Edwin Joseph Tajchman was born (March, 2, 1934) and raised on a farm near Pilsen, Kansas. His family primarily spoke Czech in the house while they were growing up, and ate many kolaches, rohlickys, and other delicious Czech foods his mother Rose always kept on hand. The rigors of farming life produced a strong, resourceful young man. A bad year of drought persuaded him to try college at Wichita State. After a year, he decided to enlist in the Army and joined a unit focused on advanced TV technology. His army buddies nick named him the “Kansas Sand Hog” when he let air out of the tires on his jeep during a deployment in rough terrain, a trick honed in muddy fields back on the farm. After his discharge, he went on to study electrical engineering at Kansas State University on the G.I. Bill and there met an amazing young woman who grew up on a farm in western Kansas. He married Peggy Tillotson, both finished their Bachelors degrees, and they moved to Denver to start their family and a new life together.

The family quickly grew as they brought Ron, Tim, Gary, and Margi into the world and eventually to the house on Fillmore Street, where they made many life long friends. Ed pursued his Masters degree at Denver University while employed at Denver Research Institute. His work at DRI took him on special assignment to the South Pacific to do top secret research, which not surprisingly, he kept secret his whole life. He was recruited by a startup formed out of the DRI staff to make real the dreams of Lee Harrison to automate the laborious process of creating animation for TV and the big screen. Like any startup, Computer Image had its highs and lows, but the high points were pretty amazing. He broke new ground as one the first people to actually do computer animation. And as he rose through the ranks, eventually becoming Chief of the Engineering department, he met many famous people who came to their startup space along the Platt River including Jim Hensen, Tommy Smothers, and Chuck Jones. He traveled around the world to such places as Luxembourg, Chile, and Japan to help meet the demand for their pioneering technology. All while raising a family of four kids and pursuing his Ph.D. in electrical engineering at DU, which he received in 1974. In one of his proudest moments, he and Lee Harrison accepted the Emmy Award in 1973 for outstanding technical achievement for the development of the Scanimate computer animation system.

Computer Image’s analog technology was very successful in 1970’s but digital animation techniques held the day as digital computers became more and more ubiquitous. When they finally closed the doors he found a new job at E-Systems (now Raytheon) in Garland, Texas, in 1987. He enjoyed a long and successful career at Raytheon, retiring in 2010 after Peggy passed away, spending the last years of his life taking care of his daughter. He died in the comfort of his home, surrounded by his family on December 19, 2016. Through all his accomplishments and successes, he was always a humble man who led by example. Anyone who was lucky enough to spend time with him grew to adore, admire, and love him. And he was an amazing polka dancer.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Ed’s name to one of his favorite charities, the North Texas Food Bank, ntfb.org. A viewing will be held at Eastgate Funeral Home, 1910 Eastgate Drive, Garland, Texas from 6 to 8 pm on Tuesday, December 27, and a funeral mass will be held at Saint Joseph Catholic Church, 600 South Jupiter Road, Richardson, Texas on Wednesday, December 28, at 10:30 am.