[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 71 (Monday, April 26, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E454-E455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO HONOR THE LIFE OF CHARLES GESCHKE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 26, 2021

  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Charles 
Geschke, known to all as Chuck, a pioneer and a giant in Silicon 
Valley, who died on April 16, 2021, at the age of 81, at his home in 
Los Altos, California. He was born on September 11, 1939, and grew up 
in Cleveland, Ohio, where his father was a photoengraver and his mother 
a paralegal.
  Chuck was a deeply faith-filled man who once considered entering the 
Catholic priesthood. He attended a Jesuit high school and studied 
liberal arts at Xavier University in Cincinnati. He earned a master's 
degree in mathematics there and later earned a Ph.D. in computer 
science at Carnegie Mellon. He worked as a math professor, then at the 
Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency. He was hired by 
Xerox to work at its Palo Alto Research Center where he met John 
Warnock, Ph.D., and they joined together in leaving Xerox to found what 
is now Adobe Inc.
  Chuck created a highly successful and important company, one of 
Silicon Valley's greatest, that enabled desktop publishing which has 
had worldwide impact. The New York Times, (4/20/2021) opened its 
obituary of him by asking,

       ``If you sent a PDF on your computer today, thank him. In 
     1980, he and a colleague created a way of sending digital 
     documents to a printer, starting a company, Adobe.'' In the 
     same piece, the Times quoted him as saying this regarding his 
     immense success; ``Engineers dream of building something that 
     millions of people will use; that's their ultimate goal.

[[Page E455]]

       I don't think many engineers are motivated by money. 
     They're motivated by having an impact.''

  Chuck was a gentle person with a self-deprecating sense of humor and 
was unrelentingly generous. With his wife Nan, they donated millions to 
non-profits and universities. He was a fair-minded boss and with Dr. 
Warnock, employed the ``golden rule'' in the treatment of employees. He 
was a man of great faith and a model for corporate leaders to emulate.
  He received numerous well-deserved awards, including the National 
Medal of Technology and Innovation Award in 2009, with Dr. Warnock, and 
served on many foundation boards. He was proud of what he created in 
business, but his family was his greatest treasure.
  I had the privilege of knowing Chuck for decades and shared an 
enduring friendship with him. I sought his wise counsel and practical 
advice, always learning from him and appreciating his depth of 
knowledge and integrity.
  Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me 
in extending our condolences to Chuck Geschke's wife Nan, his sons 
Peter and John, his daughter Kathy Orciuoli, and his seven beloved 
grandchildren. We are a better, stronger nation because of this great 
and good man.

                          ____________________