Associations

• Mary Maxwell Gates (born 1929) ( Both were regents at the University of Washington at thee same time)

• Gordon Calvin Culp (born 1926) (Regent, University of Washington)

https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20060122&slug=simpsonobit22m

2006-01-22-seattle-times-obituary-simpsons-giving-spirit-larger-than-life.pdf

Obituary | Simpson's giving spirit was "larger than life"

Jan 22, 2006

W. Hunter Simpson

By Tan Vinh

Seattle Times staff reporter

W. Hunter Simpson, one of Seattle's top philanthropists and a former executive who is credited with starting the four-day workweek in Western Washington, died Friday night at Swedish Medical Center.

The cause was heart failure, his family said Saturday. Mr. Simpson was 79.

For much of the 1980s and '90s, Mr. Simpson was often at the top of every Seattleite's list when a volunteer was needed for advisory boards, election campaigns or to donate money. The Mercer Island millionaire was the former president and chief executive officer of [Physio-Control Corporation], maker of heart defibrillators and other heart and blood-pressure monitoring equipment.

Mr. Simpson, who joined [Physio-Control Corporation] in 1966 after 17 years as an IBM sales-and-marketing executive, quickly turned the Redmond-based company into a powerhouse and cultivated a loyal following among his employees, whom he referred to as "team members."

His idea of the 10-hour-day, four-day workweek remains a common practice. In 1985, his company was included in the book, "The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America."

"He was larger than life," said William Gerberding, former president of the University of Washington, where Mr. Simpson served on the Board of Regents from 1981-93. "He had many roles — in politics, in philanthropy and at the university and in business."

Gerberding considered Mr. Simpson "one of the greatest regents in the history of the university" and said he was a key player in building UW campuses in Bothell and Tacoma.

During the 1980s, Mr. Simpson was instrumental in pushing the UW to turn to the private sector for fundraising, which helped the university raise tens of millions of dollars, UW officials said.

"He was the most generous and giving man. ... He had a lot of passion for many causes, particularly for the University of Washington," said his daughter, Christine Brent.

Mr. Simpson was born Nov. 2, 1926, in Tacoma and graduated from Stadium High School. After graduating from the UW with a business degree in 1949, he became a rising star at IBM, overseeing 600 workers in 11 states from his office in downtown Seattle.

In 1966, he took over Physio and quickly turned it into one of the nation's most respected companies. Eli Lilly bought the company for $149 million 14 years later, but kept him in charge.

When Mr. Simpson retired in 1985, the company had reached the $100 million mark in annual sales. The company was purchased by Medtronic in 1998.

Mr. Simpson was an early advocate of turning Seattle into a biotech hub and investing locally.

"I get a pitch in the mail once a month: 'Why don't you build your machines in Taiwan, why don't you build your machines in Korea.' I just throw that stuff away," Simpson told The Seattle Times in 1985. "My responsibility is to create opportunities right here."

He kept a busy schedule, serving on the Mercer Island City Council and 30 medical, educational and nonprofit boards.

At the UW, though, he made headlines in 1986 for launching a fundraising drive on behalf of then-Gov. Booth Gardner at the same time he was asking Gardner to reappoint him to the UW Board of Regents. He was eventually reappointed to the board.

He was involved in another debate in 1997, when he was a volunteer on the state Information Services Board. He was fined for his part in a unanimous vote to uphold a state computer contract with IBM while he owned stock in the company.

The ruling did not taint Mr. Simpson's reputation, but he considered it unfair and vowed at the time to retreat from civic life. Nonetheless, Mr. Simpson remained active in civic causes, family and friends said.

Mr. Simpson loved sailing and was an "auctionholic," said childhood friend Dr. George Thomas. He once outbid everyone for a flight in a Russian MiG jet fighter for his wife of 54 years, Dorothy Lewis.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Simpson is survived by his brother, Robert Simpson of Spokane; a son, Brooks Simpson, of Bellevue; daughters Christine Brent of Tiburon, Calif., and Anne Simpson of Mercer Island; and six grandchildren. Mr. Simpson lost his 18-year-old grandson, R. Hunter Simpson, to brain cancer on Dec. 31.

A memorial service will be held Saturday at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 4400 86th Ave. S.E., Mercer Island, followed by a celebration of life at the Conibear Shellhouse at the UW. Times for both events were not yet available.

