Gerald Jerry Lawson Net Worth: Gerald Anderson Lawson was an American electronic engineer. He was born on December 1, 1940, and passed away on April 9, 2011. He is well-known for his work in designing the Fairchild Channel F video game console and for leading the team that pioneered the commercial video game cartridge.
Additionally, he is known for his contributions to the design of the video game cartridge. According to an article that was published in 1982 in Black Enterprise magazine, he was given the title of “father of the gaming cartridge” as a result. In the end, he decided to leave Fairchild and start his own video game firm, Video-Soft.
You can also check:
- Ghislaine Maxwell Net Worth: How Much Wealthier is She?
- Tj Holmes Net Worth: American Journalist and National Television Personality
Gerald Jerry Lawson Early Life
Lawson’s birth date is December 1, 1940, and he was born in Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Mannings, worked for the city and was active in the local school’s Parents-Teachers Association; his father, Blanton, was a longshoreman with a passion for science. The racial prejudice at the time prevented his grandfather from pursuing a career in science, so he ended up working as a mailman instead.
His parents made sure he had an excellent education and supported his nerdy passions like ham radio and science. Lawson also mentioned that a teacher from when he was in first grade inspired him to follow in the footsteps of George Washington Carver.
As a young man, he made his living in Queens by fixing televisions. He got his amateur radio license when he was 13 and set up a station in his basement using components he purchased from area electronics shops. He tried his luck at both Queens College and City University of New York but ultimately dropped out.
Gerald Jerry Lawson Net Worth
Gerald Jerry Lawson Net Worth: The late Jerry Lawson was worth an estimated $2 million. His Fairchild Channel F, a forerunner to today’s video game consoles, made it possible for people to play video games at home with their friends and family members. His work as an electronics engineer provided the bulk of his income.
A pioneer in the field of home video games, Jerry Lawson collaborated in the development of the Fairchild Channel F in the 1970s. New York-born Lawson was one of the few African American engineers in the video game industry.
Subtract Jerry Lawson’s debts and expenses from his total assets to determine his true wealth. His total assets would consist of his investments, savings, cash deposits, and whatever equity he may have in a vehicle, home, or other similar items. Total liabilities encompass all outstanding debts, whether they are from business or personal sources.
Gerald Jerry Lawson Cause of Death
Living a healthy lifestyle has been shown to increase longevity. However, due to careers and other commitments, this cannot be true for everyone. Our bodies naturally become more restless as we age, making it all the more crucial that we prioritize our health as we age.
The causes of death range from natural causes to tragic accidents to intentional acts of self-harm. It’s startling to hear that even infants and toddlers are falling prey to a wide range of illnesses today. Lately, there have been a lot of high-profile deaths for a variety of causes. Jerry Lawson, an American engineer, is one of them. She entered the world on December 1, 1940, and went on to achieve great success and widespread recognition.
However, she is no longer here. The Wikipedia article we consulted confirmed that Jerry Lawson had passed away on April 9th, 2011. However, the most popular search term by her followers is “how did Jerry Lawson die?” After doing some research, we learned that Jerry Lawson had died of Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Gerald Jerry Lawson’s Career
In 1970, he started working as a sales consultant and applications engineer for Fairchild Semiconductor in San Francisco. In his garage, he developed the precursor to the modern arcade game, Demolition Derby, which used coins to operate. Demolition Derby was one of the earliest video games to be powered by a microprocessor, and it was finished in early 1975 using Fairchild’s new F8 microprocessors.
In the middle of the ’70s, Lawson was promoted to Chief Hardware Engineer and Director of Engineering and Marketing for Fairchild’s video game division. He oversaw the development of the Alpex-licensed, cartridge-swappable Fairchild Channel F gaming console, which was introduced in 1976. The majority of gaming consoles at the time had their software permanently embedded in the hardware, making it impossible to upgrade or modify the system.
The technology that Lawson and his team expanded upon originally came from Alpex and allowed video games to be kept in the form of computer code on replaceable ROM cartridges. These were safe enough to be frequently inserted and retrieved from a control panel without risk of electrical shock. This would open up a new revenue source for console manufacturers by allowing consumers to purchase game libraries.
The Channel F console was the first home video game console to include a pause button, in addition to its other controls, such as the innovative 8-way joystick built by Lawson. Channel F failed economically, but Atari’s 1977 release of the 2600 video game console popularised the cartridge concept.
During his time at Fairchild, he and fellow African-American employee Ron Jones were the only two black members of the Homebrew Computer Club, a group of pioneering computer enthusiasts that included future Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Lawson revealed that he had previously interviewed Wozniak for a post at Fairchild but ultimately decided against offering him a job.
Once the Atari 2600 had surpassed Channel F as the most popular system on the market, Lawson left Fairchild and established Video soft, a video game creation firm, in 1980. About five years later, Lawson began working as a consultant after Video soft shut down. One of his unrealized projects with Stevie Wonder was a “Wonder Clock” that would wake a child to the sound of a parent’s voice. Years later, Lawson was working on a memoir and collaborating with Stanford’s mentor program.
Hope you found the information valuable, share your views with us in our comment section, and don’t forget to visit our lakecountyfloridanews.com for future updates and Celebrity News.