John Robert Beyster
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John Robert Beyster (July 26, 1924 – December 22, 2014), often styled J. Robert Beyster, was an American scientist and entrepreneur, and the founder of
Science Applications International Corporation Science Applications International Corporation, Inc. (SAIC) is an American technology company headquartered in Reston, Virginia that provides government services and information technology support. History 20th century The original SAIC was cr ...
. He was
Chairman of the Board The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...
until his retirement in July 2004, and served as
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
(CEO) until November 2003. Beyster's primary areas of interest were
national security National security, or national defence (national defense in American English), is the security and Defence (military), defence of a sovereign state, including its Citizenship, citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of ...
and
nuclear reactor physics Nuclear reactor physics is the field of physics that studies and deals with the applied study and engineering applications of chain reaction to induce a controlled rate of fission in a nuclear reactor for the production of energy.van Dam, H., van d ...
. Beyster also founded two
nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
s to assist organizations considering employee ownership: the Beyster Institute and the Foundation for Enterprise Development.


Biography


Early life and work

Beyster was born in
Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, in 1924, and grew up in Grosse Ile, Michigan. He attended school at Slocum Truax High School in
Trenton, Michigan Trenton is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County, Michigan, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the city population was 18,853. A Shawnee village was built in the area by war chief Blue Jacket after the 1795 Tre ...
, and was
salutatorian Salutatorian is an academic title given in Armenia, the Philippines, Canada, Afghanistan and the United States to the second-highest-ranked graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. ...
of his graduating class. As he was preparing to graduate from high school, the United States entered
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and he enlisted in the
U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...
. He was sent to college at the
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
, where he was enrolled in the V12 Officer Training Program. He was commissioned as an ensign, and eventually served on a destroyer based in
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
before leaving the service six months later. Educated at the
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
(COE: BSE, MS, PhD), Beyster worked as a scientist for Westinghouse Atomic Power Division on the company's nuclear submarine program in the 1950s. He soon followed many of his college associates to
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
to work as a research
physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
at the
Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory (often shortened as Los Alamos and LANL) is one of the sixteen research and development Laboratory, laboratories of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, United States Department of Energy ...
. In 1957 he became the chairman of the Accelerator Physics Department of
General Atomics General Atomics (GA) is an American energy and defense corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, that specializes in research and technology development. This includes physics research in support of nuclear fission and nuclear fusion en ...
where he remained until it was bought by
Gulf Oil Gulf Oil was a major global oil company in operation from 1901 to 1985. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the Seven Sisters (oil companies), Seven Sisters oil companies. ...
in 1968.


Career at SAIC

In 1969, Beyster raised money to start Science Applications, Inc. (SAI) by investing the proceeds from selling stock he had received from General Atomic, combined with funds raised from early employees of the company. The company was renamed Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) as it expanded its operations. Initially the company's focus was on projects for the U.S. government related to nuclear power and weapons effects study programs. Contrary to traditional business models, SAIC was set up so that ownership of the company and profits belonged to the company's employees. In 2012, SAIC split into two companies, one retaining the original name, and the other (known as
Leidos Leidos Holdings, Inc. is an American defense company, defense, Aerospace manufacturer, aviation, information technology, and biomedical research company headquartered in Reston, Virginia, that provides scientific, engineering, systems integrati ...
) which performs projects for commercial and government customers related to information technology, systems integration and eSolutions, national and homeland security, energy, the environment, space, telecommunications, health care, and logistics. When Beyster retired as Chairman of SAIC on July 16, 2004, the company had annual revenues of $6.7 billion and more than 43,000 employees.


