John V. Roach
John V. Roach (November 22, 1938 – March 20, 2022) was an American executive. He was one of the early proponents of the personal computer, launching the Tandy TRS-80.[1][2][3]
Early life and education
[edit]John Vinson Roach II was born on November 22, 1938, in Stamford, Texas, and moved to Fort Worth at the age of four.[4] His mother, Agnes Margaret Roach nee Handon, was a nurse and his father owned a grocery store in Fort Worth.[1]
Roach studied physics and mathematics at Texas Christian University and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1961.[5] After working for two years at the Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii, he returned to the university and earned a master’s in business administration in 1965. He also started experimenting with mainframes in college.[1]
Career
[edit]In 1967, he joined the Tandy Corporation, a conglomerate that owned Radioshack, as a data processing manager.[6] In the following years, he played a key role in the company’s decision to venture into the budding personal computer market.
In January 1977, he presented the original TRS-80 prototype to Tandy’s CEO Charles Tandy and Radioshack’s president Lewis Kornfeld. At just under $600,[7] the TRS-80 quickly became the best-selling personal computer on the market.[8] To write the software code for the TRS-80, Tandy hired eventual Microsoft co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen.
Roach became RadioShack’s executive vice president in 1978.[9] Tandy's computer success helped Roach become CEO in 1981.[10] In 1983 he was named chief executive and chairman of Tandy, two positions he held until 1999.[1] After leaving Tandy, Roach briefly served as CEO of Justin Industries before retiring.[11]
In the 1990s, Roach also served as chairman of Texas Christian University’s board of trustees.[5] In this role, he helped to double the university’s endowment to more than $1 billion and built a technology center. In 2007, the John V. Roach Honors College was endowed in his honor at Texas Christian University.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Roberts, Sam (March 23, 2022). "John Roach, Pioneer of the Personal Computer, Is Dead at 83". The New York Times.
- ^ Hagerty, James R. (March 25, 2022). "Texas 'Country Boy' Helped Launch Personal-Computer Era". Wall Street Journal – via www.wsj.com.
- ^ Stevenson, Stefan (March 21, 2022). "'Mr. Fort Worth' John V. Roach was beloved in the community he loved". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ "John V. Roach Biography". Texas Christian University Honors College. 2015-04-20. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ a b Hagerty, James R. (2022-03-25). "Texas 'Country Boy' Helped Launch Personal-Computer Era". WSJ. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ Richter, Marice (2022-03-21). "Legendary business and civic leader John Roach has died". Fort Worth Business Press. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ Sharwood, Simon (2022-03-24). "RIP: Creators of the GIF and TRS-80". The Register. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ "Former Tandy CEO and PC innovator John Roach dead at 83". Engadget. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ InfoWorld Media Group, Inc. (14 February 1979). InfoWorld. InfoWorld Media Group, Inc. pp. 4–.
- ^ Hayes, Thomas C. (1992-10-27). "Tandy Ventures Into the Unknown". The New York Times. pp. D1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ Bob Francis (March 20, 2022). "Column: Saying goodbye to John V. Roach, Fort Worth leader in business, civic affairs and education". Retrieved 2024-03-04.
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