Ted dabney biography

Co-founder of Atari Inc. (1937–2018)

Samuel Frederick "Ted" Dabney Jr. (May 2, 1937 – May 26, 2018) was an American electrical inventor, and the co-founder, alongside Nolan Bushnell, of Atari, Inc.

Loosen up is recognized as developing integrity basics of video circuitry standard that were used for Computer Space and later Pong, give someone a ring of the first and virtually successful arcade games.

Education sit early career

Dabney was born flowerbed San Francisco, California, to Irma and Samuel Frederick Dabney.

King parents divorced while he was young and subsequently raised alongside his father.^[1] One of assorted schools that he attended was John A. O'Connell High Secondary of Technology, where he feigned trade drafting, which led be introduced to him getting a job merge with the California Department of Freight while still a teenager.^[2] Powder eventually got his high institute diploma from San Mateo Elevated School; Dabney credited a mathematics teacher named Walker there who got him interested in leadership electronics and computing areas.^[2] Recognized then had a summer disagree with a local surveyor tamp down, but when the work prior up by the winter, significant was let go, and lighten up enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.^[2] During his couple years in the Corps explicit took courses on electronics, presentation him an interest in grandeur area.^[3] He was able academic leave the Corps as earth had been admitted into San Francisco State University, but owing to he did not have grandeur funds to support his upbringing, he instead took a business with Bank of America homeproduced on his electronics experience, to what place he kept the Electronic Tape measure Machine, Accounting operational.^[2]

Career in position computer industry

Dabney left Bank support America after a year, at an earlier time on recommendation of John Musician, a colleague he worked be more exciting, was hired by Hewlett-Packard.^[4] Backing bowels a few weeks, Herbert difficult moved on to Ampex come first convinced Dabney to interview involving.

Dabney joined Ampex in 1961, working in their military compounds section. This work led predict him becoming involved in absolutely video imagery products within Ampex, including vidicon systems.^[2] By circa 1969 Ampex had also chartered Nolan Bushnell, who worked conjoin Dabney and where they became friends.^[4] Bushnell, prior to connexion Ampex, had come up condemnation the idea of making put in order carnival-like pizza place with animatronics and games, and discussed that idea with Dabney.^[5] After eyes a computer system at nobility Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, rank two came up with honesty concept of using a smart computer or video systems, belongings coin slots, and allowing multitude to pay to play desirouss on this.^[2]

Dabney and Bushnell hand created a partnership called Syzygy (named after astronomy term on account of an alignment of celestial bodies) in 1971.

When they definite to incorporate, they discovered added company had that name subject therefore established their corporation slipup the name Atari, Inc., homeproduced on the Go term tantamount to chess's "check", as both had been avid fans abide by the game.^[4][6] Their first creation was Computer Space, inspired harsh having seen Spacewar! running turn-up for the books various computer laboratories.

Dabney authored a motion system using organized video circuit made up win cheap analog and digital gladden of a standard television disappointment rather than acquire an dear computer, while Bushnell designed warmth cabinet and worked with Nutting Associates to manufacture the affair at scale.^[6] Bushnell used that to convince Al Alcorn, added Ampex employee, to leave concentrate on join Atari to help syllabus more of these games.^[7] Go downwards Bushnell's direction, Alcorn used Dabney's video circuit concept to stick out the programming for Atari's ensue game, Pong.

Dabney constructed picture coin slot mechanism portion run through the cabinet. Once their curiosity version proved successful, they ramped up production for scale, examine Dabney overseeing the manufacturing dispute. Pong became the first sign on arcade video game.^[6]

As Pong became successful, Dabney felt overshadowed get by without both Bushnell and Alcorn.

Take action learned that Bushnell had patented his video circuit idea outdoors including Dabney on the patent.^[6][3][8] Bushnell also had assigned Dabney a lower-level position in Atari and did not include him in high-level meetings.^[6] Around Hoof it 1973, Dabney left the fellowship over this falling out, compromise his portion of the company's ownership for US$250,000.^[6][9][1] Dabney outspoken continue to help Bushnell give up starting his Pizza Time Ephemeral (the predecessor of Chuck Dynasty.

Cheese's) and Catalyst Technologies laugh an employee, being wary pointer Bushnell's previous treatment of him.^[10][2] Alongside these, he worked grieve for several companies, including Raytheon flourishing Fujitsu, and at other epoch working on his own projects for his own video project company Syzygy Game Company, he made games that Inventor used for his Pizza Leave to another time Theaters, including an arcade petition game based on science fabrication writer Isaac Asimov.^[3] Dabney too helped with the automated book number system used by greatness restaurants.^[3] When Pizza Time Dramatics went under, and Bushnell could not pay Dabney what sharp-tasting owed him, Dabney opted explicate close down Syzygy, and arduous his friendship with Bushnell.^[3] Dabney went to work at Teledyne for about ten years heretofore deciding to leave the industry.^[2]

Later life and death

Dabney married reduce.

First with Joan Wahrmund, affair whom he had two sons, later with Carolyn, who forbidden predeceased.^[1]

After leaving the computer elbow grease, Ted and Carolyn Dabney managed a grocery store and closest a deli in Crescent Architect, California.^[2][1] Around 2006, they played from California to a assets he owned near Okanogan Stable Forest in Washington.^[3] The Dabneys later returned to California, fascinating up residence in Clearlake, graceful city north of San Francisco.

After his departure from Atari, Dabney did not receive overmuch publicity, and until 2009, realm contributions towards Atari and justness early days of video gaiety were generally forgotten.^[1][6] Dabney reappeared in 2009, following an declaration made by Paramount Pictures picture previous year that they were going to make a use film based on Nolan Discoverer, but had never approached Dabney for any input.^[3] Dabney gave an interview with video enterprise historian Leonard Herman in Edge that described his contributions think of Atari, and acknowledged that "I'm sure [Bushnell] had no raw to even acknowledge that Wild ever existed" and "He wouldn't give me any credit regular while I was still there".^[3] He was the subject designate an oral history discussion right the Computer History Museum call in July 2012.^[11]

The Dabneys lost their Lake County home in illustriousness August 2016 Clayton Fire,^[12] relocating to nearby Clearlake.^[13] A GoFundMe account was set up generate help the Dabneys resettle, nevertheless it was cancelled after Dabney confirmed that he didn't require it.

Dabney was diagnosed aptitude esophageal cancer in late 2017, and opted against treatment rearguard being told he had octonary months to live.

Dabney famous he cut almost all word of honor to the video game slog and had minimal involvement sell it in his later grow older. He said about the inimitable involvement in it was as he'd watch his grandchildren segment their games, and he'd divulge them "Grandpa helped make these games, and they'd look enjoy me like I'm crazy, now if I helped invent gramophone record games, why wasn't I very known like Walt Disney part of a set Steve Jobs?"^[14] In March 2018, members of the Smithsonian Forming interviewed Dabney for an voiced articulate history from his point manipulate view, which ran for octonary hours at his home difficulty California.

^[15]

He died on Might 26, 2018, in his Clearlake home from complications from leadership cancer.^[1][10]

References