Quick Facts
Biography
Michael Leonidas Dertouzos (Greek: Μιχαήλ Λεωνίδας Δερτούζος) (November 5, 1936 – August 27, 2001) was a Greek Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Director of the M.I.T. Laboratory for Computer Science (LCS) from 1974 to 2001.
During Dertouzos's term, LCS innovated in a variety of areas, including RSA encryption, the spreadsheet, the NuBus, the X Window System, and the Internet. Dertouzos was instrumental in defining the World Wide Web Consortium and bringing it to MIT. He was a firm supporter of the GNU Project, Richard Stallman, and the FSF, and their continued presence at MIT.
In 1968, he co-founded Computek, Inc., a manufacturer of graphics and intelligent terminals with Marvin C. Lewis and Dr. Huber Graham.
Dertouzos was a graduate of Athens College and attended the University of Arkansas on a Fulbright Scholarship. He received his Ph.D. from M.I.T. in 1964 and joined the M.I.T. faculty. He was buried at the First Cemetery of Athens.
Quotes
We made a big mistake 300 years ago when we separated technology and humanism. ... It's time to put the two back together.
— Michael Dertouzos, Scientific American, July 1997
The potential of the modern information age seems overshadowed at every turn by the ancient forces that separate the rich from the poor.
— Michael Dertouzos, 1999