Other work and contributions

Beyster founded the Foundation for Enterprise Development in 1986 "to help develop successful enterprises in the U.S. and around the world" by focusing on "advancing entrepreneurship and employee ownership through its work with technologists, entrepreneurs, executives, governments, and educators." In 2004, the Foundation launched the Beyster Institute, which is "dedicated to training, education, and consulting in employee ownership and entrepreneurship." Beyster wrote or co-authored approximately 60 publications and reports, as well as the books ''The SAIC Solution: How We Built an $8 Billion Employee-Owned Technology Company'', published by
John Wiley & Sons John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Publishing, publishing company that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company was founded in 1807 and pr ...
in 2007, and ''Names, Numbers, and Network Solutions: The Monetization of the Internet'', cowritten with Michael A. Daniels and published in 2013. A fellow of the
American Nuclear Society The American Nuclear Society (ANS) is an international, not-for-profit organization of scientists, engineers, and industry professionals that promote the field of nuclear engineering and related disciplines. ANS is composed of three communities: ...
, Beyster served as Chairman of its Reactor Physics Division and Shielding Division. He was a fellow of the
American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...
, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group to the Director, Strategic Target Planning Staff of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and ...
, and a member of the
National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...
. He also served as chairman emeritus of the board of directors of the
University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...
Foundation.


Death

Beyster died at his home in La Jolla, California on December 22, 2014.


Personal life

A former naval officer, Beyster enjoyed sailing and was the owner of ''Solutions'', a Hinckley motor yacht. While Beyster was still at SAIC, the company backed and provided design technology to a number of U.S. entries in the
America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...
race. John Robert Beyster and Betty Beyster married at St. Alban's Church in Austin, Texas in 1955, and had three children.


Awards and distinctions

The
Defense Advanced Research Project Agency The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Originally known as the Adva ...
designated Beyster an Honorary Program Manager "for his distinguished contributions to the agency over his career." He also received the Engineering Manager of the Year Award in 2000 from the American Society of Engineering Management, the 2001 Spirit of San Diego Award from the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Lifetime Achievement Award from
Ernst & Young EY, previously known as Ernst & Young, is a multinational corporation, multinational professional services partnership, network based in London, United Kingdom. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, it is one of the Big Four accounting firms, Big F ...
in 2003, and the "Supporter of Entrepreneurialism" award from Arthur Young and Venture magazine. In 2006, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC) recognized Beyster with the Herb Klein Civic Leadership Award "for his outstanding leadership in addressing regional challenges through collaboration with public, private, and civic partners." Beyster is the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from CONNECT program of the University of California, San Diego's "for providing 25 years of outstanding service to the community." The Horatio Alger Association for Distinguished Americans selected Beyster to be a 2008 Horatio Alger Award recipient. In 2008, Beyster was inducted into the
International Air & Space Hall of Fame The International Air & Space Hall of Fame is an honor roll of people, groups, organizations, or things that have contributed significantly to the advancement of aerospace flight and technology, sponsored by the San Diego Air & Space Museum. Sin ...
at the
San Diego Air & Space Museum The San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) is an aviation and space exploration museum in San Diego, California. It is located in Balboa Park (San Diego), Balboa Park and is housed in the former Ford Building (San Diego), Ford Building, which is li ...
. On Wednesday, April 11, 2012, the computer science and engineering building at the University of Michigan was rededicated in his and his wife's name as the Bob and Betty Beyster Building (BBB). In 2019, RV ''Bob and Betty Beyster'', a 42-foot research vessel that bears their names, joined the fleet at the
Scripps Institution of Oceanography Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is the center for oceanography and Earth science at the University of California, San Diego. Its main campus is located in La Jolla, with additional facilities in Point Loma. Founded in 1903 and incorpo ...
. The Bob and Betty Beyster garden sits at the entrance to the Sulpizio Center at UCSD Thorton Medical Center on campus across the street from former SAIC headquarters.


References


External links

* (now inactive) * * at the
Rady School of Management The Rady School of Management is the Postgraduate education, graduate business school of the University of California, San Diego, a public university in San Diego, California, United States. The school was established as the University of Califor ...
at the
University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...

J. Robert Beyster Collection (MSS 658)
University of California, San Diego Library. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beyster, John Robert 1924 births 2014 deaths American physicists 21st-century American businesspeople University of Michigan College of Engineering alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering People from Grosse Ile, Michigan People from La Jolla, San Diego Fellows of the American Physical Society 20th-century American businesspeople