CEA Mourns Loss Of Industry Veteran John McDonald

[The following is a release from the Consumer Electronics Association]

December 8, 2008

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® today mourns the loss of John McDonald, Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame inductee and Chairman of the Consumer Electronics Group that later became CEA. John passed away Thursday after a battle with Parkinson's disease. "John was a strong leader. He was caring, honest, funny and smart. He taught me about selling and the importance of relationships. I can still hear him saying, 'A.B.C. - Always Be Closing,'" said Gary Shapiro, CEA president and CEO. Other industry leaders joined Shapiro in expressing condolences: "John McDonald was dedicated to his company, his employees and to our industry," said Jack Wayman, former CEA president and founder of CEA's flagship event, the International CES(R). "He gave of himself to our industry as a leader, a volunteer for CEA, and a tireless proponent of the International CES. We will all miss John very much." "Today more than ever we will miss John's friendship, candor, wisdom, charity, salesmanship and last, if not least, his sense of humor. John will always be remembered as an industry icon who broke the mold," said Robert Borchardt, managing partner, Voxred International, and former CEA chairman. "CEA and the CE Industry have lost a great friend and mentor with the passing of John. He was highly intelligent, opinionated, and a great teller of jokes. John's personality lit up many meetings and social events for those of us who knew him. On a personal note, he mentored me on a number of difficult issues I faced with my small business, and I will always be appreciative for his help." said Kathy Gornik, president, THIEL Audio Products, and former CEA chairwoman. After a career with the U.S. Army, McDonald entered the consumer electronics industry in the early 1970s. He began working for Sperry Rand and was responsible for introducing Sperry-branded Casio calculators to the European market. In 1975, he became president of Casio Europe and managing director of Casio Electronics in the U.K. It was in 1978 he returned to the U.S. and became the new president of Casio Electronics U.S. He was elected to chair the Consumer Electronics Group in 1986. McDonald served CEA in numerous volunteer posts including chairman of the Investment Committee and was a long term member of the CEA Executive Board. After 25 years with Casio, McDonald retired in 1999. A family memorial has been planned. In memory of John McDonald, contributions can be made to the National Parkinson Foundation, Inc., www.Parkinson.org.

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