A Lifetime of Impact
Paul Allen’s vision and generosity is reflected around the globe, and he will be remembered as a hometown hero with huge ideas that helped change the world.
About
Paul Allen
Paul Allen will be forever remembered as the co-founder of Microsoft. And he would be okay with that. After all, he was proud of what the company accomplished and the role it played making technology more accessible and useful to people everywhere. But Microsoft is just one chapter in the unique story that is Paul’s life.
Young Paul and his father, Kenneth Allen. Paul grew up in the Seattle neighborhood of Wedgewood, near the University of Washington where his father worked as an associate director of the University of Washington library.
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He was born January 21, 1953 in Seattle to Ken and Faye Allen. Together with his younger sister, Jody, the family spent vacations traveling around the Pacific Northwest — camping, fishing and exploring places like the 1962 World’s Fair and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. These experiences inspired him by stretching his young mind and exposing him to a wide range of interests, which was exactly what his parents were hoping to do. They both loved books (his mom was a teacher and his dad was associate director of libraries at the University of Washington) and continually encouraged both children to adopt an eclectic range of interests by regularly taking them to museums, libraries, concerts and the like.
Paul and his mother, Faye Gardner Allen.
Paul at Lakeside School in 1971. Copyright Lakeside School.
Paul and his mother, Faye Gardner Allen.
Paul at Lakeside School in 1971. Copyright Lakeside School.
Paul’s love of science started at an early age. He’d spend hours drawing rockets, sketching astronauts and reading science fiction. When he was 10, he started a science club for friends in his basement, and when he went on to attend Lakeside School, that passion grew to include computer science. As he honed his skills writing code, it began to shape how he viewed challenges. When he spotted glitches in a computer program, he worked to correct them so it would run properly. Why then, couldn’t that same approach be taken to “debug” the world’s problems?
As time went by, and as he invested in more businesses, people, and philanthropy, that’s exactly what he did.
As time went by, and as he invested in more businesses, people, and philanthropy, that’s exactly what he did.
Paul in Spain in the late 1970s.
Paul at his office in Bellevue.
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Paul in Spain in the late 1970s.
Paul at his office in Bellevue.
Paul’s philanthropic contributions of more than $2.65 billion during his life have helped save endangered species, deepen our understanding of climate science, improve ocean health, develop new technologies, create museums, tackle epidemics, research how the human brain works, and invest in sustainable communities.
Many have called him a polymath, which is true — he was a man whose knowledge and skills spanned a wide range of disciplines. But he wasn’t about going it alone. To the contrary, he loved learning from others and was driven to connect great minds so, together, big things could happen. Because, while many say they want to make the world a better place, he realized early he was fortunate enough to have exceptional resources he could deploy in pursuit of that. And he took that responsibility seriously.
Paul wrote his memoir Idea Man after the second of three recurrences of lymphoma – having first been diagnosed in 1982, then again in 2009 and 2018. He chose that name because it embodied the way he saw himself — always looking for the next big challenge to tackle. “My own thoughts of mortality don’t need a lot of prompting,” he said. “Every six months, I sit inside the PET scanner and then wait in my oncologist’s office sweating bullets, wondering what the verdict will be… my strength has returned… but I continue to take nothing for granted…. I’m continually thinking about the next big idea and how it could be accomplished.”
Many have called him a polymath, which is true — he was a man whose knowledge and skills spanned a wide range of disciplines. But he wasn’t about going it alone. To the contrary, he loved learning from others and was driven to connect great minds so, together, big things could happen. Because, while many say they want to make the world a better place, he realized early he was fortunate enough to have exceptional resources he could deploy in pursuit of that. And he took that responsibility seriously.
Paul wrote his memoir Idea Man after the second of three recurrences of lymphoma – having first been diagnosed in 1982, then again in 2009 and 2018. He chose that name because it embodied the way he saw himself — always looking for the next big challenge to tackle. “My own thoughts of mortality don’t need a lot of prompting,” he said. “Every six months, I sit inside the PET scanner and then wait in my oncologist’s office sweating bullets, wondering what the verdict will be… my strength has returned… but I continue to take nothing for granted…. I’m continually thinking about the next big idea and how it could be accomplished.”
Paul waving to the Seahawks fans known as the "12s" at the home stadium in Seattle, WA.
Paul enjoying a sunset in Tanzania.
Paul waving to the Seahawks fans known as the "12s" at the home stadium in Seattle, WA.
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Paul enjoying a sunset in Tanzania.
Paul passed away Monday, October 15, 2018. But the impact of his generosity and his desire to continue improving the lives of people around the world, even after his death, were clear to those entrusted with carrying out his legacy. Indeed, even before becoming a signatory of the Giving Pledge, Paul committed to earmarking the majority of his fortune to philanthropy which, as anyone who knew Paul can tell you, isn’t really a surprise. After all, what more effective way to make the world a better place than by dedicating resources to help the world’s most creative thinkers accelerate discovery?
From Paul’s perspective, that was his biggest idea of all.
From Paul’s perspective, that was his biggest idea of all.
1953
Born
Born January 21, 1953 to Kenneth Sam Allen and Edna Faye Allen.
1962
Attends World's Fair
Attends Seattle World’s Fair with his family and becomes enthralled with science and technology.