Burton Grad

Burton Grad, a pioneering figure in the computer software industry and a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully at home in Westport, Connecticut, on June 3, 2025. He was 97 years old.

In 1954, Burt, while working for General Electric, was one of the original programmers for the first commercial computer, Univac 1. He helped write the very first production and inventory control programs. His work helped shape the future of business and academic computing. During the 1960s, he contributed to both scientific and application programming at IBM. He was a key member of the Unbundling Task Force in 1969, which led to the ascendancy of software applications. Burt later served as a development director for various industries. He had initial responsibility for IBM's influential CICS (Customer Information Control System), which remains in use today.

In 1978, Burt launched his consulting firm, where he continued to shape the software industry through strategic planning and valuation studies for software and services companies. He was a leader in industry organizations, particularly ADAPSO (later ITAA), where he played a vital role from the early 1970s. In 2000, he co-founded the Software History Center to preserve the history of the software computing industry he helped build. (The Software History Center subsequently merged with the Computer History Museum.) Right up until his death, Burt was editing articles on the software origins of the CAD/CAM industry for the IEEE Annals of the History of Computing. And if that wasn't enough, in his "late retirement" he was the CFO for 10 years for the life insurance and estate planning firm, American Business, reporting to the CEO, his son, Alan. Although as Alan tells it, it wasn't always clear which one of them was the boss.

Burt spent much of his childhood in Washington, D.C., raised by his mother and grandparents. He helped in the family dry cleaning business until he went off to college at the age of 16. Burt graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, where he met and married Pauline (Mennen) Sonenshine. They relocated their growing family (eventually to include 5 children) to Tarrytown, NY in the 1950s. For the next 25 years Burt became a vocal and involved member of this diverse suburban community. He was an integral force in building affordable housing and advocating for civil rights during a time of significant social unrest.

In 2001 Burt married Carol Anne Ances at an outdoor ceremony in the Berkshires. They enjoyed the next 25 years, based in Westport, CT, and spent culture-filled summers in the Berkshires and warm winters on Sanibel Island. They welcomed dozens of friends and family members to join them every year in their seasonal idylls.

In addition to his storied career in the software industry, Burt had many wide-ranging hobbies. First and foremost was his passion for tennis. He methodically taught each of his 5 children how to play - some more willing than others. He was a fierce and loud competitor. While always a fair line caller, he could be heard several courts away "instructing" his doubles partner or most commonly yelling "Burton" when he was disappointed in his own game. He was an avid baseball fan and completed the New York Times crossword puzzle daily. He particularly loved reading detective novels, modern world history, and political biographies. He followed domestic and international news closely and held strong opinions about almost everything. Burt will be remembered not only for his groundbreaking work in the software world, but also for his bad puns, amateur poetry, vicious slicing tennis serve, and love of chocolate ice cream.

Burt is survived by his wife, Carol Anne Ances, and by his children: Carol (Michael) Abedon, Andrew (Janet Singer) Grad, Alan (Ellen) Grad, Bryan (Debra) Grad, and Elissa (Narayan Kaimal) Grad. He also leaves behind nearly 20 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A graveside burial ceremony will be held on Monday, June 9 at 11:00 AM at Sharon Gardens Cemetery, 273 Lakeview Avenue, Valhalla, NY.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Burt's memory may be made to the Computer History Museum, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA 94043.