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Ashawna Hailey

Ashawna Hailey

American computer scientist and philanthropist

Ashawna Hailey (October 8, 1949 – October 14, 2011) was an American computer scientist and philanthropist. She was among the creators of the HSPICE program (a commercialized version of SPICE), which many electronic design companies worldwide use to simulate the electronic circuits.[2][3] Her company, Meta-Software, which was behind the commercialization of SPICE, produced compound annual growth rate in excess of 25–30 percent every year for 18 years, and had eventually become part of Synopsys, which calls HSPICE "the 'gold standard' for accurate circuit simulation".[3][4][5]

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Early life and education

Hailey attended Texas Tech University along with her twin brother, Kim Hailey, starting her first company while still in college.[3]

Career

In 1973, Hailey was part of the team who created Advanced Micro Devices' first microprocessor, the Am9080, by reverse-engineering Intel 8080, and in 1974, AMD's first nonvolatile memory, the 2702 2048-bit EPROM.[3] Earlier, she, with others, built the launch sequencer for the Sprint Anti-Ballistic Missile System for Martin Marietta.[6]

As a philanthropist, Hailey sought to reform government policies on recreational drugs. During her life she donated to the ACLU Foundation, Code Pink, the Drug Policy Alliance, Feeding America,[6] Rainforest Action Network, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition,[7] the Marijuana Policy Project, Erowid,[8] the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS),[9] and served on the board of MAPS.[10]

Legacy

After Hailey's death she left a US$10-Million bequest shared between MAPS, the ACLU, Drug Policy Alliance, Marijuana Policy Project, and Second Harvest Food Bank.[11] In what its board considered a fitting tribute to Hailey, the Marijuana Policy Project dedicated a million dollars of her bequest to the initiative that for the first time enabled voters to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Colorado.[11]

References

  1. [1]
    "Obituaries 2011:Shawn Hailey - Ashawna". Beddingfield Funeral Service. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
  2. [2]
    "Ashawna Hailey (1949–2011)". San Jose Mercury News.
  3. [3]
    "Interview with Shawn and Kim Hailey". Stanford University Libraries. December 29, 1997. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved 2011-10-19. "Video from which transcript was taken". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  4. [4]
    Synopsys filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission: Form 8K/A of July 26, 2002 Archived June 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  5. [5]
    "Synopsis product page for HSPICE". Archived from the original on 2013-09-23. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
  6. [6]
    "Shawn Hailey's Online Memorial". Remembered.com. Retrieved 2011-10-20.
  7. [7]
    "Law Enforcement Against Prohibition's 2010 Annual Report". Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Archived from the original on 2011-05-13. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
  8. [8]
    "Erowid Contributors 2011". The Erowid Center. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  9. [9]
    "MAPS Receives 5-year, $150,000 a Year Pledge from Ashawna Hailey, Totaling $750,000!". 2009-03-06. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
  10. [10]
    "Treating war veterans and victims of terror and sexual abuse" (PDF). Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. February 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-12. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
  11. [11]
    "$10-Million Bequest Shared by Groups Including Association for Psychedelic Studies". Archived from the original on 2014-06-05. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
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