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William E. Richardson
Permanent Professor 1988–1994
B.S., United States Air Force Academy
M.S., University of California, Los Angeles
M.Sc., Oxford University
D.Phil., Oxford University
Bill Richardson, the Academy’s 55th Permanent Professor, was born in 1948 in Tucson, Arizona. He attended Iowa State University, Ames, for one year before entering the United States Air Force Academy with the Class of 1971. He was named a Distinguished Graduate, earning majors in Computer Science, Astronautics, and Engineering Science. Following the Academy, Bill went directly to UCLA, where he earned his Master’s degree in Computer Science in 1972. He was then assigned to McChord AFB, WA, as a Systems Analyst for the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment System. In 1975 he was transferred to Headquarters US Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where he served first as Systems Analyst for the World-Wide Military Command and Control System (WWMCCS), then as acting Executive Officer to the USAFE Vice Commander-in-Chief, and lastly as the Chief of the Computer Operations Division for the USAFE WWMCCS facility. In 1978 Bill returned to the Academy to teach in the Department of Astronautics and Computer Science. Two years later he was sent to Oxford University, England, where he earned his Masters of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Computation in 1981 and 1983 respectively. Returning to the Department of Astronautics and Computer Science in 1983, Bill had a significant role in resolving technical and software issues in the Academy’s Microcomputers in the Dormitories and Local Area Network projects. He was appointed Department Head in December 1987 and confirmed as Permanent Professor the following fall. During his term as Permanent Professor he worked diligently to modernize and formalize the Computer Science discipline at the Academy and across the nation. He was ultimately named Chairman of the Computer Science Accreditation Board (CSAB), which oversees the disciplinary accreditation of Computer Science programs in the United States. Subsequently, he was designated a CSAB Fellow for his leadership in the early years of Computer Science growth into a technical academic discipline. In 1992 Bill took on the full-time duty of Associate Dean for Computing Resources, where he managed development of an upgrade to the USAFA FalconNet local area network. As President of the Academy’s Association of Graduates, 1991–1993, Bill helped lead his fellow alumni in the development and dedication of Doolittle Hall. He retired from the Air Force in 1994.
Following his retirement from military service, Bill Richardson started private businesses in the retail, services, and technology sectors and served on several university and corporate boards. The success of these enterprises supported his selection as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the global Sun Educational Services, the customer training division of Sun Microsystems. After departing Sun in 2002, Bill focused his private consulting company on the application of computer technology to enhance productivity of small and not-for-profit companies and on the transition of technology from development to commercial viability. His enduring legacy of leadership, vision, and service is commemorated in The William T. Coleman III and Dr. William E. Richardson Endowed Chair in Computer Sciences.