Press reports on death of microprocessor inventor Chuck Peddle
The Portland Press Herald, Bangor Daily News, News Center Maine and WABI (Channel 5) reported on the death of Chuck Peddle, a 1959 graduate of the University of Maine’s engineering program whose 1975 invention of a microprocessor paved the way for the era of personal computing. Peddle died Dec. 15 at the age of 82 at his home in California. On the 60th anniversary of his graduation from the university, UMaine honored Peddle last spring with its Edward T. Bryand Engineering Award. The UMaine Alumni Association also awarded him its Career Award in April. “It was such an honor to meet Chuck Peddle when he returned to his alma mater this spring,” UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy said. “His Maine roots and UMaine engineering education were the foundation for his truly inspirational career. His legendary vision, talent and entrepreneurial spirit changed our world. He was a personal computer pioneer and his legacy lives on.” The Stamford Advocate ran the Associated Press story that included Peddle in its list of notable people with Maine connections who died in 2019. The Fairfield Citizen also ran the AP story. And The Wall Street Journal reported on Peddle’s achievements, noting the engineer led a “team whose cheap device, launched in 1975, made desktop machines affordable.” The Chronicle Herald in Nova Scotia reported on Peddle’s Newfoundland and Labrador connections. His father, Thomas E. Peddle, was born in Bristol’s Hope-Harbour Grace area and distant relatives of the computing icon still live in the Conception Bay North area.