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Andrew Kay

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Andrew Kay
Born
Andrew F. Kay

(1919-01-22)January 22, 1919
DiedAugust 28, 2014(2014-08-28) (aged 95)
Other namesAndy
SpouseMary[1]
Children4[1]

Andrew F. Kay (January 22, 1919 – August 28, 2014) was a businessman and innovator. He was President and CEO of Kaypro, a personal computer company, which at one time was the world's fourth largest manufacturer of computers, and the largest in the world in sales of portable computers.[2]

Kay, a 1940 graduate of MIT, started his career with Bendix followed by two years at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In 1952, Kay founded Non-Linear Systems, a manufacturer of digital instrumentation. NLS developed a reputation for providing rugged durability in critical applications for everything from submarines to spacecraft. At NLS he invented the digital voltmeter, in 1952. [3]

He founded Kaypro Corporation in 1982, which sold computers.[3] In 1985, it had more than $120 million in revenue, dwarfing what had been its parent, NLS. But the company's success was relatively short-lived; in 1990 it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and it was liquidated in 1992.[2]

In the late 1990s, Kay founded Kay Computers, which similarly manufactured and sold personal computers. The company lasted for less than ten years.

Kay later was a Senior Business Advisor to Accelerated Composites, LLC. [citation needed]

He co-founded the Rotary Club of Del Mar, California. [3]

Andrew Kay died at age 95 in August of 2014. [3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Tech Street: Kaypro Hunkers Down By John Gantz, InfoWorld, 20 Aug 1984, Page 20, ...Andrew Kay...called his sons, David and Allen, into the business; he got his wife Mary, and father, Frank, to help out too...
  2. ^ a b Markoff, John (September 5, 2014). "Andrew Kay, Pioneer in Computing, Dies at 95". New York Times.
  3. ^ a b c d Freeman, Mike (3 September 2014). "Computer pioneer Andrew Kay dies at 95". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
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