| Bruce Bastian | |
| Birth Name: | Bruce Wayne Bastian |
| Birth Date: | 23 March 1948 |
| Birth Place: | Twin Falls, Idaho, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Palm Springs, California, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | Brigham Young University |
| Known For: | Co-founding WordPerfect |
| Spouse: | |
| Children: | 4 |
Bruce Wayne Bastian (March 23, 1948 – June 16, 2024) was an American computer programmer, businessperson, and philanthropist. He co-founded WordPerfect (originally known as Satellite Software International) with Alan Ashton in 1978.
Bastian was born on March 23, 1948, in Twin Falls, Idaho.[1] [2] [3] He was raised as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he was a missionary in Italy.[1] He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Master's degree in Computer Science from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah.[1] As an undergraduate, he served as the director of the BYU Cougar Marching Band and developed a software program to help choreograph marching band performances together with Alan Ashton.[1]
Bastian began working for the Eyring Research Institute (ERI) at BYU, and he was soon joined by Ashton to work on a word processor for the city of Orem, Utah.[4] The two worked on a Data General computer.[4] Their collaborative work later became the company known as WordPerfect,[4] founded in 1979.[5] In 1982, they released WordPerfect 2.2 for the IBM Personal Computer.[4] Bastian was the chairman of the board until 1994.[5] When Novell bought WordPerfect Corp. in 1994, Ashton and Bastian each received almost $700 million in Novell stock.[6]
Bastian established the B.W. Bastian Foundation in 1997.[5]
A philanthropist, Bastian supported the LGBT community and the performing arts in Utah.[7] He was a donor to Encircle, the Utah Pride Center, and Equality Utah, whose executive director noted, "No individual has had a greater impact on the lives of LGBTQ Utahns."[7] In 2003, he donated more than $1million to the Human Rights Campaign. He served on their board for the next 22 years.[8]
Bastian also provided financial assistance to the Plan-B Theatre Company, the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera, and Ballet West.[7] At the University of Utah, he donated $1.7million for the renovation of Kingsbury Hall in 1997 and $1.3million for the purchase of 55 Steinway pianos in 2000.[9] He also supported the LGBT Resource Center on campus.[9]
In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Bastian to the Presidential Advisory Committee of the Arts in honor of Bastian's long-term commitment to the arts.[10]
Bastian married Melanie Laycock in 1976, and they had four sons; they divorced in 1993.[11] He later married Clint Ford.[7] [9] They resided in Orem, Utah and Palm Springs, California.[1] [5] Bastian died from lung disease on June 16, 2024, at the age of 76.[7] [5]
