Her father was an aerospace engineer, who did a side business of renting properties and her mother was a homemaker. Bill Gates’ mom, Mary Gates, helped her son form a lucrative relationship with I.B.M., securing a contract with his fledgling company, Microsoft, according to the New York Times. She donated over $ 10 million to Ursuline Academy of Dallas, from where she completed her high school. After graduating from college, she joined Microsoft in 1987 and was part of several developmental projects in multimedia that include Microsoft Bob, Expedia, Encarta and Publisher. A post shared by Bill Gates (@thisisbillgates) on Nov 30, 2018 at 6:57am PST. “If you look at who have been the most influential people over the last 50 years, he’s definitely in the top 10,” Susannah Malarkey, executive director of the Seattle-based Technology Alliance, told GeekWire. Lately in an interview she has expressed concern on the possibilities of a large scale bioterrorist attack that could hit America or any other part of the world. Gates was the first woman to chair the national United Way’s executive committee. Bill Gates Sr., with his son, Bill Gates/Mary Maxwell Gates. She studied at St Monica Catholic School, where she excelled in academics and was among the top students of her class. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/melinda-gates-30089.php, The Hottest Male Celebrities With The Best Abs, The Top 25 Wrestling Announcers Of All Time, Celebrities Who Are Not In The Limelight Anymore. She is best known for her philanthropic work as the co-founder of the ‘Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.’ She completed her bachelor’s degree in economics and computer science from the Duke University and pursued MBA from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, where she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, Beta Rho Chapter. She has two younger brothers and an elder sister with whom she was raised in the Roman Catholic faith. Gates was later appointed to the board of the United Way of America. She attributes her first trip to Africa in 1993 with Bill Gates as a turning point in her life that made her work towards eradicating poverty in several developing countries. メリンダ・アン・ゲイツ(Melinda Ann Gates, 1964年8月15日 - )は、アメリカ合衆国の実業家、慈善家で、ビル&メリンダゲイツ財団共同会長。ビル・ゲイツの妻で、旧姓名はメリンダ・アン・フレンチ(Melinda Ann French)。 Bill Gates Sr. was remarried in 1996 to Mimi Gardner Gates. Famous as: Philanthropist, Wife of Bill Gates, children: Jennifer Katharine Gates, Phoebe Adele Gates, Rory John Gates, education: Fuqua School of Business (1987), Duke University (1986), See the events in life of Melinda Gates in Chronological Order, Melinda Gates is the wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Their elder daughter is very fond of horse-back riding. He was also heavily involved in Planned Parenthood, according to PBS. She is on the board of directors of the Washington Post company and is an active participant in the Bilderberg Group conferences for fostering dialogue between Europe and North America. She and her husband have pledged to give their children the best of education that will put them on their own feet. Kristianne Gates Blake, Bill Gates Sr., Bill Gates and Elizabeth Gates Armintrout are seen during the The Lasker Awards 2013 on September 20, 2013 in New York City. Mary Maxwell Gates earned a position of power in the business world which few women were able to obtain in her time. I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Schultz told the news outlet. American business tycoon and philanthropist Warren Edward Buffett is a good friend of Melinda and Bill Gates and is responsible for contributing large sums of money to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It also aims at increasing educational opportunities and access to information technology in the US by making internet available in all public libraries. She was set to receive the Municipal League of King County’s Citizen of the Year when she died at age 64 from cancer on June 10, 1994, according to her obituary. My mom was one of the most generous people I’ve ever known. According to an email from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, she and her husband were considered as suitable vice presidential candidates. #UWHuskies #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/ErUJnGeZ1I, — Bragg & Associates (@braggassociates) April 6, 2017. She liked his sense of humour and approachability and later realised his busy pace of life that forced him to schedule his commitments in a deliberate manner. Come with us now as we meet Bill Gates