Silicon Valley Engineering
Hall of Fame for 1993

Michael H. Antonacci is Planning Director Emeritus for the City of San Jose. He provided engineering expertise and planning direction for the city’s phenomenal growth, particularly during the period following World War II. As Director of Planning for the City of San Jose from 1929 until his retirement in 1965, he pioneered many standards and criteria in urban design and led the development of standards for recreation facilities for cities of all classes.

Mr. Antonacci’s accomplishments include the planning and design of Spartan Stadium, the San Jose Government Center, and the land use map for the nine county Association of Bay Area Governments. He was Planning Consultant to the Sacramento Redevelopment Agency and has been a lecturer in City Planning and Urban Design. Mr. Antonacci has served on the boards of several local philanthropic, community, and environmental organizations, including the League of California Cities, the Board of Pacific Neighbors, the Montalvo Association, the Engineers Club of San Jose, the San Jose Symphony Association, the American Red Cross, and the Community Chest of the United Fund.

Mr. Antonacci is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and is a member of the American Institute of Planners, the American Society of Planning officials, the American Civic Association, the American Society of Military Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the California Society of Professional Engineers, and the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honorary Society. He was the 1967 recipient of the Distinguished Citizen Award from the City of San Jose. Mr. Antonacci graduated in Civil Engineering in 1924 and received the Advanced Degree in Civil Engineering in 1927, both from Stanford University.

Dr. Robert N. Noyce

Dr. Robert N. Noyce, along with other members of the "Fairchild Eight," in 1957 co-founded the Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation. In 1959, as Director of Research and Development, he was co-inventor of the integrated circuit, the starting point of a $60 billion worldwide industry upon which rests an electronics industry 10 times as large. His achievement helped transform the Santa Clara Valley into the world's center of high technology industry.

Dr. Noyce served as Vice President and General Manager of Fairchild Semiconductor from 1959 to 1965, and then as Group Vice President of Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Under his leadership, Fairchild became the first successful semiconductor company in the Silicon Valley and a training ground for many future electronics entrepreneurs. In 1968, Dr. Noyce co-founded Intel Corporation and served as President, Chairman, and Vice-Chairman. In 1988, he became President and Chief Executive Officer of Sematech, serving until his death in 1990. He also served as a director of Diasonics, Inc., as a trustee of Grinnell College, and as a Regent of the University of California. He was a founder of the Semiconductor Industry Association and helped support key national legislative initiatives which have enhanced our country's high technology competitiveness. His personal foundation has supported programs which have improved the quality of teaching at the K-12 level.

Dr. Noyce was the recipient of the 1967 Stuart Ballantine Award from the Franklin Institute, the 1978 Cledo Brunetti Award and the Medal of Honor from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE), the 1978 Harry Goode Memorial Award, the 1979 IEEE Faraday Medal, the 1979 National Medal of Science, the 1987 National Medal of Technology, and the 1989 Charles Stark Draper Award for engineering achievement from the National Academy of Engineering. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Academy of Sciences. He was also elected a Fellow of the IEEE, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and to the National Business Hall of Fame. Dr. Noyce graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1944 from Grinnell College with a Bachelor of Science degree and received a doctorate in physical electronics in 1950 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Robert J. Parden

Dr. Robert J. Parden is Professor and Chair of the Engineering Management Department, School of Engineering, Santa Clara University. In 1955 he was appointed the second Dean of the School of Engineering and served in that position for 27 years. During this period he played a significant role in the technical and industrial growth of the Silicon Valley.

Dr. Parden was responsible for the planning and construction of the George L. Sullivan Engineering Center, and for bringing the curriculum, faculty and laboratories of the university into the solid-state electronics and computer sciences age. In 1959, Dr. Parden founded the "Early Bird" graduate engineering program within the School of Engineering. This program was the first in the Silicon Valley to offer working professionals the opportunity to earn a graduate degree while employed full time. In 1978 he founded and organized solely within the School of Engineering the Master of Science in Engineering Management program. Through Dr. Parden’s vision, leadership and "customer orientation," these programs have awarded over 3,500 Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in the fields of Applied Mathematics, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Engineering Mechanics.

Dr. Parden has served on the Planning Commission of the City of Saratoga and the Board of Directors of the Institute for Medical Research of Santa Clara County. Dr. Parden is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education, the Engineers Council for Professional Development, the American Institute of Industrial Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the National Society of Professional Engineers. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Iowa and California, and is cited in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in Engineering. Dr. Parden received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Iowa.

Dr. Russell H. Varian

Russell H. Varian was a co-inventor of the Klystron. Working in the physics laboratories at Stanford, Russell Varian did the design and his brother Sigurd built the first model in 1937; they formally announced their invention in 1939. During World War II, they developed radar systems based on the Klystron, earning several patents. The Klystron has played an important part in the development of the microwave industry, and is today used in many diverse applications, ranging from UHF-TV to the Free-Electron Laser. In 1950, the Varians were awarded the John Price Wetherill Medal of the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia "in recognition of their foresight... energy and technical insight in developing... the klystron..."

Russell and Sigurd Varian were co-founders in 1948 of Varian Associates, the first company to occupy a site in Stanford Industrial Park, "spawning ground" of Silicon Valley. Initially, Russell Varian served as President and served on the Board of Directors until his death, also serving as Chairman for several years. Russell Varian obtained numerous patents in other fields, including nuclear magnetic resonance, thermionic tubes, radar and missile guidance, and was the inventor of the free-precession earth’s field magnetometer. He was a Fellow of the Institute of Radio Engineers (now the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), the American Physical Society, and the California Academy of Sciences, and served as Director of the West Coast Electronic Manufacturers’ Association. He was a member of Sigma Xi and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was awarded the Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Physics from Stanford University and the honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute.

Sharing a deep sense of responsibility to their associates, Russell and his brother Varian pioneered profit-sharing, stock-ownership, insurance, and retirement plans for employees long before these benefits became mandatory. Russell was a member of the Sierra Club Conservation Committee and, shortly before his death, took steps to acquire land in the name of the Sierra Club for what is now known as Castle Rock State Park.

Mr. Sigurd F. Varian

Sigurd F. Varian was the co-inventor of the Klystron. Working in the physics laboratories at Stanford, Sigurd built the first model, designed by his brother, in 1937; they formally announced their invention in 1939. During World War II, they developed radar systems based on the Klystron, earning several patents. The Klystron has played an important part in the development of the microwave industry, and is today used in many diverse applications, ranging from UHF-TV to the Free-Electron Laser. In 1950, the Varians were awarded the John Price Wetherill Medal of the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia "in recognition of their foresight... energy and technical insight in developing... the klystron..."

Russell and Sigurd Varian were co-founders in 1948 of Varian Associates, the first company to occupy a site in Stanford Industrial Park, "spawning ground" of Silicon Valley. Initially, Sigurd Varian served as Vice-President for Engineering; and served on the Board of Directors until his death, also serving as Chairman for several years.

Although Sigurd Varian was very different from his older brother in many ways, he shared Russell’s gift for invention. He devised gadgetry of all kinds, from a precision high-speed drill press to a system of pumps, filters, and heaters for his swimming pool, receiving patents for some. His early experience as a pilot for Pan American Airways stimulated his interest in the development of an all-weather navigation system operating at microwave frequency.

Sharing a deep sense of responsibility to their associates, Sigurd Varian and his brother pioneered profit-sharing, stock-ownership, insurance, and retirement plans for employees long before these benefits became mandatory.