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Gideon I. Gartner (1935–2020) was a pioneering entrepreneur, analyst, and philanthropist whose career helped define the modern IT research and advisory industry. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1956 and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1960.

Charles W. Bachman was a pioneering software engineer whose work helped establish the modern concept of the database management system. While at General Electric in the early 1960s, he led the development of the Integrated Data Store (IDS), one of the first commercial database management systems and a foundation for the CODASYL network data model. IDS introduced ideas—such as navigational access paths and layered architectures—that shaped mainframe data processing for decades.

Walter F. Bauer was a mathematician, digital computing pioneer, and one of the first entrepreneurs to build a large independent software company. In 1962 he founded Informatics General Corporation, which grew into one of the world’s largest software firms of its era.

John F. Carlson (1938–2006) was an American business executive best known for leading supercomputer manufacturer Cray Research Inc. during a pivotal period in its history. Born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, he studied at Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota, and began his career as a certified public accountant with Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. in 1964.

James C. Castle (d. November 11, 2015) was a technology executive and board director whose career has spanned information systems, financial services, and transaction-processing industries. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of Castle Information Technologies, an information-technology and board-of-directors consulting firm that advises companies on large-scale systems strategy and governance.

William T. “Bill” Coleman III (1947–2020) was a Silicon Valley software visionary and entrepreneur whose companies helped define enterprise infrastructure in the client-server and Internet eras. He co-founded BEA Systems in 1995 and served as its chairman and chief executive officer as the company’s middleware and application-server products became central components in large-scale enterprise systems.

Duncan G. Copeland is an information-systems strategist and consultant whose work has bridged academia and industry. He is president of Copeland & Company, a Washington-area consultancy that has advised senior management at financial institutions and large enterprises on the strategic use of information technology.