Articles and Videos About Ken Olsen

Kenneth H. Olsen, Digital Computing Pioneer, Entrepreneur and Gordon Board Member, Remembered

Widely recognized as one of the 20th century’s leading computer industry pioneers, Mr. Kenneth H. Olsen, founder and former CEO of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), long time trustee at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, and alumnus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), died Sunday, February 6, 2011. He would have been 85 years old on February 20. Read more…

VIDEO: The Genius of Ken Olsen (Televerse Productions)

Ken Olsen started DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) in an old woolen mill in Maynard, Massachusetts, a relic of the Industrial Age. Olsen's idea was to build smaller, cheaper, interactive electronic machines called "computers" there. Over the next four decades DEC would spark a revolution in high technology, ushering in the Information Age.  

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VIDEO: The Legacy of Ken Olsen (Televerse Productions)

Along with his lasting legacy as a technology trailblazer, Ken Olsen will also be remembered for his insights into human beings. DEC was a company with high standards, but with a climate that encouraged boldness and creativity. To keep generating new ideas is a continuing challenge for any company, and it was a challenge Olsen took seriously throughout his career.  

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A Salute to Ken Olsen

On June 17, 2006, Gordon College broke ground for its state-of-the-art Ken Olsen Science Center as former Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) employees gathered on the North Shore campus to pay tribute to Ken Olsen--one of the 20th century's leading pioneers in computer science and founder of the company.

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A Dream Realized—Gordon Community Celebrates Ken Olsen Science Center Opening

Hundreds gathered on September 27, 2008, to celebrate the dedication of the new Ken Olsen Science Center. Professors from neighboring campuses, including Harvard and MIT, joined national science writers, executives from Olsen’s company--Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)—and Gordon faculty, alumni and students for a daylong commemoration of the newest addition to the Gordon campus. Read more…

Ken Olsen Brings Entrepreneurial Leadership to Science

Bill Gates, Thomas Edison and Jack Welch are names we all recognize. We use descriptors like inventor, philanthropist, entrepreneur, leader, CEO, technologist, scientist, visionary and pioneer. Ken Olsen, founder of the revolutionary Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), earned a place alongside these innovative giants but also brought a heart for Christ to his business endeavors and, fortunately for Gordon College, a commitment to Gordon's mission. Read more...