Woody Bledsoe


Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Bledsoe was an American mathematician, computer scientist, and prominent educator. He is one of the founders of artificial intelligence, making early contributions in pattern recognition and automated theorem proving. He continued to make significant contributions to AI throughout his long career.
Beginning in 1966, he worked at the department of mathematics and computer science of the University of Texas at Austin, holding the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Centennial Chair in Computing Science starting in 1987.
Bledsoe joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an adult, and served in the church as a bishop, counselor to the Stake presidency, and Stake patriarch. He also served as a leader in the Boy Scouts of America. Bledsoe died on October 4, 1995 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.

Selected publications