Generosity, which includes the free, no strings-attached sharing of resources, money, and information among people, is the seed of prosperity. What was the initial seed planted that caused the “Silicon Valley Miracle No, it was not the invention of the oscilloscope by David Hewlett and William Packard, but, rather, an act of no-strings attached generosity, the founding of Stanford University by Leland Stanford. (See the “Founding of Leland Jr. University below.) With help and funding from Stanford University and their advisor Fred Terman, , David Packard and William Hewlett were, able to invent the first oscillator, and Hewlett-Packard was the first electronics company, the seed around the others grew.

The Founding of Leland Jr. Stanford University

The Stanfords had only one son, Leland Jr., whom they loved dearly. He was fond of playing at their sprawling Palo Alto ranch, especially on his miniature railroad with 400 feet of track. In 1884, while the family was vacationing in Europe, young Leland, just two weeks shy of his 16th birthday contracted typhoid fever and died. The family was devastated. That tearful morning Leland Sr. turned to his wife Jane and said, “The Children of California shall be our children. With that passionate thought, the Stanfords decided to donate their millions in remembrance of their young son who never reached his 16th birthday. Today, you are all fortunate to be blessed with an American Treasure - Stanford University.