{"id":1014,"date":"2025-02-26T13:36:59","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T21:36:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hmc.edu\/in-memoriam\/?page_id=1014"},"modified":"2025-12-09T12:21:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T20:21:40","slug":"michael-blasgen-63","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.hmc.edu\/in-memoriam\/michael-blasgen-63\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Blasgen ’63"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Harvey Mudd College and the broader academic and technology communities mourn the passing of Michael W. Blasgen \u201963, a distinguished engineer, researcher, investor, philanthropist and devoted trustee. His exceptional career in computing technology and his profound commitment to education and the arts have left an indelible mark on the institutions and people he touched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMichael was a cherished member of the Harvey Mudd community,\u201d said Harvey Mudd College President Harriet B. Nembhard. \u201cHe was deeply respected for his thoughtful insights, generosity of spirit, and unwavering commitment to the College. His wisdom and guidance left a lasting imprint on our institution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blasgen\u2019s journey in higher education began at Harvey Mudd College, where he earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in engineering. He then pursued advanced degrees, obtaining a master\u2019s in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology and a PhD in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. His early academic career included serving as an assistant professor at UC Berkeley before he transitioned to industry, where he would go on to make groundbreaking contributions to computing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blasgen spent most of his professional career at IBM, primarily in its prestigious Research Division. He played an instrumental role in advancing computer graphics, relational database systems and RISC architecture. As the manager of database systems at IBM\u2019s Almaden Research Center, he contributed to System R, a pioneering relational database project that laid the foundation for DB2. Later, as director of RISC systems at IBM\u2019s T.J. Watson Research Center, he helped drive innovations that led to the development of the RISC System\/6000. His career at IBM culminated in his role as director and head of the Austin Research Laboratory, where his team completed the world\u2019s first 1GHz microprocessor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Michael<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After retiring from IBM, Blasgen joined Sony\u2019s U.S. Research Laboratory as vice president for research, continuing his work at the forefront of computing technology. Later in his career, he served as a consultant and private investor, advising on database management and transaction processing systems. Recognized for his outstanding contributions to computer science and engineering, he was named a Fellow of both the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond his professional achievements, Blasgen was a dedicated philanthropist and supporter of education. Along with his late wife, Sharon Blasgen SCR \u201964, he generously supported Harvey Mudd College and Scripps College, funding scholarships and contributing to the arts. The couple established the Michael and Sharon Blasgen Endowed Scholarship at Harvey Mudd with a $100,000 gift, in addition to providing ongoing funding for other initiatives, including the HMC makerspace and a second scholarship in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Class of 1963. They also donated more than 500 works of art to institutions, including the Getty Museum, Scripps College and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blasgen\u2019s contributions to Harvey Mudd College extended beyond financial support. He served as a trustee from 2005 to 2017, returned as an advisory trustee from 2017 to 2018 and resumed his role as a full trustee from 2018 until his transition to trustee emeritus in 2023. His leadership included serving on the Clinic Advisory Committee and actively participating in his 50th and 60th reunion committees. In 2021, he played a key role in establishing the James Monson Endowed Scholarship to honor the late engineering professor Jim Monson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Michael<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A passionate advocate for education and the arts, Blasgen served on the boards of organizations including the Friends of Science Museums, the Friends of International Museums and the Arts, Scripps College\u2019s Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, the J. Paul Getty Museum Photographs Council, the Neuberger Museum and the South Beach Yacht Club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blasgen once reflected on his time at Harvey Mudd College, saying, \u201cA high point of my time at Mudd was interacting with the students and faculty of the other Claremont colleges. Courses from CMC on constitutional law, history, and economics have been lifelong sources of satisfaction. The time I spent at Mudd has served me well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Blasgen\u2019s legacy is one of innovation, generosity and dedication to advancing knowledge and education. His contributions to computing technology, higher education and the arts will be remembered for generations to come. Harvey Mudd College and all those who knew him are deeply grateful for his leadership and generosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blasgen is survived by his son, Nicholas, and daughter, Alexandra, as well his grandchild, Orion. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sharon, who died in 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Harvey Mudd College and the broader academic and technology communities mourn the passing of Michael W. Blasgen \u201963, a distinguished […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":1018,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-promo-header.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1014","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hmc.edu\/in-memoriam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hmc.edu\/in-memoriam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hmc.edu\/in-memoriam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hmc.edu\/in-memoriam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hmc.edu\/in-memoriam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1014"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.hmc.edu\/in-memoriam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1045,"href":"https:\/\/www.hmc.edu\/in-memoriam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1014\/revisions\/1045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hmc.edu\/in-memoriam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hmc.edu\/in-memoriam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}