Michael Harrison

Michael Harrison
06/07/2025
Michael A. Harrison, age 89, of Orinda, CA, died at home on June 7, 2025, after a long illness. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Susan Graham Harrison, his son Craig, and his extended family. Michael grew up in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. He earned a B.S. from Case Institute of Technology (now Case-Western Reserve) and a Ph.D. in communications science from the University of Michigan. He was a professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley from 1963 until he retired in 1994. He took great pleasure in his teaching and research, especially his mentorship of his graduate students, many of whom became lifelong friends. In 1989, Michael and one of his PhD students founded Gain Technologies to commercialize their research on multi-media document authoring systems. Gain Technologies was acquired by Sybase, Inc. in 1992. Michael was a Guggenheim Fellow and a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He enjoyed good food, photography, running the Bay to Breakers, spending time with friends, traveling, and attending performing arts events. He served on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Opera and was a member of the Bohemian Club. In recent years, he was fortunate to have devoted caregivers at home. In lieu of a memorial service, gifts in Michael's memory may be made to Cal Performances, UC Berkeley, 101 Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-4800.