Gordon and Betty Moore: Seeding the Path Ahead

When Caltech's trustees resolved to launch a strategic plan that included a $1 billion-plus comprehensive fund-raising campaign, they likely had no idea of the history that would be made during the days prior to the campaign's public launch. In an enthusiastic demonstration of support for the Institute's plans for the future, Gordon (PhD '54) and Betty Moore announced in October 2001 a pledge to the campaign valued at $600 million, through their own personal investment and that of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. It was as much a milestone in philanthropy as it was for Caltech.

"We wouldn't have considered implementing such an audacious strategic plan if it were not for the generosity of Gordon and Betty Moore, whose pledge really ignited our imagination," said Caltech president David Baltimore. "The Moores' commitment allowed us to plan new and exciting directions for Caltech, directions that will enable us to tackle the most important problems confronting science and technology today."

And while the sum of their generosity is extraordinary, it is the reasons behind the Moores' personal commitment and the foundation's grants that are so compelling.

"There really is no place in the academic world like Caltech," Gordon remarked. "The passion for excellence in science and education that is seen throughout the Caltech community is what made Betty and me interested in helping it continue."

Gordon received his PhD in chemistry from the Institute in 1954 and has remained connected with Caltech ever since. "We've been very fortunate in our lives and felt it was the right time to give back," Betty said. "The education I received at Caltech has served me well," Gordon added. Moreover, his role on the Institute's Board has allowed him to be intimately involved in Caltech's strategic planning process. Gordon first joined Caltech's Board of Trustees 20 years ago, serving as chairman from 1993 to 2000.

Gordon's accomplishments have been widely reported in both scientific and popular literature, and he is known for "Moore's Law," which originally stated that the number of transistors the industry could place on a chip would double every year, a period revised in 1975 to every two years. But he has said that his path to success began gradually. He met his future wife, then Betty Whittaker, before transferring from San Jose State to UC Berkeley, where he earned his undergraduate degree. Betty earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from San Jose State in 1949, and married Gordon the following year. The couple hit the road for Caltech the day after their wedding. While Gordon pursued his doctorate, Betty worked briefly in public relations and advertising for Consolidated Engineering and later joined the staff of the Ford Foundation.

Early in his career, Gordon was wooed away from academia to Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Palo Alto- an experience Gordon credits with turning him on to semiconductors and turning him into an entrepreneur. He and a handful of others from Shockley launched the Fairchild Semi-conductor Division of Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Then, in 1968, Gordon and Robert Noyce created a start-up to focus on large-scale integrated products. As the story goes, the duo typed up a one-page business plan and received $2.5 million in venture capital in two days-the Intel Corporation was born.

For all of Gordon's acclaim in the world of semiconductors, he and Betty are less well known for their philanthropic work, although they have contributed to science, technology, education, and conservation for decades. Their generosity isn't given lightly, however; the Moores believe that such resources are as much a responsibility as they are a luxury, and hold to high standards the beneficiaries of their philanthropic activities.

Rather than funding a few of Caltech campus initiatives outright, the Moores' combined personal and foundation gifts will seed a variety of strategic priorities-an approach that allows the Institute to jump-start our most exciting projects. In addition, their generosity will help attract additional funds from many other benefactors as the campaign progresses. To make such an unprecedented contribution, Gordon and Betty will fulfill their pledge over five years, of which a significant portion will help to grow Caltech's endowment. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation will distribute its grant to the Institute over a 10-year period and will mainly fund equipment priorities, materials, and innovative research proposals. (See Partnering Discovery, next page, for more details on the foundation's grants.)

Resources from the Moore's pledge already have been used to augment the Moore Scholars Program, as well as to create the Moore-Hufstedler Fund for Enhanced Quality of Student Life, a combination of funding from Gordon and Betty Moore and a gift from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation made in recognition of the contributions of a Caltech senior trustee, the Honorable Shirley Hufstedler. Approximately $180,000 will be available each year through this new fund for initiatives deemed to have a positive impact on student life-such as cultural exhibits, distinguished speakers events, or equipment for improved data-communications-and that are not typically covered under the Institute's annual budget. A committee comprised of students and faculty will evaluate proposals and make recommendations to President Baltimore concerning the use of the funds.

"For Caltech to remain unique," Gordon explained, "it will need a lot of resources to support its far-reaching activities. Hopefully, our contribution will inspire others to support these important endeavors."

By Vannessa Dodson