Laureates' Biographies
Raymond J. Noorda
Raymond "Ray" Noorda was born in Ogden, Utah, and grew up during the Great Depression. To supplement his family's income, Noorda worked odd jobs that included setting bowling pins, selling candy, loading cargo, picking cherries, selling magazines, and herding sheep. These early experiences hones Noorda's strong work ethic, and he grew up to become a great leader in the computer industry.
After serving in the Navy during World War II, Norrda attended the University of Utah and graduated in 1949 cum laude with a degree in electrical engineering. He began his business career as an engineer for General Electric, where he worked for 21 years before returning to Utah to join Novell, Inc. as president and CEO in 1983.
For the next twelve years, Novell grew from 17 employees to more than 1,200. As CEO, Noorda spearheaded the success of Netware, the bestselling network operating system linking desktop computers to printers, file servers, and directories. His innovations and leadership revolutionized the industry by making personal computer networking accessible to the masses.
Recognized widely as the "Father of Newtwork Computing" for his innovations and contributions, Noorda was a visionary entrepreneur who forged an enduring legacy of discover and achievement.
After his retirement Noorda devoted his time, as well as a majority of his earnings, to philanthropic giving, usually anonymously, through his church and many charitable organizations. He founded Angel Partners and Worth of a Soul Foundation to advance his family's charitable efforts.
Throughout his life, Noorda's primary goals were based on the lessons he learned as a depression-era youth: to work hard while creating good jobs for people, to provide quiet philanthropic assistance, and to direct personal gains toward achieveng those ends. Noorda passed away in October of 2006.
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