Herman Lukoff
Encyclopedia
Herman Lukoff was a computer
pioneer and fellow of the IEEE.
Lukoff was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
to Aaron and Anna (Slemovitz) Lukoff. He graduated from the Moore School of Electrical Engineering
at the University of Pennsylvania
in 1943. While at the Moore School, he helped develop the ENIAC
and EDVAC
computers. He followed ENIAC co-inventors J. Presper Eckert
and John W. Mauchly to their newly formed Electronic Control Company, which became Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation
, then became part of Remington Rand
in 1950 and Sperry Corporation
in 1955. Lukoff assisted Eckert and Mauchly with the development of the UNIVAC
computer. He stayed with the company until his death.
Lukoff died of leukemia
on September 24, 1979. At the time of his death, he lived in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
. He was survived by his wife, Shirley Rosner Lukoff; his three sons, Arthur, Barry, and Andrew; and his daughter, Carol.
Lukoff's memoir, From Dits to Bits, details his experiences as a first-hand observer of the birth of the computer industry.
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
pioneer and fellow of the IEEE.
Lukoff was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
to Aaron and Anna (Slemovitz) Lukoff. He graduated from the Moore School of Electrical Engineering
Moore School of Electrical Engineering
The Moore School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania came into existence as a result of an endowment from Alfred Fitler Moore on June 4, 1923. It was granted to Penn's School of Electrical Engineering, located in the Towne Building...
at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1943. While at the Moore School, he helped develop the ENIAC
ENIAC
ENIAC was the first general-purpose electronic computer. It was a Turing-complete digital computer capable of being reprogrammed to solve a full range of computing problems....
and EDVAC
EDVAC
EDVAC was one of the earliest electronic computers. Unlike its predecessor the ENIAC, it was binary rather than decimal, and was a stored program computer....
computers. He followed ENIAC co-inventors J. Presper Eckert
J. Presper Eckert
John Adam Presper "Pres" Eckert Jr. was an American electrical engineer and computer pioneer. With John Mauchly he invented the first general-purpose electronic digital computer , presented the first course in computing topics , founded the first commercial computer company , and...
and John W. Mauchly to their newly formed Electronic Control Company, which became Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation
Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation
The Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation was founded by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, and was incorporated on December 22, 1947. After building the ENIAC at the University of Pennsylvania, Eckert and Mauchly formed EMCC to build new computer designs for commercial and military applications...
, then became part of Remington Rand
Remington Rand
Remington Rand was an early American business machines manufacturer, best known originally as a typewriter manufacturer and in a later incarnation as the manufacturer of the UNIVAC line of mainframe computers but with antecedents in Remington Arms in the early nineteenth century. For a time, the...
in 1950 and Sperry Corporation
Sperry Corporation
Sperry Corporation was a major American equipment and electronics company whose existence spanned more than seven decades of the twentieth century...
in 1955. Lukoff assisted Eckert and Mauchly with the development of the UNIVAC
UNIVAC I
The UNIVAC I was the first commercial computer produced in the United States. It was designed principally by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, the inventors of the ENIAC...
computer. He stayed with the company until his death.
Lukoff died of leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
on September 24, 1979. At the time of his death, he lived in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
Fort Washington is an unincorporated census-designated place and suburb of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,446 at the 2010 census.-Prior to the Revolutionary War:...
. He was survived by his wife, Shirley Rosner Lukoff; his three sons, Arthur, Barry, and Andrew; and his daughter, Carol.
Lukoff's memoir, From Dits to Bits, details his experiences as a first-hand observer of the birth of the computer industry.