A moment of silence, please, for one of the most legendary people in high technology you've probably never heard of: Dr. Hewitt “Hew” Crane, scientist and inventor extraordinaire. And oenophile. A true Renaissance Man in the best tradition, and a genuinely nice guy. Read all about him and his extraordinary career here.
When I worked in the SRI news office in the 1970s, when Santa Clara County was growing up to be Silicon Valley, I had the good fortune of knowing and working with Hew Crane. One day the CBS crew from 60-Minutes showed up to get the story about the pen that Crane invented that recognized handwriting. It gave me the opportunity to meet Dan Rather, who I brought over to Crane’s lab. For a 20-something PR guy, this was big-time stuff. I had a feeling I was walking in some pretty tall cotton. I had no idea how tall. One of Crane’s understudies at SRI -- Doug Englebart, who would bring the computer mouse into the world a few years later.
Ironically, in a region now awash in royalties and wealth, neither Crane nor Englebart would ever see much of a monetary return on their efforts, not unlike hall-of-fame ballplayers of yesteryear who would never enjoy the rich contracts written today for lesser athletes. But something tells me that Crane's legacy will transcend Cooperstown and Canton. Rest in peace, Hew. Good work.
Comment Preview