Biography:Bruce Bastian

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Bruce Bastian
Bastian in 2011
Born
Bruce Wayne Bastian

(1948-03-23)March 23, 1948
Twin Falls, Idaho, U.S.
DiedJune 16, 2024(2024-06-16) (aged 76)
Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Alma materBrigham Young University
Occupation
  • Computer programmer
  • businessperson
Known forCo-founding WordPerfect
Spouse(s)
Melanie Laycock
(m. 1976; div. 1993)

Clint Ford (m. 2018)
Children4

Bruce Wayne Bastian (March 23, 1948 – June 16, 2024) was an American computer programmer, businessperson, and philanthropist.[1] He co-founded WordPerfect (originally known as Satellite Software International) with Alan Ashton in 1978.

Early life and education

Bastian was born on March 23, 1948, in Twin Falls, Idaho.[2][3][4] He was raised as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,[5] and he was a missionary in Italy.[2] He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Master's degree in Computer Science from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah.[2] As an undergraduate, he served as the director of the BYU Cougar Marching Band and developed a software program to help choreograph marching band performances together with Alan Ashton.[2]

Career

Bastian began working for the Eyring Research Institute (ERI) at BYU, and he was soon joined by Ashton to work on a word processor for the city of Orem, Utah.[6] The two worked on a Data General computer.[6] Their collaborative work later became the company known as WordPerfect,[6] founded in 1979.[7] In 1982, they released WordPerfect 2.2 for the IBM Personal Computer.[6] Bastian was the chairman of the board until 1994.[7]

Philanthropy

Bastian established the B.W. Bastian Foundation in 1997.[7]

A philanthropist, Bastian supported the LGBT community and the performing arts in Utah.[1] He was a donor to Encircle, the Utah Pride Center, and Equality Utah, whose executive director noted, "No individual has had a greater impact on the lives of LGBTQ Utahns."[1] In 2003, he donated more than $1 million to the Human Rights Campaign.[5] He served on their board for the next 22 years.[8]

Bastian also provided financial assistance to the Plan-B Theatre Company, the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera, and Ballet West.[1] At the University of Utah, he donated $1.7 million for the renovation of Kingsbury Hall in 1997 and $1.3 million for the purchase of 55 Steinway pianos in 2000.[9] He also supported the LGBT Resource Center on campus.[9]

In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Bastian to the Presidential Advisory Committee of the Arts in honor of Bastian's long-term commitment to the arts.[10]

Personal life and death

Bastian married Melanie Laycock in 1976, and they had four sons; they divorced in 1993.[11] He later married Clint Ford.[1][9] They resided in Orem, Utah and Palm Springs, California.[2][7] Bastian died from lung disease on June 16, 2024, at the age of 76.[1][7]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Burt, Spencer; Tencer, Emily (June 16, 2024). "Bruce Bastian, co-founder of WordPerfect and longtime LGBTQ+ philanthropist, dies at age 76". Fox 13. https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/bruce-bastian-co-founder-of-wordperfect-and-lgbtq-supporter-dies-at-age-76. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Funk, Mason. "Bruce Bastian". https://theoutwordsarchive.org/interview/bastian-bruce/. 
  3. ↑ Rosenwald, Michael S. (2024-07-02). "Bruce Bastian, a Founder of WordPerfect, Is Dead at 76" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/02/business/bruce-bastian-dead.html. 
  4. ↑ "Bruce Bastian, WordPerfect co-founder and LGBTQ+ champion, dies at 76". July 5, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/07/05/bruce-bastian-dead-wordperfect/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Romboy, Dennis (22 June 2003), "Bastian's profile low — in Utah, at least", Deseret News, https://www.deseret.com/2003/6/22/19730449/bastian-s-profile-low-151-in-utah-at-least/, retrieved 2012-01-05, "The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay and lesbian political action committee, honored him last fall for giving more than $1 million to its capital fund-raising project." 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Williams, Lane (October 29, 1989). "WordPerfect: Orem Company Had Humble Beginnings 10 Years Ago But Now Manufactures Most Popular Word-Processing Program in U.S.". Deseret News. https://www.deseret.com/1989/10/29/18830214/wordperfect-orem-company-had-humble-beginnings-10-years-ago-but-now-manufactures-most-popular-word-p/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Everett, Emma (June 17, 2024). "WordPerfect co-founder Bruce Bastian dies at 76". Deseret News. https://www.deseret.com/utah/2024/06/17/word-perfect-co-founder-bruce-bastian-dies/. 
  8. ↑ Fields, Aryn (June 17, 2024). "Human Rights Campaign Mourns the Loss of Bruce Bastian, Champion for LGBTQ+ Equality & HRC Board Member for 22 Years". https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/human-rights-campaign-mourns-the-loss-of-bruce-bastian-champion-for-lgbtq-equality-hrc-board-member-for-22-years. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "About the Honorees: Bruce W. Bastian". The University of Utah. https://music.utah.edu/news/bastian.php. 
  10. ↑ "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 2/26/10 | The White House". whitehouse.gov (Press release). 2010-02-26. Retrieved 2013-11-01 – via National Archives.
  11. ↑ "Melanie Laycock-Bastian". Deseret News. 2016. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?n=melanie-laycock-bastian&pid=181247377&fhid=23304. "In 1976, she married Bruce W. Bastian and together they had four sons. The couple divorced in 1993 but remained close." 



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