1943-2014 Clarence 'Skip' Ellis, Computer Pioneer in Office Collaboration

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Clarence 'Skip' Ellis,  Computer Pioneer in Office Collaboration 

Univ Buffalo Bio: "Notable Computer Scientists of the African Diaspora"

First African-American to earn a Ph.D. in computer science

From PCMagazine Bio: "Dr. Clarence Ellis, better known as Skip, was the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in computer science (in 1969 at the University of Illinois). He became interested in computers as a teenager when he was tasked with guarding a commercial computer system; having studied the manuals in his spare time, he surprised his employers by solving many technical problems. "

 From BlackAmericaWeb  "Little Known Black History Fact: Dr. “Clarence” Skip Ellis " by  D.L. Chandler

"By way of his church, he was able to attend Beloit College and earned his bachelor’s degree in Math and Physics as there were no computer science courses at the school.  He enrolled in MIT, but left to involve himself in civil rights activism. Ellis eventually entered the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned his Master’s and a Ph.D. in computer science from the school. From that point on, Ellis worked at some of the world’s most prestigious companies and universities, including Xerox, IBM, Los Alamos Scientific Labs among other places"

 from PCMAG:  "At Xerox PARC in the 1970s and 80s, he pioneered Officetalk, a collaborative office work system that presaged today's frequently used apps, like Google Docs. As a sought-after computer researcher, he worked at firms like Bell Labs, IBM, Los Alamos Scientific Lab, and many more during his long career. He passed away in 2014.

(Photo: Clarence Ellis)

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