User:Sir. Somerset/draftingtable/JamesClark

Dr. James H. Clark (born March 23, 1944) is a prolific entrepreneur and former computer scientist. He founded several notable Silicon Valley technology companies, including Silicon Graphics, Inc., Netscape Communications Corporation, myCFO and Healtheon. His research work in computer graphics led to the development of systems for fast rendering of computer images. He is also a devoted sailor and the owner of several high-tech sailboats that he has helped to design. In 2009, he married swimsuit model Krisy Hinze.

Early Life/Education

Clark was born in Plainview, Texas and endured a difficult childhood. He dropped out of high school after being suspended, and spent four years in the Navy. Clark began taking night courses at Tulane University's University College, where despite his lack of a high school diploma, he was able to earn enough credits to be admitted to the University of New Orleans. There, Clark earned a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in physics, and then a PhD in computer science from the University of Utah in 1974.

Career

After earning his PhD in computer science from the University of Utah, Clark then worked at NYIT's Computer Graphics Lab, serving as an assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz from 1974 to 1978, and then as an associate professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University from 1979 to 1982.

Clark's research work concerned geometry pipelines, specialized software or hardware that accelerates the display of three dimensional images. The zenith of his group's advancements was the Geometry Engine, an early technology for rendering highly graphical computer images he developed in 1979 with his students at Stanford.

Silicon Graphics, Inc.

In 1982, Jim Clark along with several Stanford graduate students formed Silicon Graphics, Inc. The earliest Silicon Graphics graphical workstations were mainly terminals, but soon newer models were stand-alone graphical UNIX workstations with very fast graphics rendering hardware.

During the mid-1980s, Silicon Graphics began to use the MIPS CPU as the foundation of their newest workstations, replacing the Motorola 68000. Soon, Silicon Graphics became the world leader in the production of Hollywood movie visual effects and 3-D imaging. Silicon Graphics did not rely on high sales as they could charge more for their special high-end hardware and graphics software.

However, by the early 1990s, Clark had a falling out with Silicon Graphics management and got the itch to start a completely new and different enterprise.

while employed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) in 1993, he had led the development of NCSA Mosaic, the first widely distributed, easy-to-use software for browsing the World Wide Web.

Netscape

While employed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) in 1993, he had led the development of NCSA Mosaic, the first widely distributed, easy-to-use software for browsing the World Wide Web.

In 1994, Clark and Marc Andreessen, the co-creator of the World Wide Web browser Mosaic, founded Netscape with Marc Andreessen. The founding of Netscape was a pivotal point that helped launch the Internet IPO boom on Wall Street during the mid to late 1990s, and Clark reaped the financial benefits of the Internet boom—with an investment of $5 million US, he earned $2 billion US. Just as the Internet boom was about to completely bust, Clark got the urge to move on again.

Healtheon/WebMD

In 1995, Jim Clark came up with the idea of streamlining the insurance hassles and paperwork associated with the healthcare industry. The resulting start-up, Healtheon, was formed in early 1996, with backing from Kleiner-Perkins and New Enterprise Associates. Although his original idea was a bit too ambitious, it did lead some inroads in administrative streamlining of medical records technology, but an Atlanta, Georgia startup company, WebMD, was already making inroads toward the same goal. Knowing that WebMD had financial backing from Microsoft, Clark decided to merge his newest startup, Healtheon, with the original WebMD to form the current WebMD Corporation. WebMD also provides a vast resource of online, reliable health information on the Internet.

Other Affiliations

In 1999, Jim Clark launched myCFO - a company formed to help wealthy Silicon Valley individuals manage their fortunes. While Jim Clark served on the Board of Directors most of myCFO's operations were sold to Harris Bank in late 2002 and now the successor operates as Harris myCFO.

Clark was chairman and financial backer of network security startup company Neoteris, founded in 2000, which was acquired by NetScreen in 2003 and subsequently by Juniper Networks.

Clark was a director and investor in biotechnology company DNA Sciences, founded in 1998, which went bankrupt and was acquired by Genaissance Pharmaceuticals Inc. in 2003.

James Clark was a founding director of the Green Chemistry Network. He was also the founding Scientific Editor for the world's leading journal in the field, Green Chemistry, and is also an author of numerous books on the subject.James Clark was the main subject of the 1999 bestseller The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story by U.S. author Michael Lewis. ISBN 0-340-76699-9

Clark also co-produced the movie The Cove. His funding made possible the purchase and covert installation of some high-tech camera and sound-recording equipment required to capture the film's climactic dolphin slaughter. The film addresses the problem of whale and dolphin killing in Taiji, Wakayama, Japan.

Awards

James Clark was a recipient of The 1997 Kilby Laureates, which Honored him for his remarkable vision in producing affordable 3-D graphical computer systems capable of rendering images interactively and in real-time; acutely impacting technology by enabling individuals and companies to exchange information and conduct commerce over the browsers and other global networks.

Personal Life

Clark has been married four times and has two children. In 2000, his daughter Kathy married Chad Hurley, co-founder of YouTube. The divorce from his third wife of 15 years, Nancy Rutter, a Forbes journalist, is reported to have cost him $125 million in cash and assets in the settlement. Soon afterwards he began dating Australian model Kristy Hinze, 36 years his junior. Hinze became his fourth wife when they married in the British Virgin Islands on March 22, 2009.

Philanthropy

Jim Clark's philanthropic focus has been to contribute to Stanford University where he was an electrical engineering professor. In 1999, Clark pledged $150 million to the university to go towards erecting the James H. Clark Center for Biomedical Engineering and towards the Sciences for interdisciplinary biomedical research, including stem cell research. The center started its construction in 2001, and was completed in the summer of 2003. The center is the hub for the Bio-X program, which is one of the most radical experiments in scientific research in the world.

Additionally, some of his pledge went to procure new educational materials at Stanford, to provide positions for faculty who will be part of the research effort, and to sponsor scholars among graduate students.

In 1999, James Clark was honored as number two on Slate Magazine's list of the 60 largest charitable contributions of 1999. His number two spot was in recognition of his $150 million pledge to Stanford University, which was the largest single gift to Stanford since the founding grant and among the largest ever in higher education.

In September of 2001, Clark was in the LA news for stopping payment on $60 million of the $150 million pledge to Stanford University for Biomedical Science, citing anger over President Bush's restrictions on stem cell research. His decision did not halt the production of the James H. Clark Center which opened in 2003. Stanford's comment in their press release addressing Clark's action was: “While we are saddened by Mr. Clark’s decision, we are deeply grateful for the $90 million he already has committed to The James H. Clark Center for Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, and we appreciate his strong feelings on this subject.”

In the Fall of 2005 Clark and David Filo of Yahoo! each donated $30 million to Tulane University's School of Engineering for merit based scholarships to provide education to deserving students regardless of financial situation in the discipline of engineering. However, after Tulane's restructuring that saw the elimination of nearly all engineering disciplines, the board requested Clark and Filo allow the funds to be used for other programs.

He is a board member for The National Council of World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and contributes towards the organization. Additionally, the Perlman Music Program has recognized him for his continued philanthropic efforts towards their organization, and their Endowment Fund.

Hobbies

• Hyperion, 47.5m sloop-rigged sailing yacht with 59m carbon fiber mast. Recently sold.
• Athena, 90m classic three-masted gaff aluminum schooner.
• Hanuman, 42.1m J-Class sloop.

Books

• Clark, Jim, and Owen Edwards, Netscape Time: The Making of the Billion-Dollar Start-Up That Took On Microsoft, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. ISBN 0312199341.