Garry Betty
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| Garry Betty | |
| Born | March 4, 1957  Huntsville, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Died | January 2, 2007 (aged 49).svg/23px-Flag_of_Georgia_(U.S._state).svg.png){kind=small} Atlanta, Georgia |
| Occupation | CEO and President of EarthLink 1996 to 2007 |
Charles Garrett "Garry" Betty (4 March 1957 – 2 January 2007) was President and CEO of EarthLink, a large American Internet service provider, from 1996 until his death.
Betty was born in Huntsville, Alabama and grew up in Columbus, Georgia. He attended the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia where he received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1979. After that he worked for IBM, and received the IBM President's award in 1982 for his work on the original IBM PC.[1] Betty subsequently became president and CEO of Digital Communications Associates and for some time he was the New York Stock Exchange's youngest listed CEO. Betty also received Young Alumnus of the Year honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1993 and was inducted into the Georgia Technology Hall of Fame in 2005.
EarthLink reported in a press release on 21 November 2006 (also reported by major news agencies like the Wall Street Journal) that Betty had been diagnosed with a serious form of cancer which required him to take an undetermined leave of absence. The company announced that the Board of Directors named Mike Lunsford, Vice-President of Voice and Access, as interim CEO.[2] EarthLink announced on 3 January 2007 that Betty had died at the age of 49 from complications of adrenal cortical cancer.[3]
Prior to his death, Betty set up The Garry Betty Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding research into the genetic mutations that may lead to cancer.
