A Computer pioneer, an inventor, scientist and entrepreneur, Ken Olsen passed away on Sunday at age 84. He was also the Founder and former CEO of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). His death was announced by Gordon College, Mass., where he was a trustee and board member.DEC, which was launched by Olsen in 1957, is considered an icon in technology circles today.
In 1986, Fortune named Olsen the "most successful entrepreneur in the history of American business" and was also awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1993.
Olsen was the subject of a 1988 biography, The Ultimate Entrepreneur: The Story of Ken Olsen and DEC written by Glenn Rifkin and George Harrar.
DEC's innovations made there machines accesible to small and medium-sized operations and even individual users. DEC computers also trained and influenced many key people in the field of technology. Microsoft men, Bill Gates and Paul Allen used the PDP-10 to create the first version of the BASIC programming language.
In 1992, Olsen left the company at the request of the board. Robert Palmer, a DEC vice president, took over and set about trying to turn things around.
In 1998, Compaq bought DEC for $9.6 billion and four years later Compaq+DEC was acquired by Hewlett-Packard. (More commonly HP)
A memorial service for Ken Olsen at Gordon College is set for 14th May. A documentary on Olsen is scheduled to be released by the college later this year.
Rest In Peace Mr. Olsen!
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