Burlington 10-year-old a computer fix-it expert

Sunday, February 9, 2003 3:00 AM EST

By BILL DUNN

But one young Burlington resident can, and he’s taken his talent even further in the past two years by restoring over 50 out-of-date computers and providing them to area families who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford them.

Jacob Komar’s interest in computers came at a very early age. At 2 1/2 years old he was able to type DOS commands into his family’s computer. By five, he was typing instead of writing.

Jacob’s mother, Alicia Komar -- who was teaching computer classes in adult education at the time -- said her son took a very early interest in what would later become his passion.

"He would take my textbooks that I was teaching from and this would be his pleasure reading, and we’re talking about when he was five," Alicia Komar said. "He was teaching himself how to program in DOS. Literally, he was programming when he was five."

Jacob said his interest in computers grew from then on. In the next few years, he taught himself everything from how to write his own software to how to refurbish and rebuild computers to how to take multiple computers and combine them into one "supercomputer."

But that’s just where this young prodigy’s story begins.

When he visited Lake GardaSchool in Burlington in October 2001 -- where his younger sister is a student -- Jacob discovered that more than 50 out-of-date computers at the school were going to be thrown away.

Seeing the possibilities of the situation, Jacob wondered if the school might allow him to refurbish the computers and give them to families who might need them.

After calling a number of school officials, including the superintendent of schools and Region 10’s business manager, he was given permission. The school district offered him all 53 computers.

Because each of the computers and the software on them was licensed to the school district, Jacob then had to find a way to get each of them the proper legal licensing. Again he began making phone calls, calling all the major software and hardware companies in the country to see if they might be willing to support his cause.

"He stayed at it and he got to the top-level person at each one of those companies who could make a decision. And once they heard his story, they all said, ‘This is a fantastic project that you’re doing, and you can have the licensing for the software.’ So they all donated the licensing for the software," Alicia Komar said.

The then-9-year-old Jacob went to work on all of the computers. "I did all 53 manually," he said. "I took them home, and first I checked to make sure that they would boot up. To work with the school’s network, it was a whole different configuration, so I had to change everything and put some new hardware in and maybe change some of the components inside the computer."

When the computers were ready for use, Jacob then went to Farmington Social Services to find out what families in the area could possibly benefit from his newly refurbished computers. Gratified by his offering, the organization found homes for each of them.

Each Thursday for the next few months, Jacob went from family to family, installing their computers and teaching each of them how to use them. Alicia Komar said a large part her son’s intentions was to make sure the computers went to families with children, so they would be at more of an advantage in school.

For his hours of work and the overall benefit of the project he titled "Computers for Communities," Jacob was named one of two Connecticut youth volunteers for 2003 by Prudential Financial.

This national award has earned him $1,000 and an upcoming trip to Washington to meet members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as well as a chance to meet 99 other youth volunteers from around the country.

Since refurbishing the 53 computers he received from Lake Garda, Jacob’s project has grown. He said the Torrington school district has offered him another batch for his cause.

Jacob’s mother said she couldn’t be more proud of her son for putting his knowledge and talent to good use.

"The thing that I’m really glad to see as his mom, is that he’s not just using that talent to sit around and play computer games or to do something for his own benefit. This really came from inside of him, where he saw an opportunity and he said, "There’s all those computers there. How can I use my talent to make a difference?" And that’s really what he did," Alicia Komar said.

In addition to attending Talcott Mountain Academy in Avon, where he is currently in sixth grade, Jacob also takes computer classes at Tunxis Community Technical College.