- Bruce Bastian
Infobox Scientist
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name = Bruce Bastian
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citizenship = American
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field =Computer science
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alma_mater =BYU
doctoral_advisor = Dr.Alan Ashton
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known_for = CoFounderWordPerfect
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religion = Former Mormon
footnotes =Bruce Wayne Bastian (born
March 23 ,1948 ) is a computer programmer, businessman, philanthropist and social activist. He co-founded theWordPerfect Software Company with Dr. Alan Ashton in 1978 (originally known as Satellite Software International (SSI) and then changed to WordPerfect Corporation in 1982).Education
While enrolled as a student at
Brigham Young University , where he originally majored in music and was for a time the conductor of the BYU Cougar Marching Band, he developed a software program to help choreograph marching band performances, with the help of an instructor,Alan Ashton . When he lost his position with the marching band it was suggested that he just get his Master's Degree in computer science rather than in music.Fact|date=October 2008Career
When he graduated in the spring of 1978, without a job, one was found for him at the
Eyring Research Institute (ERI).Fact|date=October 2008 Because he was the only computer programmer at ERI who understood enough Spanish to work onWeidner Communications ' Multi-lingual Word Processor, originally performing translation and word processing work from Spanish into English, he was introduced to that Multi-lingual Word Processor’s technology for processing human languages, in the fall of 1978. Originally written inFortran to be used on a DEC PDP-11/34 mini-computer, and later ported to the IBM PC. Today this software is sold by SDL International of England as Easy Translator and as The Enterprise Translation Server. This original program was the basis of what is now known asWordPerfect . [The Life of Frank Carlyle Harmon (1905-1997), Compiled by his wife, Cleo Harman, Edited by Bliss J. Hansen, Published by Family Footprints, 1999 ASIN: B000I8VR9C] [Almost Perfect, W. E. Pete Peterson,Prima Lifestyles, 1993 ISBN 1559584777 [http://www.fitnesoft.com/AlmostPerfect/index.shtml] ]At one time Bastian's net worth was estimated at $1.1 billion, earning him a place on the "
Forbes " list of the 500 wealthiest individuals in America. The Utah Information Technology Association inducted him into its hall of fame a year after it honored Ashton.Philanthropy
For years Bastian quietly bankrolled Utah's cultural arts, until somewhere along the way, “philanthropy transitioned to activism”.Fact|date=October 2008 Bastian reduced his donations to the arts to dedicate more resources to what he considers a battle over fundamental human rights. “Where he sees injustice, he devotes himself to reversing it." Bastian contributed half of the Don't Amend Alliance's budget for fighting Utah's constitutional amendment defining marriage as between only a man and a woman. A native of
Twin Falls, Idaho , he went on an LDS mission toItaly , and married in the LDS temple and had a family prior to announcing hishomosexuality Fact|date=October 2008 and later becoming a social activist for gay rights.He is a member of the board of directors of the
Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the U.S.'s largest Gay and Lesbian political action committee, and was grand marshal of theUtah Pride Festival 's parade in 2004. [ [http://www.bwbproperties.com/Bastianbio.html Bruce Bastian Biography] ]On July 26, 2008 at the San Francisco Human Rights Campaign dinner, Bastian announced he was donating $1 million to HRC, designated to fight California Prop. 8 on the November 2008 ballot, which would eliminate same-sex marriage in California.
The Deseret News, a local newspaper in Utah, did an extensive profile on Bastian in 2003. [http://www.deseretnews.com/cgi-bin/cqcgi_plus/@plus.env?CQ_SESSION_KEY=TNNCAGWWRDDF&CQ_CUR_DOCUMENT=33&CQ_TEXT_MAIN=YES]
References
External links
* [http://www.bastianfoundation.org/ B.W. Bastian Foundation]
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