Thomas G. Stockham Jr., considered the "father of digital-sound recording," died Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2004, in Salt Lake City from complications related to Alzheimer's disease.

Born in 1933, he developed digital recording in the 1970s while working as an electrical engineer. He received the first-ever technical Grammy Award in 1994 and a Scientific/Engineering Academy Award (Oscar) in 1999 for his contributions to the creation of digital sound.

He taught at the University of Utah and helped create its computer science department. In 1973-74, he headed the technological effort to recover sound from the 18-minute gap in Nixon's White House tapes.

In 1975, he founded Soundstream Co. in Salt Lake City, the first commercial digital recording business. His company and technology helped create the compact disc.

Mr. Stockham received a degree from MIT and was also an assistant professor of electrical engineering there from 1959-68, when he left to teach at the U.

He served as president of the Audio Engineering Society in 1982-83 and received many other awards, including the SMPTE Alexander M. Poniatoff Gold Medal for Technical Excellence in 1985 and the Audio Engineering Society Gold Medal in 1987.

Mr. Stockham loved classical music and also spent a lot of time on Lake Powell with his family.

A memorial celebration will be held at noon on Sunday, Jan. 18, at the University of Utah's Libby Gardner Hall.