John Abele

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John Abele
John Abele at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation's Annual OER Meeting and Creative Commons (33477234564).jpg
Abele in 2017
Born1937 (age 87–88)
New London, Connecticut, US
Education Amherst College
Occupation(s)Businessman and inventor
Known forCo-founder of Boston Scientific
Board member of Argosy Foundation
SpouseMary Abele
Children3; including Chris

John E. Abele (born 1937) is an American businessman and co-founder of Boston Scientific, a medical device company. He received the ASME Medal in 2010 and, as of November 2024, has a net worth of $1.9 billion. [1] He was first listed on the Forbes 400 in 1996 as a self-made billionaire. [1] [2] Although he has given away a significant portion of his wealth, he remains Vermont's only billionaire, residing in Shelburne. Through his private family foundation, the Argosy Foundation, Abele has donated over $130 million to charitable causes since 2001. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Abele was raised in a "Classic Yankee family," [4] the youngest of three sons of Catherine (née Eaton) [4] and Lieutenant Commander Mannert L. 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.

John and his brothers later organized, managed, and funded research to locate and photograph the Grunion – which was found in the Bering Sea – document the cause, and locate relatives of all the crew. [5] [6] [7] At the age of seven, Abele was stricken with osteomyelitis, a bacterial infection of the bone, requiring multiple surgeries and years of using crutches. [4] He is a graduate of Amherst College with a double major in physics and philosophy [4] (he later was a trustee). [8]

Career

Abele started his career at a light-fixture company in the Midwest before moving to New England to work for a small medical firm near Boston. [4] He later co-founded Boston Scientific with Peter Nicholas. [9]

He was the chairman of FIRST robotics, [10] and was chairman from 2002 to 2010. [11]

Abele is a member of the USA Science and Engineering Festival's advisory board. [12]

Personal life

Abele is married to Mary Abele. [13] They live in Shelburne, Vermont, [1] and have three children, including Chris Abele. [13] Chris Abele successfully ran for Milwaukee County executive in 2010. [14]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Forbes profile: John Abele". Forbes. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  2. ↑ "John Abele: Always an Educator". mddionline.com. 2015-05-05. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
  3. ↑ A. O. L. Staff (2024-04-16). "Forbes released its billionaire list. Here's the one Vermont billionaire". www.aol.com. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Amherst College: "Flowers on the Water" by Rand Richards Cooper Spring 2009
  5. ↑ Stevens, Peter (2012). Fatal Dive: Solving the World War II Mystery of the USS Grunion. Regnery History. ISBN   978-1596987678.
  6. ↑ Homans, Charles (2006-08-26). "Long-Lost World War II Sub May Be Found". National Public Radio . Retrieved 2007-07-05.
  7. ↑ Business Innovation Factory; "Serendipity, Social Networking and Finding a Needle in a Haystack" retrieved March 8, 2013
  8. ↑ "John E. Abele Profile - Forbes.com". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
  9. ↑ Ebeling, Ashlea. "Boston Scientific Cofounder John Abele Has Big Ambitions In Retirement". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
  10. ↑ "USFIRST.org". USFIRST.org. Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
  11. ↑ "John E. Abele". FIRST. Archived from the original on 26 December 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  12. ↑ USA Science and Engineering Festival – Advisors Archived 2010-04-21 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 2010-07-05
  13. 1 2 Greater Milwaukee Business Journal: "Foundation moving to Milwaukee – Chris Abele to head family's philanthropy" by Pete Millard November 17, 2002
  14. ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Sources say Abele planning to run for Milwaukee County executive" By Daniel Bice December 17, 2010
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