Bernard M. Oliver
computer scientist · inventor · engineer
- May 17, 1916 · Soquel
- November 23, 1995 · Los Altos Hills
- 79 years
About Bernard M. Oliver
Bernard M. Oliver, 79, American scientist.
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Full Biography
|Bernard More Oliver (May 17, 1916 – November 23, 1995) also known as Barney Oliver, was an American engineer who made contributions in many fields, including radar, television, and computers. He was the founder and director of Hewlett-Packard (HP) laboratories until his retirement in 1981. He is also a recognized pioneer in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Oliver was president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 1965.
In 1973, Oliver was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. In 1986, Oliver received the National Medal of Science for Engineering Science. In 2004, Oliver was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. The asteroid, 2177 Oliver, is named after him. The Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy's Oliver Observing Station is also named after him.
Early life and education
Bernard (Barney) More Oliver, born to Margaret (née More) and William Oliver, was a native of Santa Cruz, California, grew up on a ranch in the Soquel Valley, and at age 19, received an undergraduate degree from Stanford in 1935. He then obtained a master's degree from the university in 1936 and went to Germany for a year on a scholarship, and returned to complete a Ph.D. magna cum laude by 1939, receiving the degree in 1940 from Caltech.
Early career
Oliver was a member of the technical staff of the Bell Telephone Laboratories from 1940 to 1952.
HP Labs
In 1952, Oliver became Hewlett-Packard's Director of Research, and founded HP Labs. In 1957, Oliver was named Vice President for R&D, and joined HP's Board of Directors, working there until 1981.
In May 1972, the Barney Oliver Amplifier was offered to virtually every product and sales division employee for $325, with 400 orders received by February 1973. The Barney Oliver Amplifier was a cooperative, after-hours "G" job, with Chris Clare, Rich Marconi and Ken Peterson of Paul Stoft's lab assisting on electrical and mechanical aspects, Paul Rasmuasen of Corporate Industrial Design lending his special talents, Clarence Studley of Paul Stoft's lab finalizing the mechanical design, Eileen Martin of HPL doing PC layout, Betty Downs of HPL doing schematics and artwork, and Tom Osborne, helping in a variety of ways. By May 1973, HP produced 400 units, on a time-available basis, for employees only, with earlier models made available in kit form. Bill Hewlett's Barney Oliver Amplifier serial number was 554.
"An old friend of mine who was one of the chief engineers at Hewlett-Packard, Barney Oliver, decided to make a power amplifier. This was maybe 30 years ago, and he got Dave Packard's approval, they would make a hundred, two hundred. It was a terrible amplifier, and Barney, who had the entire backing of Hewlett-Packard, was one of the smartest engineers going. The notion that audio is simple and easy to do is a big fantasy. There are very few people who have ever done it really well." - Richard Sequerra, 26 April 2009 Stereophile
Works
- Oliver, Bernard M. (1997). The Selected Papers of Bernard M. Oliver. Hewlett-Packard Laboratories.
- Oliver, Barney (2001). Modern English Misusage: The Rules of Grammar Explained With Precision & Wit. SETI Press. ISBN 9780966633528.
Scientific contributions
- Developed pulse-code modulation (PCM) with John R. Pierce and Claude Shannon
- Headed the HP-35 (HP calculators) development team
Chairs, foundations, and awards
- In 2004 he was inducted into The National Inventors Hall of Fame.
- In 1997 the SETI Institute established a newly endowed position, the Bernard M. Oliver Chair.
- Bernard Oliver Memorial Fund
- National Medal of Science, List of National Medal of Science winners, Engineering 1986
- Oliver Observing Station, observatory of the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy
- IEEE Lamme Medal (1977)
Personal life
In 1945, Oliver married to Priscilla Newton until her death in December 1994. They had three children, Karen, Gretchen and William.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_M._Oliver
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- November 1, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions
Questions drawn from Bernard M. Oliver's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city and state was Bernard M. Oliver born?
- A.Santa Cruz, Californiacorrect
- B.Palo Alto, California
- C.San Francisco, California
- D.San Diego, California
Bernard M. Oliver was a native of Santa Cruz, California.
