Jack St. Clair Kilby, retired TI engineer and inventor of the integrated circuit, died yesterday in Dallas following a brief battle with cancer. He was 81. Mr. Kilby invented the first monolithic integrated circuit, which laid the foundation for the field of modern microelectronics, moving the industry into a world of miniaturization and integration that continues today. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000 for his role in the invention of the integrated circuit. His impact is often not understood in Silicon Valley culture that obsesses about the future, without giving a thought to the past. I had a chance to talk with him on a few occasions and always came away impressed by his humility, candor and subtle wit. He may have gone, but he has left a legacy that is and will continue to change the world. We will all miss him! (TI has put up a special page highlighting his achievements.)