Sandy Douglas
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Sandy Douglas | |
---|---|
Born | Alexander Shafto Douglas 21 May 1921 London, England |
Died | 29 April 2010[1] London, England[1] | (aged 88)
Citizenship | United Kingdom |
Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
Known for | OXO |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Computer science |
Institutions | University of Leeds |
Thesis | Some Computations in Theoretical Physics (1954) |
Alexander Shafto "Sandy" Douglas
Biography
Early life
Douglas was born on 21 May 1921 in London. At age eight, his family moved to Cromwell Road, near what would become the London Air Terminal.
A 74 bus ride for one old penny took me to Exhibition Road, from which I could go towards South Kensington station to my father's office (which is still there) and workshop (now demolished) down by what became the Lycée Français. Alternatively, I could turn north to the Science Museum – a trip I took often.
In the winter of 1938–39, Douglas and his future wife Andrey Parker made a snowman in the grounds of the Natural History Museum. Douglas and his wife would go on to have two children and at least two grandsons.
During the
Cambridge
Douglas attended the
Jobs
Trinity College
1953–1957
1953: Elected as a Prize Fellow of
1955: Became Junior Bursar of Trinity College. The Junior Bursar is responsible for the administration of the College buildings: allocation of accommodation, building works, security, staff, and general maintenance[6]
Leeds
1957: The Leeds
The Pegasus holds an especial place in my affection, it being the machine I installed as the central University machine in a disused chapel in Leeds in 1957 – it was known as Lucifer, for Leeds University Computing Installation (FERranti). Our au pair girl from Spain made a beautiful little devilish doll which decorated the machine – it has probably disappeared by now.[citation needed]
In June 1960 the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals set up a Working Party to explore the creation of a national system for handling university admissions. Douglas was appointed a member of the Working Party to provide advice on the use of computers in this system. He had previously worked at Leeds with Ronald Kay, who was to become UCCA's general secretary, on "an early and primitive but successful attempt to introduce computer methods into student registration procedures".[7]
CEIR
1960: Entered the commercial field as Technical Director of the UK subsidiary of C-E-I-R (now Scientific Control Systems).
Leasco
1968: Left CEIR to initiate the European software interests of Leasco Systems and Research Ltd. as chairman.
Douglas died in sleep on 29 April 2010 from pneumonia.[1]
Writings
Over 60 papers have been published by Professor Douglas covering topics in Atomic Physics, Crystallography, Solution of Differential Equations, Computer Design, Programming and Operational Research in the Shipbuilding, Oil Chemical Mining, Engineering and Transportation Industries, and in the Printing Industry.
- Computers and Society: an Inaugural Lecture [Delivered on 27 April 1972, by Alexander Shafto Douglas; Publisher: London School of Economics and P; Date Published: 1973. ISBN 0-85328-019-3.
- Science Journal, October 1970 "Computers in the Seventies", Alexander "Sandy" Douglas.
- Computer Networks, Volume 5, 1981, pp. 9–14. "Computers and Communications in the 1980s: Benefits and Problems", Alexander S. Douglas
- Sandy Douglas, "Some Memories of EDSAC I: 1950–1952",
References
- ^ .
- ISBN 978-0-313-34169-4.
- ^ A.S.Douglas' 1952 Noughts and Crosses game, Pong Story.
- ^ "No. 36112". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 July 1943. p. 3432.
- ^ "No. 36177". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 September 1943. p. 4173.
- ^ "Dr Rod Pullen reflects on 10 years as Trinity's Junior Bursar". 31 January 2017.
- ISBN 0-900951-56-7.
External links
- EWD1285, Edsger Dijkstra
- Letter from Leeds: [1]
- Note for researchers: Do not confuse with another researcher from same time and area: http://pb.rcpsych.org/cgi/reprint/17/4/252.pdf
- Video (Go to 4:40): Video
- Obituary by Frank Land and T. William Olle in Resurrection, the Bulletin of the Computer Conservation Society, issue 51, Summer 2010
- A simulator of EDSAC Computer on the website of University of Warwick, England.