1992 Perot Petition Effort
appears to be official bio from Dallas*
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| Bio, 8
1/2" x 11". (DC) |
BIOGRAPHY OF ROSS PEROT
Ross Perot was born June 27, 1930, in Texarkana, Texas. He grew up in Texarkana where he attended public schools and Texarkana Junior college.
Perot's parents, Ross and Lulu May Perot, have been the major influences in both his and his sister Bette's lives. Although the family lived in modest circumstances, Perot has repeatedly stated that he was born rich because of his parents.
Beginning at age seven, Perot worked at various jobs throughout his boyhood, including:
• Breaking horses
• Selling Christmas cards
• Selling garden seeds
• Selling magazines
• Buying and selling bridles and saddles
• Buying and selling horses and calves
• Delivering newspapers
• Collecting for classified ads.
He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1949 and graduated in 1953. While at the Naval Academy, he served as class president, chairman of the honor committee, and battalion commander.
After graduation, Perot served at sea for four years on a destroyer and aircraft carrier.
In 1956, he married Margot Birmingham from Greensburg, Pennsylvania whom he met while a midshipman at the Naval Academy. Upon his honorable discharge from the Navy in 1957, Ross and Margot settled in Dallas where he went to work for IBM's data processing division as a salesman.
Margot taught school during the early years of their marriage. In 1962, she loaned Perot $1,000 from her savings account to start a one-man data processing company. He named the company Electronic Data Systems. Today, EDS is a multi-billion dollar corporation, employing more than 70,000 people.
Ross and Margot have been married for thirty-five years. They live in Dallas. They have five children–Ross Jr., Nancy, Suzanne, Carolyn, and Katherine. The Perots currently have four grandchildren, and are looking forward to the births of two more this year.
In 1969, the US government asked Perot to determine what action might be taken to improve the brutal treatment our POW's were receiving in Southeast Asia. He worked on this project for the next four years placing himself and his family at considerable personal risk, until the prisoners were released in 1973 at the end of the war. In recognition of his efforts, Perot received the Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the highest civilian award presented by the Department of Defense.
When two EDS employees were taken hostage by the Iranian government in 1979, Perot directed a successful rescue mission composed of EDS employees and led by Colonel Arthur "Bull" Simons. Perot personally went into Iran, and inside the prison where his associates were held. Noted author, Ken Follett, wrote a best-selling novel, On Wings of Eagles, about the rescue. An NBC Television mini series was later made about this event.
Later that same year, the governor of Texas requested Perot's help in dealing with the growing problem of the use of illegal drugs in the state. Perot led the Texans' War on Drugs committee that proposed five laws to make Texas the least desirable state for the illegal drug operations. All five bills were passed by the legislature and signed into law.
BIOGRAPHY OF ROSS PEROT March 6, 1992
In 1984, another Texas governor asked for Perot's assistance with a deteriorating situation–the quality of public education in the state. Recognizing that a first-class educational system is the foundation for economic improvement, Perot led the effort to reform the school system. This program resulted in major legislative changes and improvements in Texas public schools.
Perot accepted another challenge that same year when he sold EDS to General Motors for $2.5 billion. The ownership that he retained in the company made him GM's largest individual stockholder and a member of the board of directors. After major disagreements over the quality of GM automobiles, Perot resigned from the GM board in 1986.
In 1988, Perot started a new computer service company, Perot Systems. Today the company operates in the United States and Europe.
Perot has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including:
The Perot family is actively involved in charitable and civic activities to help the needy. They have given over $100 million to these causes.
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*ed. note: The above bio appears to be an official bio that emanated from Dallas—it was being handed out by a number of Perot petition offices. The copy above, obtained from the Washington, DC office in June, is dated March 6, 1992, which is around the time when interest in Perot was surging and the volunteer phone bank opened in Dallas. The copy below, from a California office, has a photo of Perot added. The text is the same with the exception of a typo: the California version, below, lists the founding year of Perot Systems as 1983 rather than the correct year of 1988.
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Ross Perot was born June 27, 1930, in Texarkana, Texas. He grew up in Texarkana where he attended public schools and Texarkana Junior college.
Perot's parents, Ross and Lulu May Perot, have been the major influences in both his and his sister Bette's lives. Although the family lived in modest circumstances, Perot has repeatedly stated that he was born rich because of his parents.
Beginning at age seven, Perot worked at various jobs throughout his boyhood, including:
• Breaking horses
• Selling Christmas cards
• Selling garden seeds
• Selling magazines
• Buying and selling bridles and saddles
• Buying and selling horses and calves
• Delivering newspapers
• Collecting for classified ads.
