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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE LIFE OF GEORGE VANECEK
______
HON. RO KHANNA
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Mr. KHANNA. Madam Speaker, today I honor the life of George Vanecek,
a key leader in the development of the internet and Silicon Valley. He
passed away this September at the age of 61.
Born in Prague, Czech Republic, George escaped his home country as a
boy with his family during the Prague Spring of 1968 after refusing to
join the Czech Communist Party. They settled in the Oregon mountains.
He was proud of his adoptive home and believed deeply in its promise of
opportunity.
It was this appreciation that drove George's career, but it was his
brilliant mind that steered it. George was not only an award-winning
programmer at a young age; he was also a talented painter. He applied
this artistry to the field of computing. After completing his PhD in
computer science, George helped pioneer the first http servers at the
National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) before bringing the
world wide web to Purdue University, where he was a professor of
computer science and won the Excellence in Teaching Award early in his
academic tenure. Then, at AT&T Labs Internet Platforms Division in San
Jose, he oversaw the development of a vast platform for internet
commerce. George co-founded several companies, working in areas like
telecommunications and the early internet of things (IoT). George did
this work with pride in the opportunity he had been given when he came
to America. He cared deeply about giving back by developing systems in
which computers enhanced human capacity. With an eye to the future,
George's creativity and vision allowed him to become a leader in his
field.
In his final position as Vice President and Chief Architect of
Technical Architecture at FICO, he worked on solutions to today's big
problems, like fraud detection and algorithmic bias, designing and
overseeing the construction of a data streaming platform that could
derive intelligent decisions from large amounts of data in real time.
Perhaps more strikingly, George was known among his peers for showing
up in the office wearing full leather, having just parked the Aprilia
Tuono motorcycle he rode between lanes of traffic into the Santa Clara
office each morning, not far from my district office.
George was not only a scientist but was also a friend and mentor to
many throughout his career and life. He volunteered his time helping
small business owners get started in his community. He was a scuba
diver, a glider pilot, and a world traveler. He and his family foraged
for mushrooms along California's many hiking trails and explored its
wineries and local breweries. Madam Speaker, George was a Bay Area man
through and through, and I'm proud to recognize him today for his
contributions to our community.
____________________
