David C. Evans has been lauded as a world leader in the computer industry - a computer pioneer. In fact, many of the things people see on the computer screen today can be traced back to Brother Evans, the company he and his partner founded and his computer science students.

To preserve part of his great influence on the computer industry, BYU announced Oct. 15, at a banquet in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, the $2.5 million David C. Evans Chair of Computer Engineering and Graphics. The endowment, named after Brother Evans who established the computer science department at the University of Utah, will assist developments in computer-assisted engineering, manufacturing and design and information technology at the university.During the banquet, BYU Pres. Merrill J. Bateman of the Seventy, promised Brother Evans and his family that the funds from the chair will be used to serve students, especially those who want to make a difference in the world.

"BYU has some of the brightest students in the world," he said. "I pledge to the Evans family, that BYU will use the funds from this chair to serve them."

Brother Evans, who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, attended the banquet but did not speak. Instead, members of his family, his business associates and his former students paid tribute to him, and the things he considered his great achievements - his family, his activity in the Church and his service to the Boy Scouts of America.

The father of 10 children, three of whom died in infancy, served as a branch president, a counselor in two bishoprics and in two stake presidencies, and as a Scoutmaster for 27 years. In addition to his many recognitions in the computer industry, he also received the prestigious Silver Beaver Award for his many years of service in the Scouting program.

"It is not easy to estimate the influence this great mind has had," said Alan C. Ashton, founder of WordPerfect and Brother Evans' former student. "He has truly been an effective pioneer in every sense of the word in today's computer science field."

Brother Evan's son, David F. Evans, spoke of the things he learned from his father. "Dad has blessed us with a great heritage of trust and faith," he said.

Joy Evans, who served as first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency from 1984-1990, thanked BYU for "what they are doing for Dave."

They will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next spring.

Brother Evans earned both his bachelor's and doctorate degrees in physics from the University of Utah before moving to Los Angeles to be director of engineering for Bendix Corporation's computer division.

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He joined the University of California faculty at Berkeley in 1962, where, as a professor of electrical engineering and computer science, taught without a published text because the field was so new. Brother Evans returned to the University of Utah in 1965.

That same year, he and Ivan Sutherland started a business - Evans & Sutherland - with the objective of getting people to use computers interactively to accomplish specific tasks.

Today Evans & Sutherland designs, builds, sells and services advanced 3-D graphics systems for modeling, navigation, simulation and virtual reality programs. Its products are used for pilot training as well as scientific and engineering applications. This ground-breaking research prompted the Smithsonian Institution to honor both men with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Brother Evans received an honorary doctorate degree from BYU in 1983.

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