View source for Paul Flaherty (computer scientist)

{{Short description|American computer scientist}}
{{cleanup reorganize|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Paul Flaherty
| image         = Paul Flaherty.jpg
| image_size    = 
| caption       = Flaherty in 2005
| birth_name    = Paul Andrew Flaherty
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1964|03|14}}
| birth_place   = [[Milwaukee|Milwaukee, Wisconsin]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{death date and age|2006|03|16|1964|03|14}}
| death_place   = [[Belmont, California]], U.S.
| alma_mater    = {{ubl|[[Marquette University]]|[[Stanford University]]}}
| known_for     = [[AltaVista]]
| spouse        = {{marriage|Natasha Margaret Minenko|1991}}
| children      = 
}}

'''Paul Andrew Flaherty''' (March 14, 1964 – March 16, 2006) was an [[Americans|American]] computer scientist. He was a renowned specialist in [[Internet protocol suite|Internet protocols]] and the inventor of the [[AltaVista]] [[search engine]].

==Biography==
Flaherty was born in [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]].  He received his [[bachelor's degree]] in [[electrical engineering]] and [[mathematics]] from [[Marquette University]], and his [[master's degree]] and [[PhD]] in [[electrical engineering]] from [[Stanford University]].

He joined [[Digital Equipment Corporation]] in 1994 and, as the Associated Press wrote:

{{cquote|Flaherty came up with the idea of indexing Web pages that made the [[AltaVista]] search engine one of the most popular Internet search tools in the mid-1990s.  Flaherty was working as a research engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation in Palo Alto when he teamed up with two other staff researchers in 1995 to develop AltaVista's technology.  The Web site was made public in December 1995 and within weeks was processing several million searches a day. It was spun off from Digital Equipment as a private company in 1999.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12000078 |title=Creator of AltaVista Search Engine Dead at 42 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |website=[[NBCNews.com]] |date=24 March 2006}}</ref> }}

He held an [[amateur radio]] [[Amateur radio licensing in the United States|Extra class license]] with the [[call sign]] N9FZX.  Was President, W6YX, Stanford Amateur Radio Club, 1986-1990.

*Station Engineer, W6YX, Stanford Amateur Radio Club, 1990-1994.
*Started the VHF+ mailing list in 1989.
*Married to his [[Stanford University]] sweetheart N6YBV (this number refers to her [[amateur radio]] [[call sign]]).
*An avid railfan photographer and past Assistant General Manager of the [[Niles Canyon Railway]].
*Member of the Marquette chapter of [[Triangle Fraternity]] as an undergrad, where he served as chapter President. He exercised his duties with honor and was well liked within the fraternity.
*Member of the Sunnyvale Rod and Gun Club where he enjoyed [[target shooting]] and [[trap shooting]].
*While a grad student drove a 1979 Z28 [[Camaro]] with T-tops.

At age 42, Flaherty died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] at his home in [[Belmont, California]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/24/technology/24flaherty.html?_r=0 |title=Paul A. Flaherty, a Developer of Web Indexing, Dies at 42 |first=John |last=Markoff |authorlink=John Markoff |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=24 March 2006}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flaherty, Paul}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:2006 deaths]]
[[Category:Scientists from Milwaukee]]
[[Category:Amateur radio people]]
[[Category:Marquette University alumni]]
[[Category:Stanford University School of Engineering alumni]]
[[Category:People from Belmont, California]]
[[Category:Digital Equipment Corporation people]]


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