February 15, 2006 – James Gallagher, former SEMI chairman and founder of wafer stepper supplier GCA Corp., passed away Feb. 7 at the age of 85.
He was an early pioneer in the semiconductor equipment industry, helping cofound GCA in 1958 (it was sold in 1988 to General Signal), holding a number of executive positions including SVP of its IC systems group. He also served as president and chairman of SEMI’s board of directors from 1978-1980, and in 1981 was honored by the Semiconductor Equipment Marketing Council of Japan for contributions toward US-Japan trade relations.
“He was truly a great contributor and served our industry association with inspired leadership during its formative years,” stated James Morgan, chairman of Applied Materials and also former SEMI chairman. “His contributions as a co-founder of the GCA Corporation and as an evangelist of U.S.-Japanese trade relations helped lay the foundation for a truly collaborative and global semiconductor industry.”