[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 21, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1308]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TRIBUTE TO RENOUNED SCIENTIST JACK ST. CLAIR KILBY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 21, 2005

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is with great 
honor and profound sadness that I rise to pay tribute to the life of 
Jack St. Clair Kilby of Dallas, Texas. After living a remarkably 
accomplished life that spanned 81 years, Dr. Kilby passed away on June 
20, 2005.
  Nobel laureate Jack St. Clair Kilby who set off the high-tech 
revolution with his invention of the semiconductor chip in 1958, 
graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 1947 with 
a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering.
  Kilby joined Texas Instruments in 1958. That summer, the idea for the 
integrated circuit first came to him. Kilby and fellow TI officials put 
the first circuit to the test on September 12, 1958, marking the 
invention that transformed the industry.
  Dr. Kilby held several engineering management positions at TI between 
1960 and 1968 when he was named assistant Vice President. In 1970, he 
became Director of Engineering and Technology for the components group, 
before taking a leave of absence to become an independent consultant. 
Kilby officially retired from TI in 1983, but continued to do 
consulting work with the company.
  In addition to his TI career, Kilby held the rank of Distinguished 
Professor of Electrical Engineering at Texas A&M University from 1978 
to 1984. In 1990, he lent his name to The Kilby Awards Foundation, 
which commemorates ``the power of one individual to make a significant 
impact on society.'' In addition to the Nobel Prize, Kilby received 
numerous honors and awards for his contributions to science, technology 
and the electronics industry.
  It has been said that the ultimate measure of a person's life is the 
extent to which they made the world a better place. If this is the 
measure of worth in life, Dr. Kilby's family, colleagues and friends 
can attest to the success of the life he led.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all the Members of the House to join me in paying 
tribute to the life of Dr. Kilby. He touched our lives and our hearts, 
and he will be greatly missed.

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