FEATURE
REMEMBERING GUANG Computer engineering pioneer remembered as dedicated scholar
Professor Guang R. Gao passed away peacefully on Sunday evening September 12th surrounded by his immediate family. Professor Gao was an accomplished Computer Scientist who inspired many students and touched many lives. He had a passion for education, research, and unbelievable enthusiasm in passing on his love and inspiration to learn. To his final moments, his greatest happiness was just that. He spent those days doing what he loved, working on his lifetime book on data flow, counseling students, discussing research topics with colleagues, and spending time with his 2 grand-daughters. Dr. Gao is loved for his genuine kindness, compassion, decency, and above else as an eternal optimist. He only saw the best in people and never had a bad thing to say about anyone. He is beloved, and took chances in people from all
kinds of backgrounds throughout his academic career. His research over a career that spanned four decades, has powered some of the world’s fastest computers, largest government and private sector initiatives in high performance computing, big data, AI, and is a pioneer of data flow architectures. He challenged himself to become an entrepreneur, started a tech company, and continued to press his boundaries out of his comfort zone. His words and wisdom will be remembered in his many books, journals, articles, speeches, and his mentorship of students, and colleagues. He is survived by his wife Peggy of 51 years, son Nick, daughter inlaw Tiffany, and their 2 beautiful grand-daughters, Madeleine, and Evelyn. His legacy will be cherished and remembered through the many lives that he has helped to inspire.
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
