New subject: Charlie Bachman Receives National Medal of Honor from President Obama at White House Ceremony

21 Nov 2014

      Hello everyone - 

I’m passing on this message, via Paul Ceruzzi, celebrating Charlie Bachman’s visit to the White House today.

Andy

From: John Fitzsimmons 
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 2:30 PM
To: John Fitzsimmons
Subject: Charlie Bachman Receives National Medal of Honor from President Obama at White House Ceremony

Good afternoon,
On behalf of Charlie Bachman and the Bachman family, I am honored to let you know that Charlie today received a National Medal of Honor from President Obama at a White House ceremony.  We are reaching out to you as friends, former business colleagues and school alumni to express the appreciation and gratitude that Charlie has for everyone who helped him make the contributions he’s being honored for today. As his dear friends and colleagues, he wants you to know that he could not have succeeded without your help and faith, both of which have afforded the opportunities that led him to today’s recognition.

Charlie was awarded the “National Medal of Technology and Innovation for fundamental inventions in database management, transaction processing, and software engineering.”

As you may imagine, it is an exciting time for Charlie and the entire Bachman family.  Today they are at the White House and a celebration afterward.  Charlie’s children Chandini and Jon are responding to media requests at media@bachman.com.  That is also the best address to offer Charlie well wishes.  He will turn 90 on December 11th.

For more information about the award and event, please reference the information and pictures below. Should you wish to include any of the information and photos in association newsletters, alumni news or other materials, please feel free to use the information as you wish.

For the Bachman Family,
Warm regards,

John

Video of the ceremony: http://1.usa.gov/1xWDIAt  (go to minute 45 of the video)

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014

Charlie Bachman, Creator of the First Computer Database, Honored at White House Medal Ceremony by President Obama

Michigan State Alumni, Massachusetts Resident,
Built the First Database Management System

Spokesperson:  Chandini Bachman - media@bachman.com, (202) 487-3482

For immediate release—November 20, 2014—(Washington, DC) Today at a White House ceremony President Obama honored computer technology pioneer and data architect Charles W. Bachman with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation for fundamental inventions in database management, transaction processing, and software engineering for his work designing the first computer database. The ceremony will be followed by a gala celebrating the achievements and contributions to society by 18 pioneers in science and technology.

Inventing the First Computer Database
“The Integrated Data Store (IDS) was designed by Charles W. (Charlie) Bachman, who later won the ACM’s Turing Award for that accomplishment.  He was the first Turing Award winner without a Ph.D, the first with a background in engineering rather than science, and the first to spend his entire career in industry rather than academia.” – (Thomas Haigh, “Charles W. Bachman: Database Software Pioneer,” IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, Vol. 33, Num. 4, Oct-Dec 2011, pp. 70-80. Biography of Bachman. Available online.)

In gratitude for the recognition, Charles W. (Charlie) Bachman said, “As a boy growing up in Michigan making soap box derby racers, I knew that all I wanted to do when I grew up was to build things. I wanted to be an engineer. And I wanted to make the world a better place. An honor like this is something I never expected, so I’m deeply grateful to the President, Senator Edward J. Markey and everyone at the Department of Commerce who voted for the recognition. It is important for me to credit my late wife, Connie, who was my partner in creativity, in business and in life.  There are a lot of friends, family and colleagues who helped along the way, of course. I’d really like to thank them all, and especially those at General Electric who gave me the creative opportunities to invent. It is amazing how much faith GE had in our team with no guarantee of a useful result.  I hope that young people just starting out can look at an honor like this and see all of the new creative opportunities that lay before them today, and the differences they can make for their generation and for future generations.”

# # #

A Brief History of Charles W. Bachman
Charles W. Bachman was born in 1924, in Manhattan, Kansas, where his father—also named Charles W. Bachman— was head football coach at Kansas Agricultural College (now Kansas State).  His mother, Grace Cary Bachman, graduated from the University of Oklahoma before World War I.  She returned to graduate school at Kansas State where she met and married the football coach.  Coach Bachman (1892-1986) went on to be the head coach at The University of Florida in Gainesville and then on to Michigan State College, now Michigan State University.  Coach Bachman was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1978.  Young Charlie Bachman’s interest in architecture began in East Lansing, Michigan in 1937 when Alden B. Dow designed his parent’s contemporary home.  Charlie went with his parents to Dow’s design studio, and was fascinated by the work.

