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Farewell, Paul Allen

This week HistoryLink looks back at the life of Paul Allen, who died on October 15 at the age of 65. Best known as the cofounder of Microsoft, his impact on Seattle and the Pacific Northwest was vast, and he will truly be missed.

Allen was born in Seattle in 1953 and from an early age showed a keen interest in science and technology. When he was nine, he attended the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and was fascinated by the space-age science exhibits. In 1965 his parents enrolled him in Seattle’s prestigious Lakeside School, and it was there in 1968 that he met a young Bill Gates.

Although the 15-year-old Allen was three years older than Gates, the two shared an interest in computers. They spent most of their waking hours working on computer programs, and while still in high school they had landed their first paid coding job, writing a payroll program for a Portland time-share company. In 1971, having scored a perfect 1600 on his SAT, Allen entered Washington State University, but later dropped out to take a job at Honeywell. In 1975 he convinced Gates to drop out of Harvard to form their own software company, which grew to become Microsoft.

The company began in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but by 1979 it had moved into leased space in Bellevue. By 1980 Microsoft had developed the MS-DOS operating system, which became what Allen later called the “international centerpiece of personal computer technology.” Microsoft’s fortunes were on the rise, but in 1982 Allen was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. Although it was in an early stage and treatable, he decided to resign from Microsoft, but retained his seat on the board of directors until 2000. 

A New Direction

After recuperating from his cancer treatments, Allen turned his attention to new ventures. In 1986 he founded Vulcan Inc. to manage his investments and philanthropic efforts, and he enlisted his younger sister, Jody, as president and CEO. In 1988 he bought the Portland Trailblazers basketball team, and in 1997 purchased the Seattle Seahawks football team, which was in danger of being relocated. In 2007 Allen also became a minority owner of Seattle Sounders FC. 

In the 1990s Allen advocated for the Seattle Commons levy, which would have funded the development and construction of a 61-acre park in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, framed by high-tech laboratories, condos, restaurants, and other urban amenities. Seattle voters turned it down in 1995, but Allen (through Vulcan) went on to develop the land into what is now one of the city’s fastest-growing business districts.

Allen’s love of rock ‘n’ roll music led to the creation of the Experience Music Project, which opened at Seattle Center in 2000. The EMP later added science-fiction exhibits to its collection and has since evolved into the Museum of Pop Culture, or MoPOP. Allen’s interest in aviation led to his investment in SpaceShipOne, which won the 2004 X Prize, and he also founded the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum in Everett, which houses his collection of historic aircraft and more.

Allen’s interest in philanthropy led to his establishment of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in 2003,  and he also funded the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at UW. Allen’s donations have helped out many nonprofit organizations throughout the Northwest, including HistoryLink. In 2003 the Paul G. Allen Virtual Education Foundation enabled us to expand this encyclopedia to cover the entire state of Washington, and in recent years we have received support from Vulcan Inc. for a variety of projects.

Paul Allen was diagnosed in 2009 with late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma. During his treatment, he was able to work on his autobiography, Idea Man, which was published in 2011. He recovered, but earlier this month he announced that the cancer had returned. His sudden death from complications that arose from his treatment was a huge blow to all those whose lives he touched, and especially to his family and those who knew him well.

NEWS THEN, HISTORY NOW

Speaking Out

On October 19, 1871, Susan B. Anthony became the first woman to address the Washington Territorial Legislature. While here, she helped organize the Washington Woman Suffrage Association. A century later, women’s rights were still an important issue when Governor Dan Evans convened the Washington State Women’s Council on October 21, 1971.

Standing Up

On October 18, 1899, Seattle unveiled its latest and proudest possession — a 60-foot totem pole in Pioneer Square. The untold side of this story was that some of Seattle’s most prominent citizens, including Chamber of Commerce Acting President James Clise, had gone to Alaska and swiped the pole from Tlingit Indians. Charges were filed, but little came of them. The carved log lingered until it was humbled by an arsonist on October 22, 1938. Its burnt remains — along with a check from the federal government — were returned to the Tlingits. They magnanimously carved a replica that still stands.

Hiking Around

On October 23, 1915, Larrabee State Park was established in Whatcom County and one month later was designated one of  Washington’s first two state parks. The land was donated by the Larrabee family, which was very influential in the development of Bellingham.