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Randy Suess

1945 – 2019

American computer programmer

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About Randy Suess

Lived 1945 – 2019 (aged 74). Randy Suess was an American programmer.

Randy John Suess (January 27, 1945 – December 10, 2019) was the co-founder of the CBBS bulletin board, the first bulletin board system (BBS) ever brought online. Suess, along with collaborator Ward Christensen, whom he met when they were both members of the Chicago Area Computer Hobbyists’ Exchange, or CACHE, started development of CBBS during a blizzard in Chicago, Illinois, and officially established it four weeks later, on February 16, 1978.

Biography Suess was born in Skokie, Illinois, to Miland, a police officer, and Ruth (née Duppenthaler), a nurse. He served in the Navy, and afterward, attended the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle. Suess worked at IBM and Zenith.

In the 1970s, Suess was also an amateur radio operator, using the call sign WB9GPM. He was an active member of the Chicago FM Club, where he helped with maintenance on their extensive radio repeater systems.

In 1992, Suess and Christensen received a Dvorak Telecommunications Excellence Award for their development of the first BBS.

In May 2005, Suess and Christensen were both featured in BBS: The Documentary.

Suess died on December 10, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
University of Illinois Chicago
Employers
IBM
Also known as
Randy John Suess

People in Randy Suess's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Randy Suess's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Randy Suess?

American computer programmer

When was Randy Suess born?

Randy Suess was born on 27 January 1945 in Skokie.

When did Randy Suess die?

Randy Suess died on 10 December 2019 in Chicago.

What was Randy Suess's occupation?

Randy Suess was a programmer.

What nationality was Randy Suess?

Randy Suess was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Randy Suess

· Wikidata: Q79327684

· DBpedia: Randy Suess

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Randy Suess. https://biography.guide/randy-suess/

MLA: "Randy Suess." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/randy-suess/.

Chicago: "Randy Suess." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/randy-suess/.

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