parents, Bill Sr. and Mary, whose vast wealth and influence made sure their legacy of eugenics would be carried on in their son who is doing exactly that. Bill Gates’ parents, like Gates, were actively involved in their community and in charitable causes. She graduated from the Ursuline Academy of Dallas as a valedictorian in 1982. The Microsoft Disc Operating System (MS-DOS) was Microsoft’s first success, the New York Times reported. She and her husband have donated large sums of money to the foundation in order to support the noble cause. In 2006 the couple received the Spanish Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in recognition of their charitable work and she was awarded the Insignia of the Order of the Aztec Eagle by Mexico for promoting health and education. Born in Dallas on Aug. 15, 1964. Bill Gates’ parents, like Gates, were actively involved in their community and in charitable causes. While working with Microsoft, Melinda met Bill Gates at a PC trade show in Manhattan in 1987. “There’s no doubt about that.”. Melinda Ann French was born on August 15, 1964 in Dallas, Texas. She is the second of four children born to Raymond Joseph French Jr., an aerospace engineer, and Elaine Agnes Amerland, a homemaker. When Starbucks was a small company with only six stores and a total business value of $3.8 million, a man who is now Starbucks executive chairman nearly lost the business in an underhanded deal, according to Yahoo Finance. Mary Maxwell Gates was a regent at the University of Washington since 1975. Schultz was still $2 million short on financing, but Gates said he and his son would invest. READ NEXT: Bill Gates’ Net Worth: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Bill Gates’ Parents: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright © 2020 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. That year she became the first woman to serve as a director of First Interstate Bank and the first woman to serve as the president of the King County’s United Way. “She is widely viewed as one of the strongest people in this community for getting things done,” Eileen V. Quigley of the league told the New York Times. She constantly participates in different competitions and wins there. Gates built a relationship with John Opel, the CEO of IBM, who also served on the United Way board. We encourage students’ development of creative, courageous ideas and efforts. Tomorrow, I encourage you to join us in one of our favorite traditions #GivingTuesday. pic.twitter.com/WigbI8OmFJ, — Seattle Public Schools Athletics (@SPSAthletics206) March 9, 2017. She is the second of four children born of “My heart was racing. Both of Gates’ parents served on several boards and were heavily involved in philanthropic and community endeavors, including donating to their Alma mater, the University of Washington, serving on United Way boards and leading Planned Parenthood. While speaking about President Trump, she has indicated that it is important for her foundation to maintain a strong relationship with the administration. “The Mary Gates Endowment for Students supports University of Washington undergraduates to become independent learners and community leaders. They were married for 44 years, according to the University of Washington website. A post shared by Bill Gates (@thisisbillgates) on Nov 26, 2018 at 2:11pm PST. She spoke on the subject at the 2017 Grace Hopper Celebration and emphasised the need for women around the world to be given the opportunity to work, besides running their homes and bringing up children. Melinda and Bill Gates were named Person of the Year 2005 by the Time magazine for their outstanding philanthropic work. She has received an honorary doctorate in medicine from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden; honorary degree from the University of Cambridge and honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Duke University as a tribute to her charitable work and financial contributions. My dad, who is turning 93 today, is one of the kindest, wisest people I know. The family has got 3 children Jennifer Katharine, Rory John and Phoebe Adele Gates. “The William H. Gates family has an unparalleled record of service to the University of Washington, the community, the region and the world,” the website says. Gates Sr. sits on a number of boards, including serving as co-chair for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She used to ask me at the dinner table how much of my allowance I planned on giving to the Salvation Army at Christmas. However, they are not in favour of giving them too much