Gary Burrell, cofounder of Garmin, passed away on June 12 at the age of 81. Burrell retired from Garmin in 2002 and continued to serve as Garmin’s co-chairman until 2004 when he was named chairman emeritus.
Burrell cofounded Garmin with Dr. Min Kao in 1989 with the vision of creating products powered by an emerging technology known as the Global Positioning System, or GPS. Thirty years later, Garmin has grown into a global location and communication product powerhouse.
Prior to launching Garmin in 1989, Burrell held leadership positions at marine and aviation electronics companies including Lowrance Electronics, King Radio Corporation and AlliedSignal. He is widely regarded as one of the leading innovators of integrated avionics, having designed and developed the first successful NAV/COMM for the general aviation market.
