Portola Valley

Charles C. Harwood, widely known as Chuck, died peacefully at his home in Portola Valley, California, on March 31, 2023. He was 95 years old.

Chuck was the President of Signetics Corporation from 1970 to 1985. Signetics was the first company in the world established solely for the manufacture and sale of integrated circuits and would go on to become one of the major competitors that defined the region called Silicon Valley. Prior to his appointment as president of Signetics, Chuck spent eighteen years working at Corning Glass Works in Corning, NY. One of Chuck's proudest accomplishments at Signetics was directing the company to become an early adopter of quality improvement techniques in the IC industry. He then went on to co-found a consulting company in the quality improvement field.

Chuck took great delight in the role of managing people throughout his career. He was gregarious and inherited a wonderful sense of humor from his parents. Of his job leading Signetics he once said, "this job - with its tremendous pace, change, and opportunities - is the most fun game in town."

Chuck was born on September 10, 1927, in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. He grew up in Cambridge and Concord, Massachusetts. Chuck attended Exeter Academy for two years before entering Harvard College. After a brief stint in the U.S. Army stationed in post-war Italy, Chuck returned to Harvard and completed his B.A. He married Barbara Stone Chase on June 24, 1950. He completed his M.B.A. at Harvard in 1952. He and Barbara raised six children and he enjoyed quizzing them on history and kidding them endlessly. He was an avid sports enthusiast, both as a spectator and a participant, including track and field, football, tennis and skiing. Chuck thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship at Christ Church in Portola Valley where his ashes will be inurned. He was a collector of four-leaf clovers ("foursies") wherever he went, and his favorite numbers were 3 and 7.

Chuck is survived by his wife, Barbara, four daughters, Caroline (Carrie) Harwood, Betty McCarron, Jane Pearcy, and Katharine (Kit) Thompson, and a son, Charles (Charlie) Harwood Jr. He is also survived by 15 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughter Weezie Harwood and his granddaughter Barbara Greenberg.

A private memorial service will be held in honor of Chuck. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the University of Washington Barbara Greenberg Endowed Scholarship for Disability Studies https://www.giving.uw.edu/BarbaraGreenberg in memory of Chuck's granddaughter.