Information from The Seattle Times archives was used in this report. Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com

Legacy .com :

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/seattletimes/obituary.aspx?n=w-hunter-simpson&pid=16439674

2006-01-20-legacy-com-w-hunter-simpson-79.pdf

W. Hunter SIMPSON November 2, 1926 - January 20, 2006 W. Hunter Simpson, 79, former President and CEO of [Physio-Control Corporation] and past University of Washington Regent, died Friday, January 20, 2006 of heart failure following a brief illness. He passed peacefully surrounded by his loving family at Swedish Hospital. Born on November 2, 1926 in Tacoma, Washington, to Stewart and Anne Simpson, he graduated from Stadium High School. After beginning college at the University of Washington, Hunter was assigned in 1945 to attend the University of California, Berkeley as part of the Marine V-12 Program. The following year, he returned to the University of Washington and graduated in 1949 with a B.A. in Business Administration. He was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. After graduation, Hunter worked for IBM's Data Processing Division in the Seattle office, but was called back into service as a Marine Corp Captain during the Korean War. He returned to IBM after his service. During the last five years of his 17-year tenure with IBM, he was the executive responsible for sales and marketing across the Pacific Northwest. From 1966 to 1986, Hunter was president and CEO of [Physio-Control Corporation], a manufacturer of medical electronic equipment which dramatically changed the face of emergency medical care with the introduction of the first portable, battery-powered LIFEPAK defibrillator/monitor. The device revolutionized emergency response, enabling specialty trained paramedics to defibrillate patients in the field prior to transport to a hospital, saving lives around the world. From a near-bankrupt operation of three people, Hunter led [Physio-Control Corporation] to the position of world leader in the industry. He established enlighted and novel management practices, unheard of in the '60s and '70s. Hunter married Dorothy Lewis of Miami Beach, Florida in 1951. Hunter and Dottie have been active and energetic participants in the Seattle community for five decades. Together they were awarded, in 2002, the inaugural Gates Volunteer Service Award in recognition of their inspiring leadership and philanthropy on behalf of the University of Washington. Hunter served as a University of Washington Regent from 1981 to 1993, and was a founding director of the Washington Research Foundation, with the purpose of managing and licensing technologies from the UW for the benefit of scientific research. The University of Washington was one of Hunter's primary passions, and he played a major role as a Regent and philanthropist in its continuing development as a leading research university. His standards and vision for the University were ambitious, and his energy and dedication were extraordinary. Hunter also served on numerous boards of Northwest-based corporations and non-profits, including Immunex Corp., Data I/O Corp., Edmark Corp., ACT Theatre, KCTS public TV, Overlake and Children's Hospital Foundations, and the Columbia Tower Club where he was the Founding Chairman. Additionally, Hunter enthusiastically contributed to important Mercer Island issues, including the multi-year effort to ensure I-90 had a positive impact on the island, as well as actively serving a full term on the Mercer Island City Council. Always humble with recognition, he was the recipient of many honors and awards over the years for his contributions to business and the community. He was inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame as a Laureate in 1994. Hunter was a devoted husband and father, always enthusiastically supporting his wife and children in their many professional and philanthropic endeavors. He was the family cheerleader who directed Christmas and summer gatherings with the skill of a CEO and the humor of a stand-up comedian. "Let's have one meeting," quickly got the attention of his clan of children and grandchildren. Hunter's great love of the Northwest was well known. He always referred to it as "God's country." The hard work of corporate life was balanced with time spent enjoying his outdoor playground. He often reminded friends and family of Seattle's unique environment where you could sail in the morning and ski in the afternoon - and get the half-day ticket price! Skiing gave way over the years to more time on the water with summers spent cruising the San Juans and Desolation Sound in various family sailboats named Nirvana and finally on the "lovely lady" Circe. Hunter is survived by Dorothy (Dottie) Lewis Simpson, wife of 54 years; their children, Brooks Simpson, Anne Simpson and Christine Simpson Brent; son-in-law, Dr. Bruce Brent; grandchildren, Hailey and Blake Simpson, Eric and Kirsten Hagfors, and Leisa and Wyatt Brent; and brother, Robert Simpson of Spokane. He is preceded in death by his grandson, R. Hunter Simpson, who died December 31, 2005 of brain cancer. A Service for family and close friends will be held on Mercer Island at Emmanuel Episcopal Church on Saturday, January 28th at 1:00 p.m. A Celebration of Life will follow, for all friends and acquaintances, at the University of Washington's Conibear Shellhouse. It will begin promptly at 4:30 p.m. with a program of remembrance. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Medic One Foundation, the R. Hunter Simpson Foundation at the Seattle Foundation, or the University of Washington.

2020-11-25-ancestry-com-findagrave-william-hunter-simpson-b1926.jpg

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