Daniel D. McCracken (July 23, 1930 – July 30, 2011) was a

computer scientist A computer scientist is a person who is trained in the academic study of computer science. Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation, as opposed to the hardware side on which computer engineers mainly focus ( ...

in the United States. He was a professor of Computer Sciences at the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

, and the author of over two dozen textbooks on

computer programming Computer programming is the process of performing a particular computation (or more generally, accomplishing a specific computing result), usually by designing and building an executable computer program. Programming involves tasks such as anal ...

, with an emphasis on guides to programming in widely used languages such as Fortran and

COBOL COBOL (; an acronym for "common business-oriented language") is a compiled English-like computer programming language designed for business use. It is an imperative, procedural and, since 2002, object-oriented language. COBOL is primarily ...

. His ''A Guide to Fortran Programming'' (Wiley, 1961) and its successors were the standard textbooks on that language for over two decades. His books have been translated into fourteen languages.

Career

McCracken was born in 1930 in Hughesville, Judith Basin County, Montana, a mining town, and graduated in 1951 from

Central Washington University Central Washington University (CWU) is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington. Founded in 1891, the university consists of four divisions: the President's Division, Business and Financial Affairs, Operations, and Academic and Student Lif ...

with degrees in mathematics and chemistry. He worked seven years with the

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

Company in computer applications and programmer training. After that, he worked at the

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, ...

Atomic Energy Commission Computer Center, and was a graduate student at the

Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences The Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences (commonly known as Courant or CIMS) is the mathematics research school of New York University (NYU), and is among the most prestigious mathematics schools and mathematical sciences research cente ...

. In 1959 he became a consultant and continued writing on computer subjects. In 1970 he earned a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

degree from the Union Theological Seminary in New York. From 1976 to 1978, he was vice president of the

Association for Computing Machinery The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is a US-based international learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 and is the world's largest scientific and educational computing society. The ACM is a non-profit professional member ...

(ACM), from 1978 to 1980 he was president of the ACM, and in 1994 he was inducted as an

ACM Fellow ACM or A.C.M. may refer to: Aviation * AGM-129 ACM, 1990–2012 USAF cruise missile * Air chief marshal * Air combat manoeuvring or dogfighting * Air cycle machine * Arica Airport (Colombia) (IATA: ACM), in Arica, Amazonas, Colombia Computing ...

. He served as ACM's representative to the Board of Directors of the Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP) and was inducted to its hall of fame as an

ICCP Fellow ICCP may refer to: * IBS Center for Climate Physics, a basic science research center headed by German physicist Axel Timmermann * IC Catholic Prep (Elmhurst, Illinois), a Roman Catholic High School in Elmhurst, Illinois * Impressed Current Cathodic ...

in 1998. He joined the

Computer Sciences Department in 1981. In 1989 he received the

Norbert Wiener Award for Social and Professional Responsibility The Norbert Wiener Award for Social and Professional Responsibility was established in 1987 in honor of Norbert Wiener to recognize contributions by computer professionals to socially responsible use of computers. It was awarded annually by CPSR, ...

from

Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) was a global organization promoting the responsible use of computer technology. CPSR was incorporated in 1983 following discussions and organizing that began in 1981. It educated policymakers ...

Death

McCracken died of cancer a week after his 81st birthday on July 30, 2011, in New York City. He was survived by his second wife, Helen Blumenthal, seven children, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Evelyn Edwards, three brothers and two sisters.Swalec, Andrea
"Washington Heights Computer Science Expert Dies"
, ''DNAinfo'', August 1, 2011.

Books

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

"Daniel McCracken, Interview by Arthur L. Norberg, January 7-9, 2008"

historical interview.
Dan McCracken's webpage at City College of New York

Daniel D. McCracken Papers, 1958-1983

Charles Babbage Institute The IT History Society (ITHS) is an organization that supports the history and scholarship of information technology by encouraging, fostering, and facilitating archival and historical research. Formerly known as the Charles Babbage Foundation, ...

, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
"Obituary: Daniel D. McCracken"
''The New York Times'', August 1, 2011 * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCracken, Daniel D. 1930 births 2011 deaths People from Judith Basin County, Montana Central Washington University alumni Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences alumni Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni American computer scientists City College of New York faculty General Electric people American computer programmers Computer science writers Fellows of the Association for Computing Machinery Presidents of the Association for Computing Machinery Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Computer science educators