Conference heron::euro_swas_ai

407.0. "Dennis O'Connor" by FASDER::MTURNER (Mark Turner * DTN 425-3702 * MEL4) Wed Feb 12 1992 16:00

 Digital - Dennis O'Connor, AI Technology Center director, dies
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 7-Feb-92}
   Dennis O'Connor, a pioneer in the application of Artificial Intelligence and 
 a 30-year veteran of Digital, died on Tuesday, February 4, at his home in 
 Bolton, Mass.
   Dennis was one of Digital's first 400 employees and played a significant
 role in the growth of the company to a $14 billion computer giant in the last
 30 years. During his 30-year career with Digital Dennis held senior managerial 
 positions in Engineering and Manufacturing, and most recently he was a member 
 of the Corporate Information Management and Technology staff. He was the 
 founder and director of Digital's Artificial Intelligence Technology Center
 and Digital's Knowledge-based Applications and Services business unit. Dennis
 was a member of the Strategy Planning Board of the Concurrent Engineering
 Research Center (CERC) at West Virginia University, a leading organization in
 the development of an Enterprise Integration framework sponsored by the
 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). He was also a member of the
 Editorial Advisory Board of the Spang-Robinson Report on Artificial
 Intelligence.
   Dennis was recently recognized by the American Association of Artificial 
 Intelligence with the first ever annual Outstanding Contribution Award for 
 Innovative Artificial Intelligence Applications. The American Association for
 Artificial Intelligence bestowed this award to Dennis for his "sustained 
 contribution to the practical implementation of AI, being a champion of AI 
 within a corporate setting, successful applications of AI technology over time
 and significant volunteer work in the field." 
   Dennis O'Connor was instrumental in the development of visionary business 
 alliances between Digital, universities and other industrial corporations. He
 led Digital's involvement with MIT, Carnegie-Mellon, the Carnegie Group and
 the Initiative for Managing Knowledge Assets (IMKA) in partnership with Ford,
 US West, Texas Instruments and Carnegie Group.
   For information about wake and funeral arrangements, and a donation address, 
 continue to the next screen.
   Arrangements:
   A wake will be held at the Philbin Comeau Funeral Home, 176 Water Street, 
 Clinton from 6:00-9:00 P.M. on Friday, February 7th. A funeral Mass will be
 celebrated at St. Francis Xavier Church, 808 Main Street, Bolton, on Saturday,
 February 8th, at 10:00 A.M. Donations may be made to the Emerson Hospice, Old
 Road to Nine Acres Corner, Concord, MA  01742.