I learned in this New York Times article that Peter McColough, a longtime CEO and chairman of Xerox, died last week. (UPDATE: The Wall Street Journal has a bittersweet remembrance in their December 23 issue.)He oversaw Xerox during the late '60's and throughout the '70's, when it emmerged as one of the most successful companies in the world via its creation and popularization of xerography--i.e., the copying machine.
But perhaps his most enduring legacy is his creation of the Palo Alto Research Center in 1970. PARC was responsible for bringing into use some useful tools that you are using RIGHT NOW--the mouse, Ethernet and the graphical user interface. (For a taste of what PARC is thinking about now, click here.)
That Xerox never profited much from these innovations should not diminish PARC's importance, nor Mr. McColough's legacy.
(picture: Ethernet cable by Hilary via stock.xchng)
innovation, strategy, management, obituaries, Xerox, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, business
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