Bruce Bastian was a tech entrepreneur who co-founded the WordPerfect software company in the early days of home computing. He went on to become a prominent Utah philanthropist and a supporter of the LGBT community.
· Died: June 16, 2024 (Who else died on June 16?)
· Details of death: Died in Palm Springs, California of pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 76.
· We invite you to share condolences for Bruce Bastian in our Guest Book.
Bruce Bastian’s legacy
Bruce Bastian was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and spent time in Italy as a missionary. He never touch with that faith, even as he entered the world of big money and high technology. He earned a B.A. in music and a master’s in computer science from Brigham Young University; while doing his graduate studies, he began working on a project to create word processing software. He and his professor, Alan Ashton, initially began designing the software for use by the city of Orem, Utah. However, it became a major success, and WordPerfect was born.
By the early 1990s, WordPerfect was among the most successful software companies in the world, employing 7,000 people and making Bastian and Ashton wealthy. It was a mainstay of the early days of home computing; at one point it was the fourth largest software firm in the world. Bastian remained chairman until 1994, when Novell bought the company.
Bastian devoted much of his wealth to philanthropy, especially supporting the LGBT community in Utah. He founded the B.W. Bastian Foundation in 1997, donating to the Human Rights Campaign, the Utah Pride Center, Equality Utah, and other charities. He spent more than two decades as a board member of the HRC, plus was a major supporter of the arts, backing organizations like the Utah Symphony, Utah Opera, and Ballet West.
Tributes to Bruce Bastian
Full obituary: The Salt Lake Tribune
