John Abele

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
John Abele
Born 1937
New London, Connecticut
Residence Shelburne, Vermont
Citizenship United States
Education Amherst College, 1959
Occupation Businessman and inventor
Known for co-founder of Boston Scientific
Net worth Increase US $ 603 million (2006)[1]
Board member of FIRST Robotics, Argosy Foundation, Rocky Mountain Institute
Spouse(s) Mary Abele
Children Chris Abele
Alex Abele
Jennifer Abele
Parent(s) Mannert Lincoln Abele
Catherine Eaton

John Abele is an American businessman and the co-founder and a director of Boston Scientific, a medical device company.

Early life and education

Abele was raised in a "Classic Yankee family,"[2] the youngest of three sons of Catherine (née Eaton)[2] and Lieutenant Commander Mannert Lincoln Abele, USN. His father was the commanding officer of the submarine USS Grunion when the vessel was lost in the Aleutians on July 31, 1942 presumably to enemy action. (Abele later funded research to locate the Grunion, which was found in the Bering Sea).[3][4] At the age of seven, Abele was stricken with osteomyelitis, a bacterial infection of the bone marrow, requiring multiple surgeries and years of using crutches.[2] He is a graduate of Amherst College with a double major in physics and philosophy[2] (he later served as a trustee).[5]

Career

His first job was at a light-fixture company in the Midwest; he later moved back to New England to work for a small medical company near Boston.[2] Soon after he branched out on his own and co-founded Boston Scientific with Peter Nicholas.

In 2006, he was ranked #258 by Forbes magazine's list of "The World's Richest People," with an estimated net worth of $2.7 billion.[1] In 2005 he was ranked #132 by Forbes Magazine's list of "The World's Richest People," with an estimated net worth of $4 billion.

He was the Chairman of the Board for FIRST robotics,[6] and served as chairman from 2002 to 2010.[7]

Abele is also a member of the USA Science and Engineering Festival's Advisory Board.[8]

Personal life

Abele is married to Mary Abele.[9] They have three children: Chris, Alex, and Jennifer.[9] Chris Abele successfully ran for Milwaukee County executive in 2010.[10]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Amherst College: "Flowers on the Water" by Rand Richards Cooper Spring 2009
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Business Innovation Factory; "Serendipity, Social Networking and Finding a Needle in a Haystack" retrieved March 8, 2013
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. USA Science and Engineering Festival – Advisors retrieved 2010-07-05
  9. 9.0 9.1 Greater Milwaukee Business Journal: "Foundation moving to Milwaukee - Chris Abele to head family's philanthropy" by Pete Millard November 17, 2002
  10. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Sources say Abele planning to run for Milwaukee County executive" By Daniel Bice December 17, 2010