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STEVE APPLETON
POSTED BY EIZ ON THURSDAY, 19 JANUARY, 2012, 7:14 AM
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Micron Technology said yesterday it has appointed D. Mark Durcan to replace chief executive Steve
Appleton, who died Friday when the small experimental plane he was piloting crashed at the Boise
airport. Durcan was previously Micron's president and ...
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STEVE APPLETON
Posted byo Eiz n Thursday, 19 January, 2012, 7:14 AM
Micron Technology said yesterday it has
appointed D. Mark Durcan to replace chief
executive Steve Appleton, who died Friday
when the small experimental plane he
was piloting crashed at the Boise airport.
Durcan was previously Micron’s president
and chief operating officer. While the loss
of Appleton, the long time CEO, is
devastating, the largest American
manufacturer of memory chips has had
the advantage of having stable
management for a long time. Part of the
reason is that its Boise, Idaho-based location is far removed from other chip companies that might
poach employees. But Micron has also been an exceedingly well-run company in a volatile price-
sensitive industry.
Durcan, 51, will be joined by Robert Switz, who will succeed Appleton as chairman of the board.
And Mark W. Adams will serve as president. Switz has been a director since 2006 and is the former
CEO of ADC Telecommunications.
Appleton’s shoes will be hard to fill. He was a popular executive who was awarded the chip
industry’s highest honor, the Robert N. Noyce award, by the Semiconductor Industry Association
last fall.
During that award ceremony, Analog Devices chairman Ray Stata said that Appleton was a
“daredevil at heart.” Appleton flew stunt planes, raced motorcycles, wakeboarding, scuba diving
and offroad racing. He was a black belt in taekwondo. In the Tecate Score Baja 1000 offroad race,
Appleton finished first in the dune buggy race.
But that daredevil life took its toll in the end. On Friday, Appleton was killed while attempting an
emergency landing in a Lancair IV-PT turboprop plane.
“We are deeply saddened by Steve’s loss and will miss his hand at the helm,” Mr. Durcan said in
the company’s statement. “I have provided the board my ongoing commitment to work with the
management team and continue to move the company forward.”