Jack Gifford
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Jack Gifford | |
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Born | January 11, 1941 |
Died | January 11, 2009 | (aged 68)
Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
Occupation(s) | Semiconductor company founder and executive |
John "Jack" F. Gifford (January 11, 1941 – January 11, 2009) was an American engineer and businessman best known as a founder and former CEO, President and Chairman of the Board of
Life and career
Gifford was born in 1941 and graduated from Banning High School in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on a baseball scholarship and wanted to play professionally. However, Gifford had married his high school sweetheart at age eighteen and realized he could not play baseball and support his wife and child.[2] He graduated from UCLA with a BSEE degree in 1963.[1] He was a Christian.[3]
Gifford's first job upon graduating from college was as a design engineer at Electronic Specialties in Los Angeles. He was soon recruited by
In 1983, Gifford co-founded
Gifford maintained a passion for baseball throughout his life. In 1994, he founded, sponsored and played for the Maxim Yankees, a semi-pro wood bat baseball team.[8] He also supported several college baseball programs – Stanford, California, Santa Clara University, San Jose State University and UCLA. At UCLA, he funded and oversaw the construction of the Jack and Rhodine Gifford Hitting Facility, a 10,500-square-foot (980 m2) practice facility at Jackie Robinson Stadium.[9]
Married for nearly 49 years, Gifford had three daughters and eleven grandchildren. Gifford died on his 68th birthday of a heart attack, in Kamuela, Hawaii.
Honors and awards
- 1988 – Nominated for the National Entrepreneur of the Year award by Arthur Young
- 1990 – Elected to the UCLA Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1991 – Named Alumnus of the Year of the UCLA College of Engineering
- 1992 – Commencement Speaker at the 1992 UCLA College of Engineering Graduation Ceremony
- 2001 – Named CEO of the Year by Electronic Business Magazine
- 2004 – Oldest player ever to participate in the National Baseball Congress World Series
- 2005 – Named America's Best Semiconductor Industry CEO by Institutional Investor Magazine
- 2007 – Commencement Speaker at the University of Hawaii, Hilo
- 2007 – Received the Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, from the University of Hawaii, Hilo
- 2008 – Recipient of the Special Service Award from the Santa Clara County, Hot Stove Baseball Society
References
- ^ a b c "Maxim Integrated Products Mourns Passing of Jack Gifford, Founder and Former CEO" (PDF). Maxim Press Release. January 12, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Interview with Jack Gifford". Silicon Genesis oral history of Semiconductor Technology. Sunnyvale, California: Stanford University. July 17, 2002. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ "John F. (Jack) Gifford". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
- ^ "Press Information" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-05-06.
- ^ EPN interview, 1/12/2004, reference #11497
- ^ "Option Issues Raise SEC Eyebrows". CFO. June 8, 2006. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ "Maxim CFO Resigns amid Options Probe". CFO. February 1, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ "Maxim Yankees Baseball Club". Archived from the original on 2005-12-15. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
- ^ Former UCLA Baseball Player Jack Gifford Passes Away Archived 2012-04-05 at the Wayback Machine, UCLABruins.com, January 16, 2009
Further reading
- The Spirit of AMD by Jeffrey L. Rodengen ISBN 0-945903-21-9
- The Making of Silicon Valley: A One Hundred Year Renaissance by Ward Winslow and John McLaughlin ISBN 0-9649217-0-7