He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1949 and graduated in 1953. While at the Naval Academy, he served as class president, chairman of the honor committee, and battalion commander.
After graduation, Perot served at sea for four years on a destroyer and aircraft carrier.
In 1956, he married Margot Birmingham from Greensburg, Pennsylvania whom he met while a midshipman at the Naval Academy. Upon his honorable discharge from the Navy in 1957, Ross and Margot settled in Dallas where he went to work for IBM's data processing division as a salesman.
Margot taught school during the early years of their marriage. In 1962, she loaned Perot $1,000 from her savings account to start a one-man data processing company. He named the company Electronic Data Systems. Today, EDS is a multi-billion dollar corporation, employing more than 70,000 people.
Ross and Margot have been married for thirty-five years. They live in Dallas. They have five children–Ross Jr., Nancy, Suzanne, Carolyn, and Katherine. The Perots currently have four grandchildren, and are looking forward to the births of two more this year.
In 1969, the US government asked Perot to determine what action might be taken to improve the brutal treatment our POW's were receiving in Southeast Asia. He worked on this project for the next four years placing himself and his family at considerable personal risk, until the prisoners were released in 1973 at the end of the war. In recognition of his efforts, Perot received the Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the highest civilian award presented by the Department of Defense.
When two EDS employees were taken hostage by the Iranian government in 1979, Perot directed a successful rescue mission composed of EDS employees and led by Colonel Arthur "Bull" Simons. Perot personally went into Iran, and inside the prison where his associates were held. Noted author, Ken Follett, wrote a best-selling novel, On Wings of Eagles, about the rescue. An NBC Television mini series was later made about this event.
Later that same year, the governor of Texas requested Perot's help in dealing with the growing problem of the use of illegal drugs in the state. Perot led the Texans' War on Drugs committee that proposed five laws to make Texas the least desirable state for the illegal drug operations. All five bills were passed by the legislature and signed into law.
BIOGRAPHY OF ROSS PEROT March 6, 1992
In 1984, another Texas governor asked for Perot's assistance with a deteriorating situation–the quality of public education in the state. Recognizing that a first-class educational system is the foundation for economic improvement, Perot led the effort to reform the school system. This program resulted in major legislative changes and improvements in Texas public schools.
Perot accepted another challenge that same year when he sold EDS to General Motors for $2.5 billion. The ownership that he retained in the company made him GM's largest individual stockholder and a member of the board of directors. After major disagreements over the quality of GM automobiles, Perot resigned from the GM board in 1986.
In 1988, Perot started a new computer service company, Perot Systems. Today the company operates in the United States and Europe.
Perot has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including:
The Winston Churchill Award. Perot was the third recipient and the only business to receive this award, given to those who best exemplify the imagination, boldness, and vigor of the late British prime minister. The presentation was made by Prince Charles in 1986.In 1984, Perot purchased the only copy of the Magna Carta that has been allowed to be taken out of Great Britain. It has been placed on loan to the National Archives in Washington, DC where it is displayed alongside the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The Raoul Wallenberg Award. As the first recipient of the award, Perot was honored for a lifetime of service that embodies the spirit, courage, and dedication of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved more than 100,000 Hungarian Jews from the Nazis during World War II.
The Jefferson Award for Public Service
The Patrick Henry Award. Perot was the first recipient of this award given to an American for outstanding service to his country.
The National Business Hall of Fame Award
The Sarnoff Award for contributions to the electronics industry.
The Eisenhower Award for support of our Armed Forces.
The Smithsonian Computerworld Award. As the first recipient of this award, Perot was recognized for his contributions to the computer industry.
The Horatio Alger Award. This award is presented to individuals who overcome obstacles to achieve significant success in their careers.
The Perot family is actively involved in charitable and civic activities to help the needy. They have given over $100 million to these causes.
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*ed. note: The above bio appears to be an official bio that emanated from Dallas—it was being handed out by a number of Perot petition offices. The copy above, obtained from the Washington, DC office in June, is dated March 6, 1992, which is around the time when interest in Perot was surging and the volunteer phone bank opened in Dallas. The copy below, from a California office, has a photo of Perot added. The text is the same with the exception of a typo: the California version, below, lists the founding year of Perot Systems as 1983 rather than the correct year of 1988.
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| Bio,
8 1/2" x 11". (CA) |
Copyright © 2023 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in
Action. 