October 17, 1930 – June 7, 2026

• Los Altos Town Crier Report
• Jul 28, 2026 Updated Jul 28, 2026

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Roger Summit, innovative contributor to the technology of electronic search engines and 50-year resident of Los Altos Hills, died June 7 at age 95. He and wife Ginger moved to The Forum in Cupertino in 2024, where Roger organized jazz concerts and was an enthusiastic player of low-stakes poker. Down-sizing forced him to give up his concert grand in favor of headphones and a Spinet, but he practiced American Songbook standards on the piano daily. He recently gave Forum residents a demonstration of the cycle of fifths, the chord progressions behind many jazz tunes.

While nearly everyone knows about Google, only people familiar with the development of search engines know about Dialog, an idea, then a company Summit founded while working at Lockheed Missiles and Space Administration in the 1960s. His concept enabled anyone, anywhere to search large databases using only a phone line. The strength of the invention can be measured when one considers that Dialog was first tested by Lockheed on a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Before long Dialog was in demand by government agencies, corporations and individuals, worldwide.

Dialog continued to add databases and computing capacity until it outgrew its Lockheed facilities. By 1981, Summit’s idea was spun off as DIALOG Information Services, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary. In 1988 Lockheed sold the subsidiary to Knight-Ridder for $358 million. While Summit continued as CEO until his retirement in 1992, the company, still in existence, changed hands several times.

Recognition of Summit’s achievement became more public in 2019, when the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers added Dialog as a Milestone. The Milestone program recognizes unique technical achievements that benefit humanity. Dialog shares a list with innovations such as development of computer chips, fiber optics, bullet trains, Moore’s Law and bar codes.

Summit grew up in Michigan, but an early glimpse of California set his sights on the Golden State. A Naval ROTC scholarship allowed him to choose Stanford University. He graduated with a degree in psychology in 1952. After completing his military service, he returned to Stanford for a masters in business management and a doctorate in management science. Summit’s timing was perfect. On campus and off, people were talking about computers. Summit took a job as a summer intern at Lockheed in information processing. The path to Dialog had opened. 

In private life, music was a through line. Summit played trombone in dance bands during high school and college. In retirement he played with the Daddios Big Band at De Anza Community College and the Mt. View/Los Altos Adult School Orchestra.

Sailing became a passion. He gave Ginger a surprise wedding gift of a 30’ sailboat, and they spent their honeymoon in the Sacramento River Delta learning to sail. As they traveled the world on behalf of Dialog, the couple chartered boats and sailed in the Caribbean, South Pacific and Europe. Summit even tried commercial salmon fishing with a partner in Half Moon Bay. His love of sailing prompted purchase of a remote cabin in British Columbia, where he spent summers until the effort of sailing became too great.

Summit is survived by his wife Ginger and their children Jennifer Summit Firth and Scott Summit and three grandchildren —- Michael Firth, Ada Firth and Dashiel Summit. Roger also leaves his brother Roland of Los Angeles. Plans for a celebration of life are underway. Gifts in Roger’s memory may be made to the charity of your choice or to the California School of Music and Arts in Mt. View.

Continue/Read Original Article: https://www.losaltosonline.com/people/roger-summit/article_74cffaf9-c7b1-457e-a7b1-a1dd767cc809.html