The Demise of Gordon Bell: Creator of the UART Port at the Age of 89 Years

Gordon Bell, a pioneering figure in the realm of modern computer technology, passed away on May 17th at the age of 89 due to Aspiration Pneumonia. Bell was instrumental in the early days of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), contributing to the development of various technologies such as decimal number calculating circuits, tape control units, and UART data interface modules that utilized sampling techniques to read data without the need for clock signals, reducing the need for cumbersome signal lines.

In later years, Bell became a key advocate for computer museums in both Boston and California. Today, the ACM awards the ACM Gordon Bell Prize to researchers who significantly advance the field of high-performance computing.

Source: ArsTechnica

(Above image: Gordon Bell in 2008, courtesy of Queensland University of Technology)

**TLDR:** Gordon Bell, a trailblazer in computer technology, passed away at 89 from Aspiration Pneumonia. He played a significant role in DEC’s early days, developing cutting-edge technologies and advocating for computer museums. The ACM Gordon Bell Prize is now awarded in his honor for substantial contributions to high-performance computing.