Robert Taylor (computer scientist)

Robert William Taylor
Robert William Taylor
Born	(1932-02-10)February 10, 1932 Dallas, Texas, United States
Died	April 13, 2017(2017-04-13) (aged 85) Woodside, California, United States
Fields	Computer science
Institutions	ARPA Xerox PARC Digital Equipment Corporation
Alma mater	Southern Methodist University University of Texas
Known for	Internet pioneer Computer networking & Communication systems Modern personal computing
Notable awards	ACM Software Systems Award (1984) ACM Fellow (1994) National Medal of Technology and Innovation (1999) Charles Stark Draper Prize (2004) Computer History Museum Fellow (2013)
Children	Derek Taylor Erik Taylor Kurt Taylor

Robert William Taylor (February 10, 1932 – April 13, 2017), known as Bob Taylor, was an Internet pioneer, who led teams that made major contributions to the personal computer, and other related technologies. He was director of ARPA's Information Processing Techniques Office from 1965 through 1969, founder and later manager of Xerox PARC's Computer Science Laboratory from 1970 through 1983, and founder and manager of Digital Equipment Corporation's Systems Research Center until 1996.

His awards include the National Medal of Technology and Innovation and the Draper Prize. Taylor was known for his high-level vision: "The Internet is not about technology; it's about communication. The Internet connects people who have shared interests, ideas and needs, regardless of geography."

Robert W. Taylor was born in Dallas, Texas in 1932. His adoptive father, Rev. Raymond Taylor, was a Methodist minister who held degrees from Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas at Austin and Yale Divinity School. The family (including Taylor's adoptive mother, Audrey) was highly itinerant during Taylor's childhood, moving from parish to parish. Having skipped several grades as a result of his enrollment in an experimental school, he began his higher education at Southern Methodist University at the age of 16; while there, he was "not a serious student" but "had a good time." He then served a stint in the United States Navy Reserve during the Korean War (1952-1954) before returning to his studies at the University of Texas at Austin under the GI Bill. At UT he was a "professional student," he says, taking courses for pleasure. He finally put them together for an undergraduate degree in experimental psychology (1957), with minors in mathematics, philosophy, English and religion. While Taylor was trained as an experimental psychologist and mathematician, his earliest career was devoted to brain research and the auditory nervous system.