Burton Grad — a pioneering figure in the computer software industry — died peacefully at his Westport home on June 3. He was 97.
Burt Grad, 1959.
In 1954, while working for General Electric, Burt was one of the original programmers for the first commercial computer, Univac 1. He helped write the first production and inventory control programs, and his work helped shape the future of business and academic computing.
During the 1960s he contributed to both scientific and application programming at IBM. He was a key member of the Unbundling Task Force in 1969, which led to the ascendancy of software applications.
Burt later served as a development director for various industries. He had initial responsibility for IBM’s influential CICS (Customer Information Control System), which remains in use today.
In 1978 Burt launched a consulting firm, where he continued to shape the software industry through strategic planning and valuation studies for software and services companies. He was a leader in industry organizations, particularly ADAPSO (later ITAA), where he played a vital role from the early 1970s.
In 2000 he co-founded the Software History Center, to preserve the history of the software computing industry he helped build. It later merged with the Computer History Museum.
Until his death, Burt edited articles on the software origins of the CAD/CAM industry for the IEEE Annals of the History of Computing.
Burt Grad, at work.
In addition, in his “late retirement” he spent 10 years as CFO for the life insurance and estate planning firm American Business, reporting to the CEO: his son Alan. (Alan notes that it was not always clear which one was the boss.)
Burt spent much of his childhood in Washington. He helped in the family dry cleaning business, until he went off to college at age 16.
Burt graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he met and married Pauline Mennen Sonenshine. They raised 5 children in Tarrytown, New York.
For 25 years Burt was a vocal and involved member of the community. He was integral in building affordable housing, and advocating for civil rights.
In 2001 Burt married Carol Anne Ances, at an outdoor ceremony in the Berkshires. They enjoyed the next 25 years in Westport, along with summers in the Berkshires and winters on Sanibel Island, Florida.
Burt Grad
In addition to storied career in the software industry, Burt had many wide-ranging hobbies. Tennis was foremost. He was an avid baseball fan, and completed the New York Times crossword puzzle daily.
He loved reading detective novels, modern world history, and political biographies. He followed domestic and international news closely, and held strong opinions about almost everything.
Burt is survived by his wife Carol Anne Ances; children Carol (Michael) Abedon, Andrew (Janet Singer) Grad, Alan (Ellen) Grad, Bryan (Debra) Grad and Elissa (Narayan Kaimal) Grad, and nearly 20 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Burt’s memory may be made to the Computer History Museum, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA 94043.
(In 2022, “06880” profiled Burt Grad. Click here to read that story, including his insights into computers then, today, and in the future.)
Once again, Dan, you are master of obit facts that I foolishly thought only I knew. Burt worked on that first mainframe sold to a private company — arguably the beginning of the computer era in the US — and programmed it to do payroll! The first computer application and the essential business process that every single organization needs and was therefore the foundation for ADP doing it for you in 1949 in NJ. But ADP, now with 950,000 clients, basically did it by hand until after Burt’s pioneering work.
Before retiring, I was a leading business expert in software for human resources, benefits and payroll. So I was thrilled beyond measure when I first met Burt in 1998 after moving to Westport. Because he put my arms around the entire history of payroll, a very complicated and boring application. But what a history and Burt was The Man.
A great life, a great story. Early in my career, a i worked CICS, COBOL, etc etc. Truly a pioneer.
Wow. What a life, and I’m sure this graceful account is just the half of it. Truly, Mr. Grad was of our Greatest Generation. May his family be proud and remain blessed.