Hewlett-Packard Co. co-founder William Hewlett, who helped launch a technology revolution out of a Silicon Valley garage, died on Friday morning of natural causes, the company said.
Hewlett, 87, and David Packard, who died in 1996, founded their company in 1939. One of their first sales of electronic equipment was to Walt Disney Studios where it was used to perfect the soundtrack of the animated movie "Fantasia", an HP statement said.
The pioneers built a company known for technological innovations, such as the first pocket calculator, and became examples for their dedication to employees and philanthropy.
'Bright spirit of invention'
Begun in a one-car garage with $538, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HWP) has developed into a computer and printer powerhouse with nearly $50 billion in sales. It also spun off Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A), an $11 billion testing equipment firm.
The young company began in the shadow of the Depression, leading the young businessmen, Hewlett and Packard, to be careful with their money but generous with their employees, embracing a management style that has become known as the HP Way.
"When I was born...there was no money, so we said: We don't want to borrow money. People who'd borrowed money had gotten into trouble," Hewlett said in a 1997 interview on the Web site of The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, where he was a major donor.
"We also said: We don't want to hire and fire in our company. And things like that. Really reflected our background of what it was like to be in a bad economy."
Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Carly Fiorina said in a statement that the company would "cherish and nurture Bill's bright spirit of invention".
Hewlett gave up his active role in running the company in 1978, when he retired from the post of CEO, and was named board director emeritus in 1987.
Peter B. Giles, President of the Tech Museum, said in an interview with Reuters that Hewlett was forever curious and had supported conflict resolution, education and the arts.
"There have been a lot of people giving money and investing in community that are doing it because of Bill's example," he said.
Hewlett also was known for his sense of humor. In college, he said, he packed a doorknob with explosives and blew it up as a prank. "'Course, I didn't get caught," he said.
Historic pairing
Hewlett and Packard met at Stanford University, based in Palo Alto, California in the heart of what has since become known as Silicon Valley.
Encouraged by a professor at the university, which has produced scores of technology entrepreneurs since, the two decided to start a business selling practical applications in the nascent field of electronics.
They began in Packard's garage, which has been designated a California state historical landmark.
William Redington Hewlett was born May 20, 1913 in Ann Arbor, Michigan and at age three moved to California, where his father, a physician, joined the faculty of Stanford Medical School.
Hewlett and Packard donated more than $300 million to Stanford over the years.
Hewlett is survived by his second wife, Rosemary, five children and five stepchildren.
Bye :^(
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Hewlett, 87, and David Packard, who died in 1996, founded their company in 1939. One of their first sales of electronic equipment was to Walt Disney Studios where it was used to perfect the soundtrack of the animated movie "Fantasia", an HP statement said.
The pioneers built a company known for technological innovations, such as the first pocket calculator, and became examples for their dedication to employees and philanthropy.
'Bright spirit of invention'
Begun in a one-car garage with $538, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HWP) has developed into a computer and printer powerhouse with nearly $50 billion in sales. It also spun off Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A), an $11 billion testing equipment firm.
The young company began in the shadow of the Depression, leading the young businessmen, Hewlett and Packard, to be careful with their money but generous with their employees, embracing a management style that has become known as the HP Way.
"When I was born...there was no money, so we said: We don't want to borrow money. People who'd borrowed money had gotten into trouble," Hewlett said in a 1997 interview on the Web site of The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, where he was a major donor.
"We also said: We don't want to hire and fire in our company. And things like that. Really reflected our background of what it was like to be in a bad economy."
Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Carly Fiorina said in a statement that the company would "cherish and nurture Bill's bright spirit of invention".
Hewlett gave up his active role in running the company in 1978, when he retired from the post of CEO, and was named board director emeritus in 1987.
Peter B. Giles, President of the Tech Museum, said in an interview with Reuters that Hewlett was forever curious and had supported conflict resolution, education and the arts.
"There have been a lot of people giving money and investing in community that are doing it because of Bill's example," he said.
Hewlett also was known for his sense of humor. In college, he said, he packed a doorknob with explosives and blew it up as a prank. "'Course, I didn't get caught," he said.
Historic pairing
Hewlett and Packard met at Stanford University, based in Palo Alto, California in the heart of what has since become known as Silicon Valley.
Encouraged by a professor at the university, which has produced scores of technology entrepreneurs since, the two decided to start a business selling practical applications in the nascent field of electronics.
They began in Packard's garage, which has been designated a California state historical landmark.
William Redington Hewlett was born May 20, 1913 in Ann Arbor, Michigan and at age three moved to California, where his father, a physician, joined the faculty of Stanford Medical School.
Hewlett and Packard donated more than $300 million to Stanford over the years.
Hewlett is survived by his second wife, Rosemary, five children and five stepchildren.
Bye :^(
ABIT BP6 + ATI RADEON 32MB DDR RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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