Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1541367
82 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2025 plant pathology farm services. From 1965 to 1970, I participated in a work-study program in geophys- ics field research and oceanography. While at OSU, I also served as an engineering tech in the exper- imental psychology department and for the army reserves. Happy, your degrees and experience could have taken you down a variety of paths. How did you get into this industry specifically? I was recruited by Hewlett Packard (HP) specifi- cally because of my chemical and electrical engi- neering for its new RF semiconductor plant in Palo Alto, California. HP knew I had my own computer (a PDP-8e at that time) and that I designed the interfaces and programs for OSU's first computer- controlled lab for Operant Conditioning. I agreed to the job, but because I was in the military, I would have to wait two years to start. However, after completing my basic training as an Army officer reservist, the military cancelled my active duty assignment, and I called HP back to say I could start in September. After eight months of automating the thin-film processes, HP asked me to "go down the hill" to Porter Drive in Palo Alto, very near Stanford, to help out the strug- gling PCB multilayer factory. After fixing all their problems, I fell in love with the technology and stayed. This got me involved in the HP-35 design with Bill Hewlett, dubbed "A Slide Rule in Your Pocket," the world's first hand-held scientific calculator released in 1971. It was named HP-35 because it had 35 keys. What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? I am fortunate to have been involved in many things I am proud of, and I believe they were impor- tant milestones in electronics. I am proud that HP recruited me from the army, and I am especially proud of being part of the HP-35 calculator design in 1971. I am proud to have been involved in creating the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium's water purifica- tion system with the Packard family—the aquarium's primary benefactor. I am proud to have built the first automated multilayer PCB plant in Taiwan in 1984, which had HDI capability at the time, as well as help- ing to establish the first UHDI plant in Taiwan for packaging in 2006. Finally, in 2008, I was the CTO of the biggest PCB fabricator in the world, Foxconn, and I am proud of that. In 1995, I wrote three chapters for the 4th edition of Clyde Coomb's famous Printed Circuits Handbook. Since then, I've written the HDI Handbook, as well as co-authored the PC hand- book with Clyde. We are currently working on the eighth edition. I know you love your work, but what do you do for fun? I still love building things, especially electronic gadgets. From my trips to the EU, I brought back LEGO sets that were not available in the U.S. at that time. I designed a radio-control (RC) unit for LEGOs, and a passive solar home in Colorado. I worked with Steve Wozniak on the first Apple 1 computer (which HP owned originally). There is no such thing as retirement in your world. What do you love most about all you do in the industry today? My last "real" job was for an automotive electron- ics OEM named Gentex, here in Zeeland, Michi- gan (see sidebar). It was an amazing company that did everything itself, a real poster child for Ameri- can manufacturing, and the only outsiders to ever get a look inside a Foxconn plant. I accepted their offer after my contract with Foxconn ended, and we moved to Zeeland. I had the opportunity to work directly for the company president on miniatur- ization, which was my area of specialization since the design of the HP-35. I retired 13 years ago, and have remained busy, writing and consulting for I-Connect007. I enjoy dispensing knowledge and education to the next generations of engineers. What is your view of the future of business and industry in the coming years and decades? What do you hope for? Watching the growth of PCBs from 1970 to 2000, I never thought I would see the ultimate decline of PCBs here in the U.S. But unpredictable tech-