Bachman began his undergraduate studies at Michigan State in 1943, then enlisted in the US Army.  He served in the US Army Anti-Aircraft Artillery Corp 1943-1946 where he was first exposed to and used fire control computers for aiming US 90 mm guns.  He was deployed March 1944 through February 1946 in New Guinea, Australia and the Philippine Islands and his highest rank was Technical Sergeant.  At the end of his World War II military service, he returned to complete his mechanical engineering program at Michigan State where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.  He graduated in 1948 with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering (Tau Beta Phi).

In 1949, Bachman married his college sweetheart, Connie Hadley.  Connie was a graduate of Michigan State with a degree in Art Education. Her father, Thomas Erle Hadley, was also very committed to art and design.  Hadley served as the head of the architectural department at the General Motors’s Fisher Body Division, and during WWII, collaborated across the auto industry to work on the design of the Willow Run bomber factory in Detroit. 

On their honeymoon Connie and Charlie drove to Spring Green, Wisconsin, to interview with Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright about joining the Taliesin Fellowship in Wisconsin.  Instead, they chose to go to Philadelphia, where Charlie studied at the University of Pennsylvania.  Bachman graduated in 1950 with a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Towne School.  Because engineering courses were taught at night, he attended Wharton School of Business during the days and completed three quarters of the requirements for an MBA.  Charlie's evolving engineering and computer science career led the couple to live in a variety of communities over the years, including:  Philadelphia, PA; Midland, MI; Stamford, CT; Paradise Valley, AZ; Lexington, MA; Tucson, AZ; and then back to Lexington, MA. Bachman and his wife had four children, now adults.  They are Chandini M. Bachman (Bethesda, Maryland), Thomas H. Bachman (Phoenix, Arizona), Sara Bachman Ducey (Bethesda, Maryland) and Jonathan A. Bachman (Lexington, Massachusetts).  He also has five grandchildren and one great grand-daughter.

In a career spanning more than 50 years, Charlie Bachman has been an analyst, a developer, an architect, a standards leader, and entrepreneur in one of the fastest growing and competitive businesses in the world – computer software.  He was employed in succession by Dow Chemical, General Electric, Honeywell Information Systems, and Cullinet. In 1983 with his wife, Connie, and son, Jon, he launched his own business, Bachman Information Systems, Inc. which was subsequently listed on the NASDAQ.  After he retired, he continued to consult and clients included the CordBlood Registry System.    The fundamental breakthrough work for which he is receiving the 2012 National Medal of Technology and Innovation began in the GE Computer Department in New York City and Phoenix.

In addition to receiving the ACM Turing Award in 1973, Charlie Bachman is a Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society (BCS).  U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey nominated Bachman for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.  Markey and Bachman first met in 1997 when their portraits were both included in Wizards and Their Wonders: Portraits in Computing by Christopher Morgan with photographs by Louis Fabian Bachrach and published by the ACM Press, New York, NY.

Today, Charlie Bachman lives in Lexington, Mass.  He enjoys gardening and recently planted a memorial garden for his late wife, Connie (1927-2012).  This is the seventh garden he has designed over the years; it is a spring garden full of daffodils, tree peonies, iris, poppies, rhododendrons and a yellow flowering magnolia tree.  He will celebrate his 90th birthday on December 11th.

Press Release from the White House:

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 20, 2014
President Obama Presents the National Medals of Science & National Medals of Technology and Innovation

Announces new commitments in support of his Educate to Innovate campaign
Washington, D.C. – Today at a White House ceremony, President Obama will honor the newest recipients of the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. These awards are the highest honors bestowed by the United States Government for achievements in science, technology, and innovation.

President Obama said, “The story of these trailblazers reflect our bigger American story of constant transformation. They represent the spirit that has always defined the American people, one of restless searching for the right solution to any problem; an inclination to dream big dreams; and an insistence on making those dreams come true.” 

