Don Nielson represents that rare evolution of a highly successful technical person into a most human and respected manager of people. The labs and centers that Don managed are still very active and productive today. SRI’s preeminence in computer R & D and especially in modern computer science was greatly enhanced by Don’s many contributions, both technical and managerial.
Don came to SRI in 1959 as a Research Engineer under Ray Vincent, taking on assignments in telecommunications technology while working on his PhD at Stanford, which he received in 1969. He was named Assistant Director of the Telecom Department in 1973 and in 1978 became Director of the Telecommunications Science Center. In 1984, Don was named Vice President for the newly formed Computer Science and Technology Division.
One of the most important of SRI’s projects in high-speed networking was the Packet Radio project, sponsored by ARPA to provide reliable data communications. The big advantage of a radio-based packet-switched network was the speed of deployment and the resulting fault tolerance that could be achieved. Don—along with Ron Kunzelman and Stan Fralick—led this important program. They built the first ARPA packet-switched demonstration radio network in the San Francisco Bay Area, including one station mounted in a van, which could be demonstrated to visiting sponsors on the way to lunch.
Don supported the development of the first hand-held computer terminal with David Fylstra as project leader. This device could be used as a very small and lightweight portable telecom terminal. It was also developed into a phone terminal for the deaf.
When Don began his career at SRI, the heart of telecommunications technology was focused on analog hardware, mainly antennas, radio design, and telecom components. Don steered our telecom work to the more modern and sophisticated digitally based computer networks, where software development was the key. SRI’s preeminence in telecom technology throughout this transition was due largely to Don Nielson’s contributions—his technical knowledge, his management capabilities, and his foresight.