H. Dean Toombs

Toombs, H. Dean
died October 25, 2011, at Barton House in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he had been for the past three months. He was born May 3, 1932 to Edsell and Annell Hester Toombs in McKinney, Kentucky and married Patricia Cloud Toombs April 7, 1951 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dean served during the Korean War and then attended Purdue University on the G.I. Bill. He graduated with Highest Distinction in Electrical Engineering in 1959 where he was a member of Tau Beta Pi, and then received a Master's Degree in 1960. Following graduation, he was employed by Texas Instruments in Dallas from 1960 to 1982. During his tenure there, he was responsible for a number of key advancements in semiconductor technology including the team that developed the world's first hand-held calculator in 1966, the first electronic camera control module for the Polaroid SX-70 camera in 1973, holds a number of key patents in semiconductor devices and manufacturing techniques, and was Vice President of Strategic Planning and Technology Development for the Worldwide Semiconductor Group. In 1980, he was honored by Purdue University as a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus for his contributions in the area of large scale integrated circuits and magnetic bubble memory technology. In 1992, he was also named an Outstanding Electrical Engineer by Purdue University. He was then employed by Intel Corporation from 1982-1994. He joined Intel as the General Manager of the Memory Products Division. Later he was Vice President and General Manager of the Microcomputer Division. Prior to retirement, he was the senior Intel representative at the Sematech Industry Consortium. Dean was a member of The Episcopal Parish of St. Barnabas on the Desert. His lifelong hobby was building high end audio equipment. He is survived by his wife of over 60 years, Pat, son David (Nancy) of Westfield, IN, daughter Liz of Albuquerque, NM, grandchildren Garrett, Kellyn and Brooke Toombs, brother James (Ellen) of Pittsboro, IN, sister Kay Swindell (John) of Santa Fe, NM, and many cousins, nieces and nephews. The family is very grateful for all the many angels at Barton House. A celebration of his life will be held Saturday, November 5 at 2:00 PM at St. Barnabas on the Desert, 6715 N. Mockingbird, Scottsdale. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Barnabas Foundation, Hospice of the Valley, or a charity of your choice.