• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
SRI logo
  • About
    • Press room
    • Our history
  • Expertise
    • Advanced imaging systems
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Biomedical R&D services
    • Biomedical sciences
    • Computer vision
    • Cyber & formal methods
    • Education and learning
    • Innovation strategy and policy
    • National security
    • Ocean & space
    • Quantum
    • Robotics, sensors & devices
    • Speech & natural language
    • Video test & measurement
  • Ventures
  • NSIC
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • 日本支社
Search
Close
Announcements December 18, 2020

Paul Cook, former SRI board member and founder of SRI spin-out Raychem, Passes at 96

Paul Cook, an early researcher and founder of one of SRI International’s first spin-outs, Raychem, has died at 96. He was a renowned Silicon Valley leader. Among Mr. Cook’s many achievements was the founding of Raychem Corporation (now part of TE Connectivity), which pioneered an industry that today serves a multi-billion-dollar market.

Mr. Cook, a graduate of MIT, joined SRI as its 48th employee in 1948. He was a chemical engineer. He later headed SRI’s Radiation Chemistry Laboratory, where he saw potential in the use of high-energy electrons to alter the molecular structure of polymers. Mr. Cook also served on SRI’s Board of Directors for nine years, six of those as chairman.

In 1957, Mr. Cook founded Raychem, a spin-out of SRI International with an original focus on wire and cable that used radiation cross-linked polymer insulation targeted for military and aerospace applications. Raychem became a pioneer in commercial applications for radiochemistry.

After retiring from Raychem, Mr. Cook continued to launch companies including CellNet Data Systems, DIVA and Promptu, a provider of voice recognition-based search and navigation services for mobile phones. Read more about Mr. Cook and Raychem in his 1990 Harvard Business Review feature.

Throughout his career, Mr. Cook has received several awards for his impact on society and innovation, including SRI’s Weldon B. “Hoot” Gibson Achievement Award, the Winthrop-Sears Medal, the Bay Area Business Hall of Fame Award, and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation awarded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.

Paul Cook was truly one of Silicon Valley’s remarkable leaders who helped steer the world of innovation today.

Share this
Career call to action image

Work with us

Search jobs

How can we help?

Once you hit send…

We’ll match your inquiry to the person who can best help you.

Expect a response within 48 hours.

Our work

Case studies

Publications

Timeline of innovation

Areas of expertise

Institute

Leadership

Press room

Media inquiries

Compliance

Careers

Job listings

Contact

SRI Ventures

Our locations

Headquarters

333 Ravenswood Ave
Menlo Park, CA 94025 USA

+1 (650) 859-2000

Subscribe to our newsletter


日本支社
SRI International
  • Contact us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • DMCA
  • Copyright © 2023 SRI International
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}