The President will also announce new commitments and progress updates onEducate to Innovate, his all-hands-on-deck campaign to help more girls and boys be inspired to excel in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects.
Marking Five Years of Progress in the President’s Educate to Innovatecampaign
Five years ago, President Obama launched Educate to Innovate, an all-hands-on-deck campaign to help more girls and boys be inspired to excel in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects. The campaign reflects the President’s core conviction that far more needs to be done in giving students the critical skills needed to succeed in STEM fields, and that success required action not just from the Federal government, but the broader community of educational leaders, foundations, companies, non-profits, and science and technology professionals that have unique contributions they can make.
Today, the Administration is announcing new commitments and progress updatesthat showcase the ongoing momentum of the campaign, including:
·         100kin10, a network of more than 200 partners, is announcing that it has raised another $28 million in support of the goal of preparing 100,000 excellent STEM teachers over a decade.  
·         Change the Equation, a coalition of leading CEOs, is committing to expanding high-quality STEM programs to more than 1 million students by 2016.
·         Discovery Communications will launch a new show next year to inspire students in STEM fields, highlighting “All-American Makers.”
·         Continued growth in students reached by range of companies, non-profits, Federal agencies and others participating in the President’s campaign, including National Math and Science Initiative, US2020, Time Warner Cable, Maker Education Initiative, Institute of Museum and Libraries Services, Corporation for National and Community Service,Underwater Dreams and others.
Read the full fact sheet of announcements and progress updates here.
Recognizing the Achievements of Our Innovators, Explorers, and Researchers
The National Medal of Scientists honors individuals for their outstanding contributions in fields such as biology, physics, and math. The National Medal of Technology and Innovation honors the Nation’s visionary thinkers whose creativity and intellect have made a lasting impact on the United States and its workforce.

Today’s recipients of the National Medal of Science are:

Bruce Alberts
University of California, San Francisco
For intellectual leadership and experimental innovation in the field of DNA replication, and for unparalleled dedication to improving science education and promoting science-based public policy.
Robert Axelrod
University of Michigan
For interdisciplinary work on the evolution of cooperation, complexity theory, and international security, and for the exploration of how social science models can be used to explain biological phenomena.
May Berenbaum
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
For pioneering studies on chemical coevolution and the genetic basis of insect-plant interactions, and for enthusiastic commitment to public engagement that inspires others about the wonders of science.
David Blackwell*
University of California, Berkeley
For fundamental contributions to probability theory, mathematical statistics, information theory, mathematical logic, and Blackwell games, which have had a lasting impact on critical endeavors such as drug testing, computer communications, and manufacturing.
Alexandre J. Chorin
University of California, Berkeley
For the development of revolutionary methods for realistic fluid-flow simulation, now ubiquitous in the modeling and design of engines, aircraft wings, and heart valves, and in the analysis of natural flows.
Thomas Kailath
Stanford University
For transformative contributions to the fields of information and system science, for distinctive and sustained mentoring of young scholars, and for translation of scientific ideas into entrepreneurial ventures that have had a significant impact on industry.
Judith P. Klinman
University of California, Berkeley
For her discoveries of fundamental chemical and physical principles underlying enzyme catalysis and her leadership in the community of scientists.
Jerrold Meinwald
Cornell University
For applying chemical principles and techniques to studies of plant and insect defense and communication, and for his seminal role in establishing chemical ecology as a core discipline important to agriculture, forestry, medicine, and environmental science.
Burton Richter
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University
For pioneering contributions to the development of electron accelerators, including circular and linear colliders, synchrotron light sources, and for discoveries in elementary particle physics and contributions to energy policy.
Sean C. Solomon
Columbia University
For creative approaches and outstanding contributions to understanding the internal structure and evolution of the Earth, the Moon, and other terrestrial planets, and for his leadership and inspiration of new generations of scientists.
*Awarded posthumously

 Today’s recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation

Charles W. Bachman
For fundamental inventions in database management, transaction processing, and software engineering.
Edith M. Flanigen
UOP, LLC., a Honeywell Company
For innovations in the fields of silicate chemistry, the chemistry of zeolites, and molecular sieve materials.
Eli Harari
SanDisk Corporation
For invention and commercialization of Flash storage technology to enable ubiquitous data in consumer electronics, mobile computing, and enterprise storage.
Thomas J. Fogarty
Fogarty Institute for Innovation
For innovations in minimally invasive medical devices.
Arthur Levinson
Calico Life Sciences, LLC
For pioneering contributions to the fields of biotechnology and personalized medicine, leading to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Cherry A. Murray
Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
For contributions to the advancement of devices for telecommunications, the use of light for studying matter, and for leadership in the development of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) workforce in the United States.
Mary Shaw
Carnegie Mellon University
For pioneering leadership in the development of innovative curricula in Computer Science.
Douglas Lowy and John Schiller
National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health
For developing the virus-like particles and related technologies that led to the generation of effective vaccines that specifically targeted HPV and related cancers.

Charlie Bachman Receives National Medal of Honor from President Obama at White House Ceremony

Andrew Russell

Dave Walden

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