanti Youth Orchestra (2001) for children whose schools did not have string music education. He was president of the Orchestra Board at the University of Michigan and a member of the Ann Arbor chapter ofRotary International. He died frompulmonary embolism.[5]
The Bernard A. Galler Fellowship Fund[6] has been established at the University of Michigan Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science to "attract and support outstanding graduate students pursuing an advanced degree in computer science."
