In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford Jr. decreed Black History Month a national observance. That same year, a group of early computer hobbyists founded the Homebrew Computer Club in Silicon Valley. Among its members were Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who went on to form Apple Computers, and two Black members, Jerry Lawson and Ron Jones.
Jerry Lawson was an electronic engineer dubbed the "father of the videogame cartridge." In the 1970s, video games, like Pong, could only play games designed into the hardware. Mr. Lawson's invention debuted as a cartridge system called the Fairchild Channel F system. His innovation separated the individual game components from the game console. These new video game consoles meant consumers could buy one device and swap out the games they played. Jerry Lawson would become the Chief Engineer and Director of Engineering and Marketing of Fairchild's video game division. The Atari 2600, the first game console I had, would follow later and use the same cartridge system. Mr. Lawson started his own video game development company called Videosoft.
Lawson encouraged young Black men and women to become invested in careers in science and engineering just as his first-grade teacher encouraged him to follow in the path of George Washington Carver. Jerry once explained that "the whole reason I worked to invent the video game cartridge was that people said, 'You can't do it.' I'm one of the guys; if you tell me I can't do something, I'll turn around and do it."
Jerry's work is inspiring to me in my role at GOJO. I lead a team dedicated to integrating computer systems into our manufacturing equipment and processes. Those computers control automated equipment that we use to make, fill, and package our products to ensure we can fulfill our GOJO Purpose: Saving Lives and Making Lives Better Through Well-Being Solutions. Early computer pioneers developed the technology that became an essential part of how we live and work.