Draft:Harold Frank (businessman)
American entrepreneur, engineer, and philanthropist (1924-2012)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harold R. Frank (May 19, 2024 - August 13, 2012) was an American electrical engineer and the founder of Applied Magnetics Corporation. He is also known for his philanthropy in education. Frank served in World War II as a radio operator in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.[1][3]
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Harold Frank | |
|---|---|
_Yearbook_Photo.png) Frank's 1948 Yearbook Photo | |
| Born | May 19, 1924 |
| Died | August 13, 2012 (aged 88) |
| Education | |
| Known for | Founder of Applied Magnetics Corporation[1] |
| Spouse | Diana Frank[2] |
| Children | 3 |
Personal Life
Harold Frank was born on May 19, 1924 in Walla Walla, Washington. He was the 8th of 9 children born to Elizabeth and John David; Germans who emigrated from the Volga region of Russia. Upon graduation from high school, Frank attended Whitman College for one year before serving in World War II.[1] Fluent in Morse code and German, Frank was assigned as a radio operator with the U.S. Army Signal Corps attached to the 274th Infantry and was positioned in France and Germany.[3][4]
Frank returned to Washington in 1946 and enrolled at Washington State University, graduating with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1948.[1][5]
After graduation Frank went to work at Conoco on a seismograph crew. He helped develop a magnetic tape recording process aiding in the identification of oil deposits.[6]
Applied Magnetics
In 1957, Frank founded Applied Magnetics Corporation (AMC) in Santa Barbara, California, manufacturing magnetic recording heads used in computers.[7] Under his direction AMC went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1971,[8] and eventually grew into an industry leader with 14,000 employees in 12 countries at its peak.[6] It remained a major employer in Santa Barbara, second only to the University of California, Santa Barbara.[1]
Following a downturn in the hard drive industry,[9] the company filed for bankruptcy in January 2000,[10] and in 2001 was restructured as Innovative Micro Technology (IMT), transitioning to the field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).[11]
IMT was rebranded as Atomica on May 11, 2021, following a $50 million semiconductor tool acquisition. Atomica remains based in Santa Barbara.[12][13]
Philanthropy
Frank benefited from the GI Bill himself while finishing college at WSU, inspiring him and his wife Diana to establish the Raintree Foundation to support engineering and technology in education.[6] The foundation established the Harold Frank Scholars Fund at UC Santa Barbara for encouraging entrepreneurship.[3] The Frank family also awarded student scholarships at UCSB, made donations to the campus, and hired students to work at Applied Magnetics. The university renamed its Engineering 1 building Harold Frank Hall on May 24, 2006.[2]
Frank also contributed to his alma mater, WSU, including a $3 million donation that established the Harold Frank Engineering Entrepreneurship Institute.[14] In 2014, WSU established the Frank Innovation Zone for preparing students for the workforce and for entrepreneurial endeavors.[15]
Frank's Raintree Foundation is now managed by his son Jim and long-time Applied Magnetics employee Ellicott Million.[4]