money which will defeat the purpose of them working to make their own mark. However, she has mentioned that the President could be more considerate towards women. “I had never heard of Bill Gates Sr. And Bill Gates at the time was not Bill Gates. The Gates Cambridge Scholarships, established by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with an initial endowment of $ 210 million enables students from all around the globe to study at the Cambridge University with full funding for postgraduate study. She also pledged a large sum of financial assistance towards improving the availability of contraceptives for women in poorer countries. In 2016, she began working on a project to enhance the participation of women in technology. She developed interest in computers and maths while in high school. He raised $2.68 billion in eight years serving on boards for the University of Washington, according to the university’s website. Melinda met Bill Gates while working for Microsoft at a PC trade show in Manhattan and went on to date him for six years before they got married in a private ceremony held at Lanai, Hawaii. Along with her husband, Melinda initiated her charitable endeavours in 1994, largely at the behest of Bill’s father, William H. Gates, but also from the example of Bill’s mother, a devoted philanthropist who had died earlier that year. Do you understand?’ I was like, ‘Oh, my God! “If it weren’t for Bill Gates Sr. there would be no Starbucks,” Schultz said. The award was to recognize her as an “exceptionally talented, civic-minded citizen.”. In 2013, she launched a partnership with Hillary Clinton to gather and supply data for the Clinton Foundation on the progress of women and the girl child around the world since the 1995 United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. She was touched by the poverty and suffering in Africa and other backward regions while touring with her husband, and they both decided to do something for better health and education of the poor and needy. She and her husband received the Padma Bhushan from the Government of India in 2015 in recognition of their philanthropic work in the country. She served on the board with IBM CEO John Opel, which garnered her a relationship with the man that would give her son his first shot at success. Mother of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and 1946 Roosevelt alumni. Bill Gates was born to powerful parents: Bill Gates Sr., an attorney, and Mary Maxwell Gates, a prominent Seattle busines woman who helped her son launch Microsoft. She is the co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that was initially started as the William H. Gates Foundation in 1994 and later restructured and renamed in 2000 with the aim of globally enhancing healthcare and eradicating extreme poverty. She has received several honorary awards and degrees, and has figured on the Forbes’ list of ‘one of the most powerful women in the world.’, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Gates, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bill_og_Melinda_Gates_2009-06-03_(bilde_01).JPG, https://www.flickr.com/photos/usaid_images/14326539268/in/photolist-V3S978-24uFKtU-8hfuAs-cNPUbh-cNPTdb-q7DEcV-nPZfZJ-pjBqWr-fVGNsJ-g8LvJd-bjzUpF-cCZmqE-9UsxcC-e1cScP-cVKBdu-cCZV1b-qCh87V-6tqBNs-jt69mr-e1ixy1-cVKCwC-pXX5DZ-4S62LA-dNmbuo-6trgWj-9hcomw-2adnMNN-aKpBfc-QG6VuP-k9fF6-akhFzF-6trh81-qCh64M-8MX7RB-6tqC6b-9h9gBk-dTV2TU-55VqeB-8hc5xP-9h9fdv-bj1JJX-jt89xh-6trh1Y-dNfAzv-3QiFUF-wCKAq-oo43n7-9HVtzc-jt888y-qUztGp, https://www.flickr.com/photos/worldeconomicforum/16163095119/in/photolist-qCh64M-8MX7RB-6tqC6b-9h9gBk-dTV2TU-55VqeB-8hc5xP-9h9fdv-bj1JJX-jt89xh-6trh1Y-dNfAzv-3QiFUF-wCKAq-oo43n7-9HVtzc-jt888y-qUztGp-hyv8G9-8hceFc-aKpwje-8zD3AP-ha4p2X-aKpwzD-9WktSD-ap5o7e-8hc4De-ha3eL7-wX6QL-aDiGp6-ha3jTb-9hcpMo-cRWZaW-fakZhj-rcJeWw-ha3gfZ-aoTq2o-7ziAPX-aKpvL2-cgTcUh-ha4puk-bj1BrF-cgTDgY-P9t8vG-aKpxoD-gU1VaE-aKpzuV-CrfU9X-bj1FKV-7z8eAP, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Remy_Steinegger_-_World_Economic_Forum_-_Melinda_French_Gates,_Bill_Gates_-_World_Economic_Forum_Annual_Meeting_Davos_2009_(by-sa).jpg, https://www.flickr.com/photos/ala_members/31958937807/in/photolist-QG6UM6-duhsQg-bnGinr-cRWY77-aKpw3g-aKpvEF-jsFywt-aKpvwZ-aoKVUe-ap8861-aqQb3d-cRWX7G-apncDd-jsG3MN-akjGQn-bj1HWz-Pbf1cs-apjtnp-Pbf3Vo-aKpA3K-jsFwrM-9hcocw-aKpzPT-gU2X4M-aoLDpX-aKpypX-f3zJqD-9dViMi-gU228o-ako4F3-qCHshX-ng21Cd-gU279V-q5bMTp-gU1ZFL-gU2UaF-ha4rQn-gU2S5D-29TMNHR-pavFbr-ppBtDu-7ziBfa-ha3jf7-ha3fJD-q53gHb-qmAG5p-7ziBe4-Cp6TSy-Mwip2V-aki37k, https://www.flickr.com/photos/usaid_images/14326539268/.