Vernon L. Schatz, 90, died in Lake Forest, IL, on January 7, 2012. Vern served in the U.S. Navy Seabees in New Guinea during World War II. The majority of his professional career was focused on computers and information systems, beginning with General Electric (GE) in 1952. He was a member of GE’s computer department from 1960 – 69, where he held a number of management positions, including Manager of the GE 225/235 family of computers. In 1969, he joined the Jewel Companies as Vice President of Information Systems. There he initiated and managed the first supermarket electronic point of sale development in the U.S., establishing the industry standard for such systems. He also initiated the development of Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) between Jewel and its bank, First National Bank of Chicago (FNBC). While at Jewel, Vern defined the fundamentals for a personal data card, which later became known as the “smart card.” He was granted the fundamental patent on this development. The U.S. Patent Office regards this application as the basic patent for smart cards in the U.S. In 1975, Vern founded Network Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFTI), a subsidiary of FNBC, where he continued to develop and implement computerized electronic funds transfer among retail transfer networks. Vern received the Computer Pioneer Award from the IEEE in 2000 and the Iowa State University Professional Achievement Citation in Engineering Award in 2002. He received a B.S. in Engineering from Iowa State University and an M.B.A. from Xavier University in Ohio. Vern is survived by his wife of 60 years, Elizabeth (nee Lynch); children Daniel (Debra), Theodore, Lisa Almond (Brian) and Lynne Halverson (Robert); grandchildren Crystal, James and Carl (Brianna) Schatz and Scott Almond; siblings Robert (Phyllis), Clara Tsuris, Ernest (Ann), and Lester (Audrey); and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Church of St. Mary, 175 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL 60045; the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 26 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004; the Arthritis Foundation, P.O. Box 7669, Atlanta, GA 30357-0669; or the American Cancer Society. Services and interment will be private. A public memorial service is being planned for the spring of 2012.
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