Obituary: Thomas G. Stockham, Jr.

12/22/33 ~ 1/06/04

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 under- standing.

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.