Beckett worked at the Watson Research Center for over 30 years, eventually rising to the position of Vice President of Research. He was responsible for overseeing a wide range of research projects, including those in the fields of computer science, artificial intelligence, and superconductivity. Beckett also played a key role in the development of the IBM System/360, one of the most successful mainframes in history.
In 1992, Beckett retired from IBM and became a professor at Rutgers University. He taught courses on the history of computing and served as the director of the Rutgers Center for Computing History. Beckett also wrote several books on the history of computing, including "The History of Mainframe Computers" and "A History of the Personal Computer."
Beckett was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He received numerous awards for his work, including the IEEE Computer Society's Computer Pioneer Award and the ACM's A.M. Turing Award.
George E. Beckett, Jr. died in Morristown, New Jersey, on September 23, 2019. He was 89 years old.
Awards
* 1978 Computer Pioneer Award
* 1980 ACM Fellow
* 1986 A.M. Turing Award
* 1987 IBM Fellow
* 1994 IEEE John von Neumann Medal
* 1996 National Medal of Science
* 1998 New Jersey Hall of Fame
* 2001 Charles Babbage Institute Fellow