George Cogar
Born
George R. Cogar

1932
DisappearedSeptember 2, 1983 (aged 50–51)
British Columbia, Canada
StatusMissing for 40 years, 10 months and 29 days
NationalityUSA
SpouseAnn Cogar
A Singer System 1500 computer

George R. Cogar (born 1932, disappeared 1983) was the head of the UNIVAC 1004 electronic design team code named the "bumblebee project", and later the "barn project", and co-founder of Mohawk Data Sciences Corporation, a Herkimer, New York-based multimillion-dollar business. His most successful invention was the Data Recorder magnetic tape encoder, which was introduced in 1965 and eliminated the need for keypunches and punched cards by direct encoding on tape.[1][2][3][4] He also founded the Cogar Corporation, where he built an intelligent terminal—an early forerunner of the modern personal computer—which he called the Cogar System 4[5] or Cogar 4. The Cogar 4 became the Singer 1500 after Singer Business Machines acquired Cogar Corporation. In 1976 International Computers Limited (ICL) acquired Singer Business Machines, changing the name of the computer to the ICL 1500.

Disappearance

Cogar was last seen Friday, September 2, 1983, when a private plane, a Britten-Norman Islander, went down somewhere in British Columbia, Canada.[6][7]

Philanthropy

Cogar and his wife Ann established the Cogar Foundation for the express purpose of awarding grants and scholarships to students of Herkimer County.[8] The Cogar Gallery at Herkimer County Community College is named for them.[9]

Patents

  • US 3166715  Asynchronous self controlled shift register
  • US 3261003  Tape error indication apparatus
  • US 3510680  Asynchronous shift register with data control gating therefor
  • US 3550103  Reverse write and forward verify read of a variable length data
  • US 3794980  Apparatus and method for controlling sequential execution of instructions and nesting of subroutines in a data processor
  • US 4365742  Heating system
  • US 4609613  Permanent reproductions and formation method therefor
  • US 3410312  Fluid shift flip-flop
  • US 3188621  Display panels with selectable indicators
  • US 3239809  Skew correction buffer
  • US 3426415  Printed circuit assembly
  • US 3283255  Phase modulation system for reading particular information
  • US 3282205  Print control means for high speed printer with traveling print bar
  • US 3310660  Asynchronous counting devices
  • US 3483523  Data recording and verifying machine
  • US 3807614  Backspace mechanism for a tape handling apparatus for a data recorder
  • US 3193697  Synchronized single pulser
  • US 3585619  Magnetic tape readout system with means to generate artificial signals
  • US 3578257  Tape handling apparatus for data recorder
  • US 3555306  Keyboard sprocket circuit
  • US 3624838  Address counter stage circuitry

See also

References

  1. Stacy V. Jones, "Data-Recorder Takes Short Cuts; Punch-Card Use Eliminated By Direct Coding on Tape Wide Variety of Ideas Covered By Patents Issued During Week", New York Times, December 13, 1969
  2. Roger R. Flynn, ed. (2002). "Tabulating Machines". Computer sciences. Vol. 1: Foundations: Ideas and People. New York: Macmillan Reference USA. p. 188. ISBN 0028655672. OCLC 671558424.
  3. US 3483523, George Cogar, "Data recording and verifying machine"
  4. "Mohawk Data Sciences Corporation (MDS) | Selling the Computer Revolution". Computer History Museum. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  5. Cogar System 4: System Summary (PDF).
  6. "1683DMBC - George R. Cogar". www.doenetwork.org. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  7. Ranter, Harro; Lujan, Fabian I. (2010). "ASN Aircraft accident Britten-Norman BN-2A-21 Islander C-GIPF Smithers, BC". Retrieved 2011-06-27.
  8. "Cogar Foundation, Inc". Foundation Directory Online. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  9. "Cogar Gallery". Herkimer County Community College. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
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