George E. Pake (April 1, 1924 – March 4, 2004) was a physicist and research executive primarily known for helping founded

Xerox PARC PARC (Palo Alto Research Center; formerly Xerox PARC) is a research and development company in Palo Alto, California. Founded in 1969 by Jacob E. "Jack" Goldman, chief scientist of Xerox Corporation, the company was originally a division of Xero ...

Early life

Pake was raised in Kent, Ohio. His father was an English instructor at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

. His mother was a schoolteacher. Pake was exempted from service in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II due to scoliosis. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

and his doctorate in physics at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1948.

Career

After four years as a

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

professor at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

, Pake became the head of the physics department at age 28. He later went on to become provost of the university from 1962 to 1970 before leaving to serve as founding director of

. Pake served on the

President's Science Advisory Committee The President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC) was created on November 21, 1957, by President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower, as a direct response to the Soviet launching of the Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 satellites. PSAC was an upgrad ...

(1965-1969). He was president of the American Physical Society in 1977. PARC assembled a first-rate collection of research talent, especially in the area of computer science. During Pake's years running Xerox PARC, the research center invented the

laser printer Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively-charged cylinder called a "drum" to ...

and pioneered the use of a computer "desktop" which functioned by clicking on "icons." This has since become the computer industry standard. Despite advocacy by Pake, the

Xerox Corporation Xerox Holdings Corporation (; also known simply as Xerox) is an American corporation that sells print and digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut (having moved from Sta ...

never chose to open a personal computer division. Pake left Xerox in 1986 to direct the nonprofit Institute for Research on Learning in Palo Alto. He remained director emeritus until the time of his death. Late in life, Pake began writing two different books, both with the collaborator

Andrew Szanton Andrew Szanton (born in Washington, D.C. in 1963) is an American collaborative memoirist. During his career he has worked with a wide range of subjects including civil rights pioneer Charles Evers, Nobel Prize winning physicist Eugene Wigner, form ...

. Pake's death, of heart failure on March 4, 2004 in

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, interrupted both book projects.

Awards

In 1986, Pake was awarded the illustrious

IRI Medal The IRI Medal, established by the Industrial Research Institute (IRI) in 1946, recognizes and honors leaders of technology for their outstanding accomplishments in technological innovation which contribute broadly to the development of industry and ...

from the

Industrial Research Institute Innovation Research Interchange (IRI) is a division of the National Association of Manufacturers, a nonprofit association based in Washington, D. C., United States. IRI was founded as a private non-profit in 1938 and merged with the NAM in 2022. ...

for recognition of his leadership in the field of technology and innovation. Pake was also a recipient of the

National Medal of Science The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social scienc ...

in 1987 and continued to visit PARC long after his 1986 retirement from Xerox.

George E. Pake Prize

Since 1984, the American Physical Society has been awarding the George E. Pake Prize, endowed in 1983 by the

, to recognize outstanding work by physicists combining original research accomplishments with leadership in the management of research or development in industry.

Personal life

Pake married Marjorie Semon on May 31, 1947; they had four children: Warren, Bruce, Cathie and Steve.

References

External links

George Pake, Xerox PARC founder, dies (almanacnews.com)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pake, George 1924 births 2004 deaths People from Kent, Ohio People from Jefferson, Ohio 20th-century American physicists Carnegie Mellon University alumni Harvard University alumni National Medal of Science laureates Washington University in St. Louis faculty Washington University physicists Physicists from Missouri Scientists from St. Louis Scientists from Missouri Scientists at PARC (company) Fellows of the American Physical Society Members of the National Academy of Medicine Presidents of the American Physical Society