Mark Shepherd, Jr.*

Mark Shepherd was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1923. His father was a policeman and his mother operated a small gift shop. When Shepherd was seven, his father became ill and was forced to retire from the police department, and his mother gave up her job to care for him. When their savings were exhausted, the family moved to a farm, and Shepherd learned to raise cotton, tomatoes, and chickens. He also earned extra money mowing lawns and working in a grocery store. "We were poor as church mice, but we didn't know it," he said. "We grew a lot of our food, and all our neighbors helped each other. The Great Depression was hard on people, but I think we were better off than those who lived in town."

Shepherd graduated from high school at the age of 14 and won a National Youth Administration scholarship to Southern Methodist University. His family moved back to Dallas, making it possible for him to attend school from home. He supplemented his scholarship by working as a surveyor for the city and later for an electrical engineering firm. He graduated with honors at the age of 19 and went to work for General Electric.

Shepherd's first assignment was as a test engineer in Fort Wayne, Indiana, earning 65 cents an hour. While serving with the U.S. Navy during World War II, he was sent to Bowdoin College and later to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to become an electronic specialist. Aboard the USS Tucson, he specialized in radar and electronics systems, completing his service with the rank of lieutenant. After the war, he earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, and then he worked on development projects for Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation.

In 1948, Shepherd joined Geophysical Services, Inc., where he led semiconductor design engineering. By 1954, Geophysical had become Texas Instruments (TI), and Shepherd had built TI's semiconductor operation into a full-fledged division, which he managed at the age of 30.

In 1962, Life magazine named Shepherd one of the 100 Most Important Young People in the Nation, crediting him with leading the development of transistor mass production and helping to make TI the world's leading producer of semiconductors. He rose through the ranks of TI and was named president in 1967. Two years later, he was designated CEO. He became chairman in 1976, a position he held until his retirement in 1988. Under his leadership, TI's annual sales grew from $233 million to more than $4.6 billion.

In 1980, a Wall Street Journal/Gallup poll ranked Shepherd among the 20 business executives most respected by their peers.

"Growing up in a today's world is a challenge," said Shepherd. "I think kids today maybe have a harder time because they have so many choices, but their first choice should be to get a good education."