Rod Coutts
Encyclopedia
Rod Coutts was born in Cookstown, Ontario. He graduated from University of Waterloo
in 1964 with a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Electrical Engineering.
In 2000, Coutts donated an estimated $7 million in shares to the University of Waterloo, as his tribute to the school.
In return for his generosity, the University has named a building in his name: J.R. Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall (commonly referred to as Rod Coutts Hall, or RCH). Since then, Rod has been actively supporting the university, through more funding, bursaries and scholarships.
In 2007, Rod Coutts received his Doctor of Engineering (D.Eng.'07).
International with 4 other young enterpreneurs: Lawrie Cragg, Al Vanderburgh, Cliff Bernard and Pete Halsall. The company focused on providing mobile workers with wireless
data transmission and real-time data management within the logistics
industry. Teklogix became Psion Teklogix
in the year 2000, after it was purchased for $544 million (Cdn.) by U.K.-based Psion, started by David Potter
.
Rod Coutts met the other Teklogix founders while working at Ferranti
International's Canadian division, Ferranti-Packard
Electronics. Ferranti-Packard was known for projects related to FP6000 (Ferranti-Packard 6000
, which became the ICL 1900
), ReserVec
, Back Up Interceptor Control (BUIC) for the United States Military, as well as Ferranti-Packard
's drum memory
systems. Coutts worked closely on drum memory associated with the early warning radar system for North America. Coutts and the rest of the founding group left Ferranti-Packard
and formed Teklogix in 1967.
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
in 1964 with a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Electrical Engineering.
In 2000, Coutts donated an estimated $7 million in shares to the University of Waterloo, as his tribute to the school.
“My family has had a lot of good fortune over the years and the University of Waterloo had a lot to do with that,” says Coutts. "This is my chance to give something back."
In return for his generosity, the University has named a building in his name: J.R. Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall (commonly referred to as Rod Coutts Hall, or RCH). Since then, Rod has been actively supporting the university, through more funding, bursaries and scholarships.
In 2007, Rod Coutts received his Doctor of Engineering (D.Eng.'07).
Teklogix
Rod Coutts was the founder of TeklogixTeklogix
-About The Company:Teklogix was created in 1967 by Lawrence Cragg together with a small group of engineers.The company focused on mini computer applications. It designed and built complete systems based upon DEC's PDP-8 computer, DEC's logic modules and purpose built logic...
International with 4 other young enterpreneurs: Lawrie Cragg, Al Vanderburgh, Cliff Bernard and Pete Halsall. The company focused on providing mobile workers with wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
data transmission and real-time data management within the logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
industry. Teklogix became Psion Teklogix
Psion Teklogix
Psion Teklogix Inc. is the operational business of Psion, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange.Psion Teklogix is a global provider of solutions for mobile computing and wireless data collection...
in the year 2000, after it was purchased for $544 million (Cdn.) by U.K.-based Psion, started by David Potter
David Potter
David Edwin Potter, CBE, FREng is the founder and chairman of the microcomputer systems company Psion PLC., and Psion Teklogix after Psion's acquisition of Teklogix in the year 2000.-Early life:...
.
Rod Coutts met the other Teklogix founders while working at Ferranti
Ferranti
Ferranti or Ferranti International plc was a UK electrical engineering and equipment firm that operated for over a century from 1885 until it went bankrupt in 1993. Known primarily for defence electronics, the Company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but ceased trading in 1993.The...
International's Canadian division, Ferranti-Packard
Ferranti-Packard
Ferranti-Packard Ltd. was the Canadian division of Ferranti's global manufacturing empire, formed by the 1958 merger of Ferranti Electric and Packard Electric...
Electronics. Ferranti-Packard was known for projects related to FP6000 (Ferranti-Packard 6000
Ferranti-Packard 6000
The FP-6000 was a second generation mainframe computer developed and built by Ferranti-Packard in the early 1960s. It is particularly notable for supporting multitasking, being one of the first commercial machines to do so...
, which became the ICL 1900
ICT 1900 series
ICT 1900 was the name given to a series of mainframe computers released by International Computers and Tabulators and later International Computers Limited during the 1960s and '70s...
), ReserVec
ReserVec
ReserVec was a computerized reservation system developed by Ferranti Canada for Trans-Canada Airlines in the late 1950s. It appears to be the first such system ever developed, predating the more famous SABRE system in the US by about two years...
, Back Up Interceptor Control (BUIC) for the United States Military, as well as Ferranti-Packard
Ferranti-Packard
Ferranti-Packard Ltd. was the Canadian division of Ferranti's global manufacturing empire, formed by the 1958 merger of Ferranti Electric and Packard Electric...
's drum memory
Drum memory
Drum memory is a magnetic data storage device and was an early form of computer memory widely used in the 1950s and into the 1960s, invented by Gustav Tauschek in 1932 in Austria....
systems. Coutts worked closely on drum memory associated with the early warning radar system for North America. Coutts and the rest of the founding group left Ferranti-Packard
Ferranti-Packard
Ferranti-Packard Ltd. was the Canadian division of Ferranti's global manufacturing empire, formed by the 1958 merger of Ferranti Electric and Packard Electric...
and formed Teklogix in 1967.