John Smith, Distinguished Alumni 2000
As a young man, Mr. Smith almost missed out on the high-tech field. After taking classes at Louisiana Tech and the University of Houston, he decided to continue working in Houston and postpone his education indefinitely. However, his sister urged him to come home and offered the help he needed to finish his degree.
This move proved successful, and Mr. Smith graduated with a degree in chemical engineering in 1967. He then started work as a facilities manager for Texas Instruments (TI) and later for Mostek. During his time at TI, he entered The School of Management, where he was a part-time student and teaching assistant for Dr. Ray Lutz, who was then dean of the School.
"John was a capable, dynamic student. . . . He showed the ability to combine his management education with his technical background and was an outstanding contributor," says Dr. Lutz, now professor of operations management.
After graduating in 1974 with an MS in operations management, Mr. Smith went on to develop a business plan for a new high-tech company that became Dallas Semiconductor. He served as the company's first president. Recently at Tessera, a highly successful high-tech company in San Jose, California, Mr. Smith was the former CEO and chief technical officer. Retiring in the summer of 2000, he maintained his role on the board of Tessera. Tessera holds many patents, including one for a process that advances the production of semiconductor integrated circuits. Through all his successes, Mr. Smith remains a loyal UTD alumnus. (For more on Mr. Smith, see "Intellectual Property," Management Volume 1, No. 2 Spring 1998, 14-17.)
-- Management Vol. 3 No. 2 Spring 2000, by Laura Schieber
