Monthly Archives: September 2016

WAKEFIELD, Mass., September, 2016 – With great sadness we learned of Joseph Pavlat’s passing on Wednesday August 31, 2016 at his home in Grass Valley, California. Joe was born on Feb 4, 1953 in Madison Wisconsin. He was a man of many passions and interests. From flying planes, driving sports cars, hiking, writing, and traveling, Joe rarely took the easy or simple route. Everyone who knew him or had the opportunity to work with him knew he was straightforward, a bit opinionated, extraordinarily caring, and loyal. Raised in Wisconsin, he and his brother made the move to California together in the mid-seventies to help lead the burgeoning computer revolution. After settling in California, he met and married Denise Pavlat (nee Gouffe).

Joe started down the path of becoming a physicist while studying at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. While he was there he realized he was drawn to designing computers and instrumentation. He stayed actively connected to physics throughout his adult life by participating in experiments in Antarctica and on top of the Haleakala volcano in Hawaii. Joe also volunteered his time flying for the Monterey Sheriff’s department Aero Squadron.

A pioneer of Embedded Computing, Joe spent over 36 years building and evangelizing the value of open architectures. His career included leadership positions at Prolog, Motorola and Parker Hannifin. From 1995 until his passing he was the president and chairman of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG). He was directly involved in the development of both the CompactPCI® and AdvancedTCA® standards. He was the heart of our organization and largest proponent of our structure that gives every member a voice, and the IP policies that enable safe collaboration.
Joe’s passion for writing and all things PICMG made for a perfect partnership with Open Systems Media where he served as Editorial Director for several PICMG publications.
Joe’s brother Russell predeceased him and he is survived by his wife Denise Pavlat. Per his wishes, no services are being held.