Source: Early life and education section
2.Bernard M. Oliver completed his Ph.D. in 1940 at which institution?
- A.MIT
- B.Bell Telephone Laboratories
- C.Caltechcorrect
- D.Stanford University
Bernard M. Oliver received his Ph.D. degree in 1940 from Caltech.
Source: Early life and education section
3.Bernard M. Oliver served as the president of which professional organization in 1965?
- A.National Academy of Sciences
- B.SETI Institute
- C.Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineerscorrect
- D.Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy
Bernard M. Oliver was president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 1965.
Source: General biography
4.Bernard M. Oliver worked at which company from 1940 to 1952?
- A.Bell Telephone Laboratoriescorrect
- B.Stanford University
- C.SETI Press
- D.Hewlett-Packard
Bernard M. Oliver was a member of the technical staff of the Bell Telephone Laboratories from 1940 to 1952.
Source: Early career section
5.What title did Bernard M. Oliver hold when he founded HP Labs in 1952?
- A.Director of Researchcorrect
- B.Chief Executive Officer
- C.Chairman of the Board
- D.President of R&D
In 1952, Bernard M. Oliver became Hewlett-Packard's Director of Research and founded HP Labs.
Source: HP Labs section
6.In what year did Bernard M. Oliver receive the National Medal of Science for Engineering Science?
- A.1973
- B.1981
- C.1986correct
- D.1977
Bernard M. Oliver received the National Medal of Science for Engineering Science in 1986.
Source: General biography
7.Bernard M. Oliver was inducted into which hall of fame in 2004?
- A.California Hall of Fame
- B.Science and Technology Hall of Fame
- C.National Inventors Hall of Famecorrect
- D.Engineering Excellence Hall of Fame
In 2004, Bernard M. Oliver was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Source: General biography
8.What is the name of the asteroid named after Bernard M. Oliver?
- A.2177 Olivercorrect
- B.1952 Oliver
- C.1995 Oliver
- D.1916 Oliver
The asteroid, 2177 Oliver, is named after Bernard M. Oliver.
Source: General biography
9.How many children did Bernard M. Oliver and his wife Priscilla Newton have?
- A.Two
- B.Threecorrect
- C.Four
- D.Five
Bernard M. Oliver and his wife had three children: Karen, Gretchen and William.
Source: Personal life section
10.Who was Bernard M. Oliver's wife?
- A.Priscilla Newtoncorrect
- B.Eileen Martin
- C.Margaret More
- D.Betty Downs
In 1945, Bernard M. Oliver married to Priscilla Newton.
Source: Personal life section
11.Which development team did Bernard M. Oliver head at Hewlett-Packard?
- A.The television tuner team
- B.The computer networking team
- C.The radar development team
- D.The HP-35 calculator development teamcorrect
Bernard M. Oliver headed the HP-35 development team at Hewlett-Packard.
Source: Scientific contributions section
12.Bernard M. Oliver developed pulse-code modulation with which other individuals?
- A.John R. Pierce and Claude Shannoncorrect
- B.Tom Osborne and Chris Clare
- C.Paul Stoft and Richard Sequerra
- D.Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard
Bernard M. Oliver developed pulse-code modulation with John R. Pierce and Claude Shannon.
Source: Scientific contributions section
13.Bernard M. Oliver received which medal from the IEEE in 1977?
- A.Education Medal
- B.Founders Medal
- C.Lamme Medalcorrect
- D.Professional Achievement Medal
Bernard M. Oliver received the IEEE Lamme Medal in 1977.
Source: Chairs, foundations, and awards section
14.What is the name of the observatory associated with the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy named after Bernard M. Oliver?
- A.Oliver Astronomical Facility
- B.Oliver Space Center
- C.Oliver Observing Stationcorrect
- D.Oliver Research Observatory
The Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy's Oliver Observing Station is named after him.
Source: General biography
15.Bernard M. Oliver retired from his role at Hewlett-Packard in what year?
- A.1981correct
- B.1986
- C.1973
- D.1995
Bernard M. Oliver served as director of Hewlett-Packard laboratories until his retirement in 1981.
Source: General biography
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