Obituary of Kenneth Louis Schroeder

Ken Schroeder, exec who helped modernize the semiconductor industry, dies at 70

Kenneth L. Schroeder, longtime chief of KLA-Tencor and one of the most influential executives in the semiconductor industry, died October 26th at his home in Los Altos Hills, California. He was 70 years old. The cause of death was complications due to ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).

At KLA-Tencor, Ken was pivotal in shepherding semiconductor test equipment from a cottage industry into a multibillion-dollar market. Semiconductor chips power the smart devices connecting over five billion people to the Internet. Ken was a leading innovator in product process, strategic planning, and customer service. During Ken's tenure, KLA-Tencor enjoyed a 50-fold increase in market capitalization and the company was named one of the "Best Managed Companies" by Forbes Magazine.

For anyone who has seen the movie "October Sky", Ken's childhood will sound familiar. The son of an Illinois farmer, the Space Race inspired Ken to take up rocketry. While in high school, he won the Illinois State Science Fair for his unique rocket engine designs. He furthered his education by earning a BSEE from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. Ken received numerous academic honors, including membership in Tau Beta Pi and selection as one of the "125 People of Impact" at UW.

Ken was an avid skier, opera buff, bad golfer, and a long-suffering Chicago Cubs fan. A true Renaissance man, Ken cultivated interest in a wide variety of subjects from Civil War history to science fiction to Vipassana Meditation. He also visited 45+ countries on seven continents, loved adventure travel, and enjoyed hiking and snorkeling while at his house in Hawaii.

With his wife, Fran Codispoti, Ken supported many nonprofits in his community.

Ken's sharp intellect, big "Eddie Murphy" laugh, unique holiday readings, and blow out 4th of July parties will be missed by all who knew him.

He is survived by his wife, Fran Codispoti; son Christian, daughter-in-law Sarah and grandson Erik; daughter Margaux and son-in-law Brian; sister, Nancy; brother, Robert; and a host of loving family members and long-time friends.

A memorial service is will be held in early December. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Stanford Medicine at https://makeagift.stanford.edu/ (In the Special Instructions section, designate the Kenneth L. Schroeder ALS Fund).




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