Leading the Desktop Publishing Revolution
Awarded the US National Technology President Medal
Kidnapped and Released by a Hostage Taker
[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Charles "Chuck" Geschke, one of the co-founders of Adobe, a software company in Silicon Valley, USA, passed away on the 16th (local time) at the age of 81.
According to a report by Bloomberg on the 18th (local time), Adobe announced that co-founder Charles Chuck Geschke died at his home in the Los Altos suburb of San Francisco Bay.
Shantanu Narayen, Adobe's CEO, said in an email to employees, "His passing is an immense loss to all Adobe family members and the software technology industry who have regarded him as a hero for decades."
CEO Narayen continued, "Chuck and John Warnock, co-founders of Adobe, developed innovative software that revolutionized people's creativity and communication. Starting with Adobe PostScript, they led the desktop publishing revolution and subsequently released revolutionary software with unique and wide-ranging applications such as PDF, Illustrator, and Photoshop, driving Adobe's growth," he commemorated the late Geschke.
His wife, Nancy Geschke (78), said, "He was proud to be a famous businessman and the founder of a major company recognized in the United States and worldwide, but above all, he was devoted to his family and proud of them. He always said he was the luckiest man in the world."
Geschke, who earned a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University, began his career at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. There, he met John Warnock, one of the co-founders, and after resigning together in 1982, they founded Adobe.
In 2009, the two received the National Medal of Technology from former U.S. President Barack Obama.
At the age of 52 in 1992, Geschke was kidnapped by hostage-takers demanding ransom. One day, right after arriving at work, he was abducted by two men pointing guns and was held captive for four days in Hollister, California.
AP News reported that one of the suspects was arrested by the police, who then discovered the location where Geschke was held and safely rescued him.
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