Dave Packard

Dave Packard was an American electrical engineer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who co-founded the global technology corporation Hewlett-Packard. Alongside his friend and Stanford University classmate Bill Hewlett, he built the company in a Palo Alto garage, establishing the foundational culture known as the HP Way that emphasized innovation and employee trust. Packard served as the company's longtime president and CEO, guiding its expansion into a multinational leader in electronics, computing, and test and measurement equipment, and later held a significant role as United States Deputy Secretary of Defense under President Richard Nixon.

Early life and education

Born in Pueblo, Colorado, Packard developed an early interest in science and engineering, building radio equipment as a youth. He attended Centennial High School before enrolling at Stanford University in 1930, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in electrical engineering in 1934. At Stanford, he met his future business partner Bill Hewlett in a Frederick Terman's radio engineering class, forging a lifelong friendship. After graduation, he briefly worked for General Electric in Schenectady, New York, before returning to Stanford in 1938 to complete a Master of Science in electrical engineering under the mentorship of Professor Frederick Terman, who strongly encouraged his students to start companies in the region that would become Silicon Valley.

Co-founding Hewlett-Packard

In 1939, with an initial investment of $538, Packard and Hewlett formally established their partnership, famously beginning operations in a rented garage at 367 Addison Avenue in Palo Alto. Their first commercially successful product was the HP 200A, a precision audio oscillator used for testing sound equipment, which was notably purchased by Walt Disney Productions for work on the film Fantasia. The company incorporated as Hewlett-Packard in 1947, and its early growth was fueled by a series of innovative electronic instruments for engineers and scientists, establishing a reputation for high quality and reliability. The HP 524A high-speed frequency counter, introduced in 1951, was a landmark product that solidified the company's leadership in the test and measurement market.

HP management and the HP Way

As president and later CEO, Packard was instrumental in defining the decentralized, people-oriented management philosophy known as the HP Way. This culture emphasized respect for individuals, management by walking around, and a commitment to innovation and community responsibility. Under his leadership, Hewlett-Packard diversified into new areas, including its entry into the computer market with the HP 2116A in 1966 and the development of the world's first handheld scientific calculator, the HP-35, in 1972. He served as chairman of the board from 1964 to 1968 and again from 1972 to 1993, overseeing the company's transformation into a Fortune 500 corporation and a pillar of the Silicon Valley economy.

Government service and philanthropy

Packard took a leave of absence from Hewlett-Packard from 1969 to 1971 to serve as the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense in the Nixon administration, where he applied his management expertise to Pentagon procurement and logistics. His philanthropic efforts, often conducted with his wife Lucile Packard, were vast and focused on education, conservation, and health. Their most significant contributions led to the creation of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the establishment of the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University. He also founded the Packard Humanities Institute and served as chairman of the California Nature Conservancy, donating large tracts of land for preservation.

Later life and legacy

After returning to Hewlett-Packard in the 1970s, Packard remained active in its leadership and on its board until his death. He received numerous honors, including the National Medal of Technology from President Ronald Reagan in 1988 and was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame. Packard died at his home in Stanford, California in 1996. His legacy endures through the continued operation of Hewlett-Packard (later split into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise), the influential HP Way management model, and the substantial ongoing work of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, one of the largest private philanthropic foundations in the United States.

Category:American engineers Category:American businesspeople Category:American philanthropists Category:1912 births Category:1996 deaths