Bill Gore
Encyclopedia
Wilbert L. "Bill" Gore was a businessman and entrepreneur who co-founded W. L. Gore and Associates with his wife, Genevieve (Vieve). He gained international attention and respect for nurturing the company from a home-based family business into a worldwide corporation while practicing a unique management style that emphasized freedom, fairness, commitment and “waterline” decision-making in an open and creative work environment.
Trained as a chemical engineer and chemist, his technical interests included polymer engineering, applications of statistical methods to experimentation, and methods of operations research. He held patents in the fields of plastics, fluorocarbons, and electronics. He was also an active outdoorsman.
in Salt Lake City. His early career included employment at American Smelting and Refining Company
, Remington Arms
, and the DuPont
Company. In 1957, Gore left a career with DuPont
to pursue an idea for making electronic ribbon cable for use in computers that was insulated with polytetrafluoroethylene
(PTFE).
Bill and Vieve started their company in the basement of their Newark, Delaware
home in 1958. Under Gore’s leadership, the company grew from a modest business into an international corporation known best for its waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex fabrics. Today, the company has a broad portfolio of products based on PTFE that include cables for electronic signal transmission, diverse industrial applications, medical implants and laminated fabrics.
Gore served as president of W. L. Gore & Associates until he stepped down in 1976. However, Gore maintained his position as Chairman of the Board until his death. He died of a heart attack in July 1986 while on a backpacking trip in Wyoming
's Wind River Range
.
Medal of Distinction (1983) and an honorary doctorate in humanities (1971) from Westminster College
. In 1985, Bill Gore received the Prince Philip Award for Polymers in the Service of Mankind, which honored Gore’s Medical Products Division. The award is given in recognition of polymers that have provided a significant service for mankind. He was inducted posthumously into The Plastics Hall of Fame in 1990. Bill and Vieve Gore donated generously to educational institutions, community services and charity.
Trained as a chemical engineer and chemist, his technical interests included polymer engineering, applications of statistical methods to experimentation, and methods of operations research. He held patents in the fields of plastics, fluorocarbons, and electronics. He was also an active outdoorsman.
Biographical Information
Born in Idaho in 1912, Bill Gore held degrees in chemical engineering (B.S., 1933) and physical chemistry (M.S., 1935) from the University of UtahUniversity of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
in Salt Lake City. His early career included employment at American Smelting and Refining Company
ASARCO
ASARCO LLC is a mining, smelting, and refining company based in Tucson, Arizona that mines and processes primarily copper. The company, a subsidiary of Grupo México, is currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy...
, Remington Arms
Remington Arms
Remington Arms Company, Inc. was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, as E. Remington and Sons. It is the oldest company in the United States which still makes its original product, and is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in North America. It is the only U.S....
, and the DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
Company. In 1957, Gore left a career with DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
to pursue an idea for making electronic ribbon cable for use in computers that was insulated with polytetrafluoroethylene
Polytetrafluoroethylene
Polytetrafluoroethylene is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that finds numerous applications. PTFE is most well known by the DuPont brand name Teflon....
(PTFE).
Bill and Vieve started their company in the basement of their Newark, Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Newark is an American city in New Castle County, Delaware, west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.- History :...
home in 1958. Under Gore’s leadership, the company grew from a modest business into an international corporation known best for its waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex fabrics. Today, the company has a broad portfolio of products based on PTFE that include cables for electronic signal transmission, diverse industrial applications, medical implants and laminated fabrics.
Gore served as president of W. L. Gore & Associates until he stepped down in 1976. However, Gore maintained his position as Chairman of the Board until his death. He died of a heart attack in July 1986 while on a backpacking trip in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
's Wind River Range
Wind River Range
The Wind River Range , is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming in the United States. The range runs roughly NW-SE for approximately 100 miles . The Continental Divide follows the crest of the range and includes Gannett Peak, which at 13,804 feet , is the highest peak...
.
Awards and Honors
Bill Gore was honored with numerous business, education, and community awards, including a University of DelawareUniversity of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
Medal of Distinction (1983) and an honorary doctorate in humanities (1971) from Westminster College
Westminster College, Salt Lake City
Westminster College is a private liberal arts college located in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. The college comprises four schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business, the School of Education, and the School of Nursing and Health...
. In 1985, Bill Gore received the Prince Philip Award for Polymers in the Service of Mankind, which honored Gore’s Medical Products Division. The award is given in recognition of polymers that have provided a significant service for mankind. He was inducted posthumously into The Plastics Hall of Fame in 1990. Bill and Vieve Gore donated generously to educational institutions, community services and charity.