In Memoriam
Thomas G. Stockham, Jr. 12/22/33 ~ 1/06/04
From Salt Lake Tribune, January 7, 2004:
Thomas G. Stockham, Jr. loving husband, devoted father, inspirational
teacher, caring mentor, and influential inventor passed away from
complications related to Alzheimer's disease early on January 6th. Tom was a
man of highest integrity and deepest love. He spent his life in the pursuit
of knowledge that would enhance the world, and lived his life in joyful
exploration that extended to everyone around him. Tom was an extraordinary
father whose greatest achievement may have been the family he created and
headed. He spent many days basking in the love of his family at Lake Powell
in Southern Utah where solitude created uninterrupted time for deepening his
joy for life, which was clearly visible in the laughter of his children. His
kindness was unconditional and pervasive. His life as a father and teacher
was spent helping others to understand their world better, and he did this
by placing whomever he was talking to in the kindest light. His intentions
and actions were for the betterment of his fellow man in all aspects of his
life, his work, his teaching, his fathering and every individual
conversation. Often those with whom he interacted commented he could explain
the most complicated concepts with ease and clarity, displaying not only an
enormous and uncanny intellect but also a keen ability to relate to his
listeners and communicate to their level of understanding. He reminded us
that anything is possible and inspired us to realize that our only limits
are the ones we create for ourselves our only obstacles are the boundaries
of our imagination. His awards and professional accomplishments are
numerous. A few among them are: After receiving his Sc.D. degree at MIT he
was appointed Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering in 1959. In 1968
he left MIT and joined the faculty at the University of Utah to help create
their Computer Science Department. In 1974 he served on the panel of experts
assembled to examine the 18 minute gap in the Watergate Tapes. In 1975 he
founded Soundstream, Inc., the first commercial digital recording company.
Under his direction, in 1976, the company pioneered the development of the
equipment and methods for, and the practical application of, digital
commercial sound recording and editing. He received a 1988 Emmy, the first
ever technical Grammy Award in 1994, and a 1999 Scientific /Engineering
Academy Award (Oscar) for his contributions to the creation of digital
sound. He is internationally recognized as the father of digital recording.
He is survived by his devoted wife Martha Goodman Stockham, his four
children and their spouses, Tom and Kristin Stockham, Carol Stockham
Forester and her husband Paul, John and Christine Stockham, and David and
Courtney Stockham, and his eight grandchildren, Sam, PJ and David Forester,
Sadie, Thomas and Ian Stockham, and Skylar and Elise Stockham. A memorial
celebration will be held noon, Sunday, January 18 at The University of
Utah's Libby Gardner Hall. In lieu of flowers please send contributions to
the Thomas G. Stockham, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Endowment, in care of the
Health Sciences Development, University of Utah, 175 N. Medical Dr., Salt
Lake City, UT 84123.
For more information, see Thomas Stockham and Digital Audio Recording
