Gary Burrell


Gary Leon Burrell was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the co-founder and chairman emeritus of Garmin, makers of popular Global Positioning System devices.

Early life

Gary Burrell was born in 1937. He earned his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Wichita State University and a master's degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Career

Burrell worked for Lowrance Electronics and King Radio Corporation. In the early 1980s, he worked for Allied Signal.
Along with partner Min Kao, Burrell founded Garmin in 1989 to make navigation devices for aviation and boating using the Global Positioning System. Their original office was two folding chairs and a card table. Some U.S. servicemen used Garmin GPS during the first Gulf War, even though Garmin never had a military contract. Later on, the technology was expanded for the U.S. market, providing directions across all United States roads and highways.

Philanthropy

Burrell was a significant donor to the Indian Creek Community Church in Olathe, Kansas.

Personal life

Burrell was married, and had three children. He resided in Spring Hill, Kansas. As of 2016, Burrell was a billionaire. He died on June 12, 2019, at the age of 81 from complications of Parkinson's disease.