Grace Brewster Murray Hopper
Personal Information
Born: 1906
Died: 1992
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: White
Education
Vassar College BA Mathematics 1928; Yale University MA 1930 & PhD 1934 Mathematics
Professional Life
Field of Study: Computer Science; Mathematics; US Navy Rear Admiral
Institution/Corporation: Harvard University; Remington Rand
Degrees & Memberships: Honorary Degrees: over 40 of them including: Clarkson University (1981), Marquette University (1982), Western New England College (1985), Syracuse University (1986); Member: Phi Beta Kappa, Society of Women Engineers (1955), US National Academy of Engineering (1973), Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society (1973), American Academy of Arts & Sciences (1991)
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 1991, National Medal of Technology & Innovation; 2016, Presidential Medal of Freedom; IEEE Emanuel R. Piore Award; 1972, Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal, Yale University; 1986, Defense Distinguished Service Medal; 1967, Legion of Merit; 1964, SWE Achievement Award; 1969, Data Processing Management Association Man of the Year Award; 1982, American Association of University Women Achievement Award; 1983, Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement; 1987, Computer History Museum Fellow Award; 1988, Golden Gavel Award, Toastmasters International; 1994, National Women s Hall of Fame; 1996, USS Hopper (DDG-70) launched; 2013, Google Doodle
Achievements: helped make computers more user friendly; wrote the user manual for Mark 1 computer; first to refer to a computer problem as a bug & debugging a computer; worked on UNIVAC; during WWII worked on top secret calculations for the war effort;
Co-developer of COBOL
In the 1940s struggled with alcoholism, depression, & suicidal thoughts
Has been called "The Mother of Computing"
Was known as "Amazing Grace" in the Navy 1969, 1st recipient of the Computer Science Man-Of-The-Year Award from the Data Processing Management Association
1973, 1st person from the US & 1sy woman to be made a Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society
Rumored to have coined the term "debugging" after she & her colleagues found a moth in a computer
Had a clock oh her wall that ran counter-clockwise
A US Navy Destroyer is named after her, the 2nd US Navy Warship to be named after a woman
1934, 1st woman to earn a PhD in Mathematics from Yale University
Ay age 79, was the oldest officer on active US naval duty
"It's easier to ask forgiveness that it is to get permission" is a quote from her