Did you know that today is the birthday of an American Computer Scientist. Grace Hopper nee Murray was born on December 9, 1906. Grace received her PHD from Yale in both Mathematics and Mathematical Physics in 1934. She went on to be a professor of Mathematics at Vassar. She left Vassar to serve in the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. She served in the Bureau of Ships Computation Project at Harvard University as a Lieutenant Junior Grade. She worked on the Mark I Computer program with Howard Aiken and coauthored three papers with him. After the war she worked at Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation developing the UNIVAC system. She suggested that they program in English reasoning that people can better understand words over symbols. It took three years to get the idea accepted. In the 1970’s she advocated for the Department of Defense to replace the large centralized computers with a small network of distributed computers and developed the standards for testing computer systems and components. She retired from the Naval reserve at the age of 60 at the rank of Commander, but was recalled a year later. She finally retired permanently in 1986 at the rank of Rear Admiral. She was the first one in the Navy to achieve this rank. She died in her sleep at the age of 85 in 1992. She was interred with full honors in Arlington National Cemetery. In 1996 the USS Hooper was commissioned. In 2016 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2017 Yale named a college after her. Today many of the computer systems we use every day would not exist without the hard work of women and men like Grace Hopper.
Happy Computing!
About the Author
Debbie Caldwell
When you first meet Debbie Harris-Caldwell, you are immediately drawn to her charming Welsh accent and the twinkle in her eye. The well-traveled transplant from Wales is quick to set you at ease and time spent with her promises to be time well spent.
Debbie has been a real estate agent for 40 years and takes great pride in her customer service skills. "I make myself available to my customers when they need me, whether it's on a Sunday Evening or after their long day at work. I make my schedule fit theirs. I also keep my customers updated on everything happening with their listings or purchase, I am their conduit for information." She has built a business following her key principles of clear communication, attention to detail, client advocacy, and comprehensive knowledge of the area. Debbie comes to every new transaction with positive energy, determination, a strong understanding of the currents driving the market, and the expertise that comes from a lifetime of experience. She knows the importance of marketing and whether a home is for sale for $200,000 or for $2 million, she always has professional photography done and creates a listing presentation that best shows off her customer's home.