[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 111 (Friday, August 7, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1569-E1570]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING DR. IRWIN M. JACOBS, ARCHITECT OF THE WIRELESS WORLD

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. RANDY ``DUKE'' CUNNINGHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 6, 1998

  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to recognize my 
friend and fellow San Diegan, Dr. Irwin M. Jacobs, the founder, 
chairman and CEO of Qualcomm, Inc., who is being honored this September 
with the 1998 American Electronics Association Medal of Achievement.
  Everyone who uses a modern digital wireless telephone, with its 
advancements in reliability and sound quality, its low cost, and its 
wide range of features, owes Dr. Jacobs a debt of gratitude. He 
pioneered the ``Code Division Multiple Access'' (CDMA) technology that 
enables all of these attributes of the wireless world. This innovation 
and many others have powered Qualcomm from its founding in 1985 to the 
multi-billion-dollar industry leader, innovator, and major employer 
that it is today.
  I also want my colleagues to have an idea of what kind of man Dr. 
Jacobs is in my community of San Diego. Just in the past year or so, 
Dr. Jacobs has made a major donation to the University of California, 
San Diego, to improve and expand its school of engineering. His 
commitment to better education, particularly in the areas of 
mathematics and sciences, extends to all levels. I was honored to 
participate in a forum he and Qualcomm helped sponsor recently that 
recognizes and rewards best practices in math and science education in 
local schools. And when the financing anticipated for necessary 
upgrades to Jack Murphy Stadium fell through, Dr. Jacobs and Qualcomm 
came forward with funds sufficient to do the job, and now the home of 
the Chargers and the Padres bears the Qualcomm name.
  Let the permanent Record of the Congress of the United States note 
the many contributions Dr. Irwin M. Jacobs has made to the fields of 
engineering and telecommunications, to his community of San Diego, 
California, and to everyone's ability to communicate with one another 
clearly across a block or across the globe. I commend to my colleagues 
the following article from the San Diego Union-Tribune describing the 
honor that the AEA is awarding my friend and fellow San Diegan.

            [From the San Diego Union-Tribune, Aug. 6, 1998]

                     Qualcomm Boss To Get AEA Honor

                          (By Deborah Solomon)

       Irwin M. Jacobs, the chairman and chief executive officer 
     of Qualcomm Inc., will receive the 1998 American Electronics 
     Association Medal of Achievement.
       The award is one of the highest honors given by the 
     electronics industry and goes to individuals for their 
     overall contributions to the industry. Previous winners 
     include Intel Chairman Andrew Grove, Ross Perot of Electronic 
     Data Systems and William Hewlett and David Packard of 
     Hewlett-Packard.
       Jacobs, who co-founded Qualcomm in 1985, helped pioneer its 
     trademark Code Division Multiple Access technology. He took 
     the company from a start-up specializing in truck-tracking 
     systems to a $3 billion digital wireless communications 
     company. Qualcomm now has offices around the world

[[Page E1570]]

     and has grown to more than 10,000 employees.
       ``He is generally considered to be the primary catalyst in 
     shaping the wireless technology industry and has long been 
     recognized as a philanthropist and community leader,'' said 
     William T. Archey, AEA president and CEO.
       Jacobs will be presented with the award on Sept. 17 at 
     AEA's annual dinner. The organization is the largest high-
     tech trade group in the United States, representing more than 
     3,000 U.S.-based technology companies.

     

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