End of an era

 The San Jose Mercury-News this morning carried John A. Young's obituary.   93 years old, married to Rosemary for 67 years until she passed in 2021.   Wonderful obit in terms of generosity about John, and his many accomplishments.   It is available fairly widely, at Legacy.com and other places.   https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/heraldandnews/name/john-young-obituary?id=58523462.   See for example, the Klamath Falls, OR newspaper (where John and Rosemary grew up)   https://www.heraldandnews.com/john-young-obit/article_ebc6845e-a4db-4fd5-9fa1-d6bae0509936.html

The opening speaks for the man: "Visionary leader, technology pioneer, dedicated public servant, John A. Young, who succeeded founders Bill Hewlett and David Packard as CEO of Hewlett-Packard . . . .   A transformative force in technology and business, John helped shape the trajectory of Silicon Valley, modern computing and U.S. industrial policy. As CEO of HP from 1978 to 1992, he led the company through extraordinary growth - transforming it from a pioneer in test and measurement equipment into a global computing powerhouse. During his tenure, HP's annual revenue grew from $1.3 billion to $16 billion."

"John also served as chairman of President Reagan's Commission on Industrial Competitiveness, playing a key role in strengthening America's position in high technology sectors. He was widely respected for his integrity, humility and even-tempered leadership."

After earning his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, John began his career at Hewlett-Packard as a marketing planner in the microwave division. His steady confidence and visionary leadership saw him rise rapidly through the company: regional sales manager, marketing manager, vice president of the Electronic Products Group, and executive vice president of the Instrument, Computer, and Components groups. In 1977, when founders Hewlett and Packard retired, they selected John as their successor. True to form, John downplayed the moment, telling reporters, "Three letters - CEO - moved from Hewlett to me. That's all."

Ernie Arbuckle, long on HP's board, had a nice statement about John that rings true for me:

"His character left a lasting impression on all who knew him. "John is the kind of person everyone would like to work with-someone who keeps his promise, is easy to get along with, shows good judgment, and tries to see the other person's side of things."