PEOPLE: Silicon Valley pioneer Paul Cook enters Hall of Fame as entrepreneur, innovator PEOPLE: Silicon Valley pioneer Paul Cook enters Hall of Fame as entrepreneur, innovator (March 22, 2000)

Paul Cook, named recently to the Bay Area Hall of Fame by the Bay Area Council, was cited for being among the most successful and prolific innovators and entrepreneurs in the history of Silicon Valley.

Starting at SRI International as a chemical engineer in 1948 after graduating from MIT, Mr. Cook later become head of the Radiation Chemistry Laboratory. He was SRI's 48th employee; SRI today employs a staff of 1,500 in Menlo Park.

In 1957, Mr. Cook founded Raychem Corporation in Menlo Park to develop commercial applications for an entirely new field -- radiation chemistry -- and served as chief executive officer and chairman of the board. While at Raychem, he pioneered a new industry, creating some 200,000 products.

Mr. Cook served as chairman of SRI International for five years and remains a member of its board of directors, where he has held a position since 1987. He is chairman of Sarnoff Corporation and served as chairman and CEO of CellNet Data Systems.

Mr. Cook is the founder and chairman of DIVA Systems Corporation, a spin-off of SRI International's wholly owned subsidiary, Sarnoff Corporation. Founded in 1995, DIVA (www.divatv.com) is a privately held company based in Redwood City. It provides digital interactive video-on-demand technology and services for the cable television industry. Its service, launched in 1997, is now deployed in six cable systems in the United States.

Mr. Cook was one of only 10 American scientists to have received the National Medal of Technology from President Ronald Reagan. He has also been the recipient of the Winthrop-Sears Medal from the Chemical Industry Association in 1986 and, in 1989, the Golden Omega Award for contributions to technical progress by the Electrical/Electronic Insulation Conference (EEIC).

The Hall of Fame is a project of the Bay Area Council (www.bayareacouncil.org), a CEO-led, business-sponsored public policy organization founded more than 50 years ago to promote regional economic growth and quality of life. The council is a voice for some 230 major employers to help shape public policy affecting transportation, environmental quality, economic development, housing and land use, sustainable development, water policy, education and workforce preparation, and telecommunications infrastructure.