Julius Blank
Encyclopedia
Julius Blank was a semiconductor pioneer and a member of the so-called Traitorous Eight
associated with Nobel
-winning physicist William Shockley
.
Blank was born and raised in Manhattan's Lower East Side
, the youngest of three children of Jewish immigrants Charles and Gussie Blank. His father made musical-instrument cases and luggage, and also worked as a Russian translator. He attended Erasmus Hall High School
and also served in the Army in World War II
. He earned a Bachelor's degree
in mechanical engineering
from the City College of New York
.
He worked at the seminal Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory
division of Beckman Instruments, until he and the other disgruntled members of what the controversial Dr. Shockley labeled the Traitorous Eight
left to form the influential Fairchild Semiconductor
corporation. There, Blank was part of the team that established a "model for entrepreneurs for the rest of [the 20th] century": stock options, no job titles and open working relationships. At Fairchild, Blank set up the "initial machine shop, assembly and the subsequent manufacturing facility in Hong Kong as incoming orders exploded." He left in 1969 to become a consultant.
In 1978, Blank co-founded Xicor, where he was a member of its Board of Directors. In 2004, Xicor was acquired by Intersil
Corp. for approximately US$529 million.
In May, 2011, the California Historical Society
in San Francisco gave the “Legends of California Award” to Blank, 85, and others of the Eight. Looking back in advance of the award ceremony, Blank said difficulties had accelerated when Shockley won the Nobel Prize: "'He would travel a lot and every time he came back, he would change direction,' Blank said. In light of these changing whims, their projects never were completed and many at Shockley grew frustrated." Blank spoke of "those years with 'a kind of electricity in the air, [where] everything was happening fast and all at once.'" In 2011, he lived in a retirement center across the street from the old Fairchild headquarters at 844 Charleston Rd. in Palo Alto
, where he used to have his office and now a California Historical Landmark
.
Blank is survived by two sons, Jeffrey and David, and two grandsons. His wife, Ethel, an art curator, died in Los Altos Hills, CA in 2008 after nearly 60 years of marriage.
Traitorous Eight
The Traitorous Eight, as they became known, are eight men who left Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory to form Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957. More neutral terms include the "Fairchild Eight" and the "Shockley Eight." They have sometimes been called "Fairchildren," although this term has been also...
associated with Nobel
Nobel
Nobel can mean:*Nobel Prize, awarded annually since 1901, from the bequest of Swedish inventor Alfred NobelThe Nobel family:*Alfred Nobel, , the inventor of dynamite, instituted the Nobel Prizes...
-winning physicist William Shockley
William Shockley
William Bradford Shockley Jr. was an American physicist and inventor. Along with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain, Shockley co-invented the transistor, for which all three were awarded the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics.Shockley's attempts to commercialize a new transistor design in the 1950s...
.
Blank was born and raised in Manhattan's Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
, the youngest of three children of Jewish immigrants Charles and Gussie Blank. His father made musical-instrument cases and luggage, and also worked as a Russian translator. He attended Erasmus Hall High School
Erasmus Hall High School
Erasmus Hall Campus High School is a four-year public high school in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, United States operated by the New York City Department of Education....
and also served in the Army in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He earned a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
from the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
.
He worked at the seminal Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory
Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory
Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, the primary lab of the Shockley Transistor Company, was the first company to work on silicon semiconductor devices in what came to be known as Silicon Valley. It was purchased by Clevite in 1960, and officially closed shortly after being sold to ITT in 1968...
division of Beckman Instruments, until he and the other disgruntled members of what the controversial Dr. Shockley labeled the Traitorous Eight
Traitorous Eight
The Traitorous Eight, as they became known, are eight men who left Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory to form Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957. More neutral terms include the "Fairchild Eight" and the "Shockley Eight." They have sometimes been called "Fairchildren," although this term has been also...
left to form the influential Fairchild Semiconductor
Fairchild Semiconductor
Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. is an American semiconductor company based in San Jose, California. Founded in 1957, it was a pioneer in transistor and integrated circuit manufacturing...
corporation. There, Blank was part of the team that established a "model for entrepreneurs for the rest of [the 20th] century": stock options, no job titles and open working relationships. At Fairchild, Blank set up the "initial machine shop, assembly and the subsequent manufacturing facility in Hong Kong as incoming orders exploded." He left in 1969 to become a consultant.
In 1978, Blank co-founded Xicor, where he was a member of its Board of Directors. In 2004, Xicor was acquired by Intersil
Intersil
Intersil Corporation is an American company that specializes in the design, development and manufacturing of high-performance analog semiconductors for four high-growth markets — Communications, Computing, High End Consumer and Industrial.-Company history:...
Corp. for approximately US$529 million.
In May, 2011, the California Historical Society
California Historical Society
The California Historical Society is California's official state historical society and is located in San Francisco, California at 678 Mission Street -History and collections:...
in San Francisco gave the “Legends of California Award” to Blank, 85, and others of the Eight. Looking back in advance of the award ceremony, Blank said difficulties had accelerated when Shockley won the Nobel Prize: "'He would travel a lot and every time he came back, he would change direction,' Blank said. In light of these changing whims, their projects never were completed and many at Shockley grew frustrated." Blank spoke of "those years with 'a kind of electricity in the air, [where] everything was happening fast and all at once.'" In 2011, he lived in a retirement center across the street from the old Fairchild headquarters at 844 Charleston Rd. in Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
, where he used to have his office and now a California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
.
Blank is survived by two sons, Jeffrey and David, and two grandsons. His wife, Ethel, an art curator, died in Los Altos Hills, CA in 2008 after nearly 60 years of marriage.
External links
- Oral History of Julius Blank (transcript dated January 25, 2008), from the Computer History MuseumComputer History MuseumThe Computer History Museum is a museum established in 1996 in Mountain View, California, USA. The Museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting the stories and artifacts of the information age, and exploring the computing revolution and its impact on our lives.-History:The museum's origins...