David Packard
The decades following the Second World War saw a surge of technological entrepreneurship in the United States, particularly in the emerging electronics and computing industries. Born in Pueblo on September 7, 1912, David Packard became one of the defining figures of that era, working as an engineer, entrepreneur, and computer scientist until his death in Stanford on March 26, 1996.
Packard was educated at Centennial High School and later at Stanford University, and it was through that Stanford connection that he co-founded Hewlett-Packard in 1939 alongside Bill Hewlett. The company took shape during a period when American industry was beginning to explore the commercial possibilities of electronic instrumentation. Within Hewlett-Packard, Packard served as president from 1947 to 1964, then as chief executive officer from 1964 to 1968, and subsequently as chairman of the board. His career also extended into public service: he served as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense from 1969 to 1971 and was a member of the Trilateral Commission. From 1973 to 1982 he served as chairman of the board of regents of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and he held the presidency of that institution from 1976 to 1981.
The breadth of Packard's roles across engineering, business leadership, and government positioned him at intersections rarely occupied by a single figure in the twentieth century. His contributions drew recognition from scientific and civic institutions across a range of disciplines, reflecting the varied nature of his career.
That recognition took concrete form through numerous honors. Packard received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the IEEE Founders Medal, the NAS Public Welfare Medal, the Bower Award for Business Leadership, the Washington Award, the John Fritz Medal, the Henry Laurence Gantt Medal, the Hoover Medal, the Heinz Award, the Lemelson–MIT Prize, and induction into the California Hall of Fame — a record of formal acknowledgment spanning engineering, science, and public service.
Quotes by David Packard
Why are we here? I think many people assume, wrongly, that a company exists solely to make money. Money is an important part of a company's existence, if the company is any good. But a result is not a cause. We have to go deeper and find the real reason for our being.
A company has a responsibility beyond making a profit for stockholders; it has a responsibility to recognize the dignity of its employees as human beings, to the well-being of its customers, and to the community at large.
He said that more businesses die from indigestion than starvation. I have observed the truth of that advice many times since then.
Profit is not the proper end and aim of management – it is what makes all of the proper ends and aims possible.
The betterment of society is not a job to be left to a few. It’s a responsibility to be shared by all.
Take risks. Ask big questions. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; if you don’t make mistakes, you’re not reaching far enough.
I could disagree with Lew but I never started a public campaign against him, ... He was such a decent person.
I am perfectly aware that HP has never guaranteed absolute tenure status to its employees; but I also know that Bill and Dave never developed a premeditated business strategy that treated HP employees as expendable,