H. True Seaborn’s tenure as an IEEE Computer Society senior staff member began in the summer of 1973, when he succeeded John Kirkley as editor and publisher of Computer magazine. Seaborn played key roles in launching IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications and IEEE Micro magazines in 1981, followed by IEEE Design & Test of Computers and IEEE Software in 1984, and finally IEEE Expert (now called IEEE Intelligent Systems) in 1986.
Born in 1934 in Tecumsech, Oklahoma, Seaborn moved with his family to Trona, California, where he spent his youth. He began his post-secondary education at Chaffey Junior College in Ontario, California, and went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at the University of California at Riverside, where he graduated with honors in 1958. He continued his studies under a Ford Foundation Fellowship at Claremont Graduate School in Claremont, California. Prior to joining the Computer Society, he held several writing and editing positions over a 10-year period in the aerospace and computer industries, including serving as editor of the TRW SPACE LOG at TRW Systems, applications writer at Computer Sciences Corporation and Computer Machinery Corporation, and staff writer for Caltech’s Engineering and Science magazine.
At the Computer Society, in addition to overseeing the magazine publishing program, Seaborn was a major contributor to many other Society programs. With an initial staff of two full-time and two part-time employees located in Northridge, California, in addition to his responsibilities on Computer, he handled the Society’s mail-order publication sales program–the progenitor of the Computer Society Press. The Society’s (then) major international technical conference, Compcon (later renamed Compcon Spring), was also supported by Seaborn and his staff. He was instrumental in launching the Society’s tutorial text program and the Tutorial Week series. In one way or another, he was involved in almost every facet of the Society’s diverse programs. Seaborn relocated the Society’s California office to Long Beach in 1974 and, as operations expanded, moved them again in late 1980 to Los Alamitos, where he was senior manager overseeing 45 professional and support staff members.
His accomplishments earned him several awards, including the IEEE Centennial Medal in 1984 and the Computer Society Special Award in 1979 (at the time, the Society’s highest service award). Adorning his Los Alamitos office walls today are acknowledgements of appreciation signed by many Society leaders in recognition of his service to Compcon 74, 78, and 79, as well as to Compsac 77, 78, 79, and 80. Seaborn’s dedication, service, and leadership were instrumental in the Society’s growth and success.
