Orion Hoch

1928 - 2019

Dr. Orion Lindel Hoch

Dec 21, 1928 - July 16, 2019

Dr. Orion Lindel Hoch, a physicist and highly sought-after Fortune 500 executive, died on July 16 at his home in Atherton, Calif. He was 90.

Orion passed away peacefully with his loving wife of nearly forty years, Catherine Nan Hoch, at his side. In addition to his wife, Dr. Hoch is survived by his children Andrea, Brenda, and John, from his first marriage to Jane Lee Ogan (d. 1978); his stepchildren, Helen Richardson and Joe Richardson (children to Catherine Nan); his brother, Bill; nine grandchildren; and one great grandchild.

Born in Canonsburg, PA, on December 21, 1928, Orion was the eldest of three sons of policeman Orion L.F. Hoch and Anna Maria (McNulty) Hoch, the grandson of civil war cavalryman George W. Hoch. Orion pursued academics with determination and vigor from the very start, gaining his place at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, where he earned a B.S. degree in physics in 1952, by completing his GI Bill with two years of service in the US Army. Today, the Chair of Mathematical Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University bears his name. Orion was then awarded a fellowship at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), earning an M.S. degree in physics in 1954; concurrently, he was employed by the Hughes Aircraft Company, Culver City, CA, researching traveling-wave tubes. Following UCLA, he continued his education at Stanford University, where he earned a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 1957; during that time he was also employed at Stanford Electronics Laboratories, where he continued his research on cross-field microwave tubes.

In 1957, Dr. Hoch began the first chapter of his lengthy career with Litton Industries that would later culminate with his rise to that company's highest office. Between 1957 and 1968, he held various positions at Litton's Electronic Devices Division, including Senior Engineer, Product Line Manager, Department Manager, Division Vice President, and General Manager. From 1968 to 1970, he was a Vice President of the Litton Components Group with the responsibility for the Advanced Circuitry, Airtron, and Electron Devices divisions, and for a Litton components plant in Singapore. In 1970 Orion was elected a Corporate Vice President in charge of investor relations and public affairs, and in 1971 a Senior Vice President with additional industrial and labor relations functions. He was named Deputy Head of Litton's Business Systems and Equipment Group in 1973.

Dr. Hoch sought to become a chief executive officer so, in 1974, left Litton Industries to become President and CEO of Advanced Memory Systems, a producer of semiconductor integrated circuits and computer systems. That company merged with Intersil, Inc., in 1976, where he remained as President and CEO until 1981, at which time Intersil was acquired by General Electric.

In 1982, Orion returned to Litton Industries – then ranked #79 in Fortune magazine's list of America's 500 largest companies – as President, Chief Operating Officer, and Director of the Board's Executive Committee. In 1986, he was elected Chief Executive Officer, and in 1988, Chairman of the Board. Under his leadership, Litton Industries divested 14 major non-related businesses representing over $1 Billion in sales to refocus on sophisticated electronics. In 1994, he became Chairman Emeritus of Litton Industries and Chairman of the Executive Committee of its subsidiary, Western Atlas.

He also served on the Board of Directors of the Measurex Corporation, Priam Corporation, Maxim Integrated Products, and Litton Industries, and was an Emeritus Life Trustee of Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Hoch also served on the Council of International Advisory Board of the Swiss Bank Corporation, the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, and as a Director of the U.S. Russia Business Council.