An Wang

Arriving in the United States from China in 1945, Wang started his company, Wang Laboratories in 1951 with $600. The firm began by making calculators and other electronic items. In 1971 Wang Laboratories branched into word processors and computers, dominating the word processing market by the end of the decade. In 1986 Wang employed 30,000 people and enjoyed $3 billion in sales. Wang retired in 1982 and died of cancer in 1990. Wang was a generous philanthropist. Boston's Wang Center for the Performing Arts was named after him.