Burton Grad, a pioneering figure in the evolution of software and a devoted family man, passed away peacefully at his home in Westport, Connecticut, on June 3, 2025, at the age of 97. His remarkable life encompassed transformative contributions to the software industry and unwavering dedication to family, community, and historical preservation. Burt was a dynamo, who, working for decades with CHM, shared his passion for the history of software with the world.
Burt began his groundbreaking career in 1954 at General Electric, where he was among the original programmers for the first American commercial computer, the Univac I. His work on the first production and inventory control software laid the earliest foundations of his career, a starting point right at the beginning of the computer age that provided him with insights into the critical role software would come to play across industry and society in years to come.
During the 1960s, Burt’s influence deepened at IBM. He contributed significantly to both scientific and application programming and was a central figure on the 1969 Unbundling Task Force, a landmark moment that transformed software into a standalone industry. He also initially oversaw IBM’s CICS (Customer Information Control System), an enduring transaction processing system still used worldwide.
In 1978, Burt founded his own consulting firm, continuing to shape the software landscape through strategic planning and valuation work for emerging software and services companies. His leadership extended beyond corporate halls into industry organizations such as ADAPSO (later ITAA), where he served as a guiding force from the early 1970s.
Recognizing the importance of preserving software history, Burt cofounded the Software History Center in 2000 with friend and colleague Luanne Johnson. Their shared vision was to safeguard the stories and records of an industry that had so rapidly transformed the world. This initiative later merged with the CHM, forming the foundation of what is now the Software Industry Special Interest Group (SIG). As the SIG’s mission statement describes, they sought to correct the historical misperception that “pure software companies didn’t exist prior to Microsoft.” Through determined effort, Burt and Luanne ensured that the contributions of early software pioneers would not fade into obscurity.
Even in his later years, Burt’s passion never waned. Until his passing, he actively edited articles for the IEEE Annals of the History of Computing on the early software foundations of the CAD/CAM industry. In “late retirement,” he served as CFO for American Business, a firm led by his son Alan, embodying a playful professional rivalry over who truly held the reins.
As colleague and computing historian Thomas Haigh recounts, Burt had a rare gift for gathering historians and pioneers to illuminate overlooked corners of computing history. Whether at events on desktop publishing, expert systems, or spreadsheets, Burt’s insightful (and sometimes stubborn) questions helped shape scholarship and sparked enduring conversations. Haigh remembers that Burt’s curiosity bridged technical and historical divides, offering perspectives that scholars still value today.
Jeffrey Yost, director of the Charles Babbage Institute (CBI), recalls Burt’s remarkable talent for uniting historians and practitioners through workshops that yielded over a hundred oral histories and crucial archival donations to CHM and CBI. Yost describes Burt as a force of nature: tirelessly dedicated, endlessly personable, and always armed with a wry sense of humor.
Burt’s curatorial legacy includes his own extensive papers (now at CHM), along with significant contributions to the museum’s collection from colleagues and industry leaders. Thanks to his advocacy, key corporate and personal archives—including documents from Tymshare, GEIS, Informatics, and other seminal software firms—found a permanent home, preserving the field’s collective memory for future generations.
Why is it important? “Why is the history of the Gold Rush important?” Grad would counter. “This is an incredible industry. It has impacted nearly everyone’s life. Except for a couple of people, like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, it wasn’t being captured.” Burt recorded 130 oral histories—each lasting 2 to 6 hours—for CHM, a remarkable achievement!
In his lifelong commitment to documenting and honoring software’s pioneers, Burt Grad built not just programs and business plans, but a living record of an entire industry’s birth and growth. His work ensured that the story of software would be told with nuance, rigor, and humanity.
Burt will be remembered not only as a pioneer of computing and a champion of software history, but as a vibrant, deeply engaged human being who touched countless lives—on the tennis court, in the boardroom, and at the family table. A devoted baseball fan and avid New York Times crossword puzzler, Burt also delighted in detective novels, history, and political biographies. His quick wit, love of puns, and fondness for chocolate ice cream will long be cherished by those who knew him.
Thank you, Burt, for your energy, passion, humor, and kindness.
Guide to the Burton Grad Papers: https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102726886/
Oral History of Burton Grad: https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102726886/ and https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/10274673
Thanks to CHM Vice President and Chief Curatorial and Exhibitions Officer Kirsten Tashev for her contributions to this tribute. Burt asked that anyone who wishes to honor him consider a donation to CHM, which you can do here or by writing [email protected].
