Chandler Harrison “Harry” Stevens Jr., 77, died Feb. 1, 2012, in St. Paul, Minn., from the effects of Parkinson’s disease.

Harry was born Jan. 3, 1935, in Trenton, N.J. and raised in Yardley, Pa. He was a graduate of George School in 1952, earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Georgia Tech in 1956 and received his PhD in economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1967. He married Joann Orcutt on Aug. 18, 1956, at the Church of Christ in Austin.

Active in public service and politics throughout his life, Harry was recognized as a pioneer in computer networking with a passion for citizen feedback, environmental protection, and social justice.

As an Air Force officer, he programmed computers at the Pentagon in the late 1950s before joining a management consulting firm in Boston in 1960. As the first Independent elected in 50 years, he served in the Massachusetts State Legislature from 1965 to 1968. He was then appointed science adviser to the Governor of Puerto Rico. He developed computer conferencing software as founder/CEO of Participation Systems Inc., 1970–1986. He taught or researched at MIT, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Brandeis University, Riverland College and the University of Minnesota.

After living in Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Troy, N.Y., and Ann Arbor, Mich., he and Joann moved in 1990 to Austin, Minn., from where he continued to consult in management and technology. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 1999 to 2001, he taught economic development, and he organized exchange programs for students and international press after returning home.

In 2004, he was a Minnesota delegate to the Democratic National Convention. He volunteered for the Katrina Crisis Corps in 2005. For the past several years, he advocated for wind power, which he had first written about in 1955.

He was above all a futurist. Harry played trumpet, cut a mean rug on the dance floor and loved to play games. He maintained lifelong friendships with his Alpha Tau Omega brothers from Georgia Tech and his George School classmates. His infectious enthusiasm will be greatly missed, and he will continue to be an inspiration to the many whose lives he touched.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Joann (Orcutt) Stevens; daughters: Emily Stevens (Bix Skahill) of St. Paul, and Maria Stevens Bollinger (Murray) of Boston, Mass.; grandson, Dexter Skahill; sister: Sally Stevens Luck (Edward); and six nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by an infant son and his parents, Chandler Harrison Stevens Sr. and Margaret Cheyney Stevens.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 30, 2012, at 2 p.m. at Clasen-Jordan Mortuary. Visitation will be for one hour before the service. Pianist will be Neal Erickson. Vocalists will be Erin Schumacher, Kaye Perry, Michael Veldman, and Brian Bawek. Donations in Harry’s memory may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research www.michaeljfox.org or the Paramount Theatre in Austin, www.paramounttheatre.org.