NEIL GORCHOW

Neil Gorchow of Sioux City, IA, Philadelphia, PA, Sarasota, FL

An executive for Sperry Rand Univac, WWII Veteran, community leader, Neil Gorchow who passed away peacefully at home in Sarasota, FL, on December 26, 2020.

Neil Gorchow was born in Sioux City, Iowa in 1925 to Joe and Doris (Shapiro) Gorchow. He attended Yeshiva in Chicago, then served in the U.S. Navy during World War II (1943-46) and was one of the first entrants in the Navy's V-12 Program before his commission as a Lt Jr on the Destroyer USS Eugene A. Greene. Following the war, he earned a degree from the University of Iowa. He returned to Sioux City to join his family coal distribution business. While there, he served as a chairman of the United Jewish Appeal, as Commander of the Jewish War Vets, and as a member of the board of the Sioux City Federation.
Neil married Roslyn Wein of Madison, Wisconsin, in 1955, and the couple moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, where Neil began a 30-year career at Univac, joining as a software systems analyst in 1956. He advanced to Director of Software Systems, working In Dayton, Ohio and Washington D.C. He helped develop the early National Census software. During his early career, he and his colleagues created the 418 and 1100 series of mainframe computers and software programs for Univac.
In July 1965, he was promoted to Vice President of Product Strategy and Requirements at Sperry Univac World Headquarters in Bluebell, PA, and moved with Roslyn and their four children to Abington, PA. Neil worked along with NASA as Univac developed the software used on the Gemini and Apollo Space Missions. He met with Werner Von Braun and astronauts from both programs, and was invited to attend several launches, including the first night launches at Kennedy Space Center. He also took part in the development of Disneyland and Disney World's underground animation systems. Among his international projects, he worked with the French National Railway Systems, Lufthansa Airlines, and Dutch utilities, developing their early software systems. He served on the board of Nippon Univac in Tokyo. Neil is listed in Who's Who in Business and Industry, and Who's Who in the World. During his career, his direct reports at Univac included J. Presper Eckert, the co-developer of the Eniac, the world's first programmable computer, and software pioneer Grace Hopper. He was a champion of women in the computer industry, known to recruit coders from the corporate secretarial pool. He also spoke at national conferences within the emerging industry of the need for computer software to become more user friendly and with greater cross sector application. Neil was a member of the United States' Emergency Management Agency from 1971 to 1986.
Besides his corporate work, Neil was an active member of Beth Shalom Congregation in Elkins Park, Pa, the only synagogue designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. He served as Chairman of the Religious Committee, the Education Committee, and as congregation Vice President and co-Treasurer of Solomon Schechter Day School. He was congregational President from 1978-1981 and remained an active member of the Executive Board. One of his pleasures was attending the daily morning Minyan. With his wife, he was honored by Israel Bonds at Beth Sholom. Along with the late Rabbi Aaron Landes, of Blessed Memory, Neil was a founding Board member of the Hebrew Free Loan Society. He also served on the Advisory Board of Temple University's Graduate School of Business.
Roslyn and Neil ultimately moved to Sarasota, FL. They celebrated their 65th Anniversary in October of this year. The couple enjoyed travels to Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France, Great Britain, Japan, Israel, Canada, and across the continental United States and Hawaii. Neil's favorite pastime was golf, and his greatest pleasure was playing with family members and his golfing buddies in Philadelphia and Sarasota. He continued golfing through February 2020.
Neil is survived by his wife Roslyn, and their four children: Julie Beth (Bob) Levine of Philadelphia, PA, Bruce David Gorchow (Jodi Rosen) of Chicago, IL, Jonathan Ross (Elana) Gorchow of Greensville, SC, and Sheryl Lynn Gorchow-Stuart (Marc Stuart) of Oakland, CA, and by 14 grandchildren: Jennifer (Evan), Joseph, Stephanie, Jay, Andrew, Zach, Grace, Walter, Zoe, Sophia, Leah, Gabriel, Riley and Blake. He is predeceased by his sister Millicent Polsky and parents Joe and Doris Gorchow. Funeral Services are Private. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia, PO Box 298, Wynnewood PA 19096 or Beth Sholom Congregation, 8231 Old York Rd, Elkins Park PA 19027 or a charity of the donor's choice.