On February 19, 1985, Erich Bloch was one of three
IBM retired employees to receive the first National
Technology Medal from U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
Bloch, Frederick P.
Brooks and Bob O.
Evans were recognized for their contributions to
the development of the IBM System/360, which helped
to revolutionize the data processing industry.
Commenting in August 1984 on Bloch's imminent September
1 retirement -- after 32 years of service -- IBM chairman
of the board John R. Opel said: "Erich played an
early and continuing leadership role in IBM's technology
development. His commitment to the enhancement of technical
vitality programs will help ensure that IBM people remain
on the leading edge of this industry. We will miss him
and we wish him well in his new career." Upon retirement,
Bloch became the director of the National Science Foundation
in Washington, D.C.
The following is the text of a corporate biography
published in April 1984.
Erich Bloch, IBM vice president and head of the corporate
technical personnel development staff, joined IBM in
1952 as an engineer in Poughkeepsie.
He held a number of positions there and was named director
of the Poughkeepsie laboratory in 1968. He became a
member of the Corporate Technical Committee in 1972
and, in 1975, was named general manager of the East
Fishkill facility. While there, in 1976, he was made
a vice president of the System Products Division, later
the Data Systems Division. Mr. Bloch was named assistant
group executive, technology, Data Processing Product
Group in 1980. He became head of the corporate technical
personnel development staff in August 1981 and was elected
an IBM vice president in the following month.
Mr. Bloch studied electrical engineering at the Federal
Polytechnic Institute of Zurich (Switzerland) and received
his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering
from the University of Buffalo, New York.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
He is on the Board of Directors of the Semiconductor
Industry Association (SIA) and is the chairman of the
Semiconductor Research Cooperative
(SRC).
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