MOLLUSK—Philip Harman Newcomb, 71, passed away peacefully at his home in Mollusk on June 16, 2024.
Born February 24, 1953, in Harrisonburg to Bob and Betty Newcomb, Philip shaped and explored his world and interests fully and ambitiously. Whether in science, sport, philosophy or the arts, Philip’s endlessly inquisitive, restless, brilliant mind drove him to the horizon of the possible, while compelling those around him to participate in the journey, all the while encouraging others to discover their own paths to personal achievement.
Philip grew up in Muncie, Ind., in an academic-activist household, steeped in his parents’ interests; his father was a veteran and Mark Twain professor at Ball State University; his mother a social activist and feminist of note. Within this environment of intellectualist ambition, he and his brothers, Blaine and Murray, tumbled through a shared boyhood filled with chess, comics, scuffles, scouts and sports.
Philip earned a bachelor’s in cognitive psychology from Indiana University in 1976. This was the same year he met Christine Newcomb (nee Taeschler), who he would later marry in her native country of Switzerland in 1981, and with whom he would build a family.
Philip wrote his first software translation program in 1978. His formidable career as one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of applied formal methods found root in Boeing’s Seattle-based Artificial Intelligence Center, which he joined in 1983. At Boeing, he first advanced to senior principal scientist, completed his master’s in computer science at Ball State University in 1988, and in 1989 became director of Boeing’s software reengineering program.
In 1994, Philip founded the Software Revolution Inc. (TSRI), the company, dream, vision and mission which became the focus and grand endeavor of his life. TSRI’s foundational technologies combined Philip’s interests in AI, formal methods and programming to a culminating technological framework capable of universally modeling digital information. TSRI eventually grew and evolved to become the world’s foremost information technology transformation platform, and a leading provider of modernization services, preserving and advancing humanity’s critical information infrastructure. Philip’s life’s work and contributions to the commercialization of formal methods were honored with the 2012 IEEE Stevens Award.
Spanning this period, Philip and Christine raised two children, Nicolas (1984) and Arielle (1990), at their home in Redmond, Wash., and enjoyed years of enthusiastic familial adventure, enriched by Tolkein, travel, Intiman, friends, ballet, skiing, gardening, grilled salmon, tennis, long Swiss summers and more. Philip was a caring and devoted son to his parents in their later years, thoughtful companion to his younger brother, in whose passing Philip lost a lifelong friend, and remained unwaveringly faithful to his eldest sibling Blaine/Twilight, through thick, thin and each of life’s uniquely poetic twists.
In 2018, Philip assumed the role of CTO and board advisor to the company he had founded. In 2019, Philip and his partner Laura Faul purchased property in Virginia’s Northern Neck to enjoy the outdoors in the beauty of the peninsula’s waterways, trails and nature. Throughout, Philip remained an avid astrophile, boundless philosopher-dreamer-inventor and builder of company and home.
Philip’s greatest passions were to create memories with those he loved and professional invention with anyone in his expansive, exciting and sometimes chaotic orbit.
Philip is predeceased by his parents; and brother, Murray.
He is survived by his children, Nicolas and Arielle and their spouses; his former wife, Christine; his grandchildren, Elise, Ayden and Sasha; his brother Blaine; his dogs; and his partner, Laura.
Private Celebrations of Life are to be held in Kirkland, Wash., and in Irvington. Brilliant technologist, ardent leader, enthusiastic and great-hearted mentor, irascible doer, expansive dreamer—Philip’s friends, colleagues and family will miss him deeply and dearly and will carry him always in mind, action and heart.
Donations in honor of Philip can be made to The Planetary Society at www.planetary.org/.
