Charles Garrett "Garry" Betty (March 4, 1957 – January 2, 2007) was President and CEO of EarthLink, a large American Internet service provider, from 1996 until his death. During his leadership of EarthLink, Betty grew the customer base from just under 100,000 members to over 5,000,000.
Garry Betty | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 4, 1957 Huntsville, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | January 2, 2007 (aged 49) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Georgia Institute of Technology[1] |
| Occupation(s) | CEO and President of EarthLink (1996–2007) |
| Spouse | Kathy Betty (?-Present)[1] |
| Relatives | Rena Lane (sister)[1] |
Early life and education
editBetty was born in Huntsville, Alabama and grew up in Columbus, Georgia. Betty graduated from Columbus High School in 1975 [2] He then attended the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia where he received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1979.[3]
Career
editBetty worked for IBM, and received the IBM President's Award in 1982 for his work on the original IBM PC.[1]
Betty subsequently became president and CEO of Digital Communications Associates and for some time he was the New York Stock Exchange's youngest listed CEO.[4]
Awards
editBetty received Young Alumnus of the Year honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1993 and was inducted into the Georgia Technology Hall of Fame in 2005.[5]
Cancer diagnosis and death
editEarthLink reported in a press release on November 21, 2006 (also reported by major news agencies including the Wall Street Journal) that Betty had been diagnosed with a serious form of cancer which required him to take an undetermined leave of absence. The company announced that the Board of Directors named Mike Lunsford, Vice-President of Voice and Access, as interim CEO.[6] EarthLink announced on January 3, 2007, that Betty had died at the age of 49 from complications of adrenal cortical cancer.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Richtel, Matt (January 4, 2007). "Garry Betty, 49, Chief of the Internet Provider EarthLink, Dies". New York Times. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
Garry Betty, who built the EarthLink Corporation from a struggling start-up into a public company that took on telecommunications giants, died Tuesday in Atlanta. He was 49. The cause was heart problems associated with adrenal cortical cancer, said Scott Hobby, a business associate and close family friend.
- ^ 1975 Cohiscan - Columbus, Ga. Vol. 62. Columbus High School Library: Taylor Publishing Company. 1975. pp. Page 282 Index Pages 28, 32, 40, 43, 48, 51, 60, 66, 74, 62, 165.
- ^ "EarthLink CEO dead at 49". www.wistv.com. January 3, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ "Betty, Charles (Garry)". The Wall Street Transcript. September 10, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
- ^ "Clipped From The Los Angeles Times". The Los Angeles Times. January 5, 2007. p. 105. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ Keefe, Bob (November 22, 2006). "EarthLink: Illness Drives Leader Shuffle". Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- ^ "EarthLink's Garry Betty Passes Away". January 3, 2007. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved March 25, 2007.