John Cocke, 77; Influential Computer Science Pioneer
John Cocke, a revered computer scientist who helped transform software and microprocessors, has died. He was 77.
Cocke, who held more than a dozen patents, died July 16 in a Valhalla, N.Y., hospital after a series of strokes.
A leading IBM designer for 37 years, Cocke was considered the father of Reduced Instruction Set Computer, or RISC, technology--an invention that led to faster computation and a key to most computers in use today.
In 1987, he received the Turing Award, the highest honor for technical contributions in computing, from the Assn. for Computing Machinery. The award is often considered the Nobel Prize of the computer science field.
He was cited for significant contributions in three areas: RISC, the design and theory of compilers and the architecture of large systems. He earned a National Medal of Technology in 1991 and a National Medal of Science in 1994.
RISC, invented by Cocke and a small group of collaborators in the mid-1970s at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., is a “back-to-basics” computer architecture that simplifies computer instructions and reduces operation cycles. It is used in the microprocessor of many personal computers as well as large industrial computing systems.
Born in Charlotte, N.C., Cocke earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a doctorate in mathematics at Duke University, where his father served on the board of trustees. Later, Cocke also served on the board.
He studied engineering and math, he once said, “because at the time I came into the field, there were no such things as computer science courses to take.”
Known for a gifted, inventive mind and also for his eccentricities, Cocke was revered for his brainstorming sessions as well as rapid-fire conversations in hallways and bars across the country. He chose downhill skiing as his sport “because I’m a great believer in having gravity on my side.”
Cocke’s office was characteristically buried in paper along with cigarette butts, and the goal-directed scientist had to be reminded to deposit his paychecks. A janitor once fished $4,000 worth of stock certificates out of the absent-minded albeit brilliant Cocke’s wastebasket.
Cocke worked as an engineer for a few years before joining IBM in 1956 where he remained until his retirement in 1992, earning numerous company awards including the designation as research fellow in 1972.
Cocke married Anne Holloway in 1989 when he was in his mid-60s. He is survived by his wife.
