Thomas Holloran — an executive from Medtronic’s earliest days who served on the medtech giant’s board for decades — has died at the age of 94.
Holloran passed away on the evening of Feb. 15, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported.
A biography on the website of the University of St. Thomas — where Holloran played an important role in creating the law school and founding the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership — recounts how Halloran in the late 1950s was a partner at Wheeler and Fredrikson, the firm that would become Fredrikson and Byron. It was there that he helped incorporate Medtronic, which at the time was a small operation working out of a garage.
The Star Tribune says Holloran joined Medtronic’s board in 1960, where he served for the rest of the 20th century. He eventually worked for the company as general counsel, working his way up to EVP and then president.
The late Medtronic founder Earl Bakken said of Holloran: “I have more respect for him than almost anyone I know.”
Former Medtronic CEO Bill George on LinkedIn described Holloran as a terrific mentor, a truly wise person and a true servant leader.
During Medtronic’s Q3 earnings call this morning, present CEO Geoff Martha said Holloran was one of the instrumental people in the early 1960s who helped create the Medtronic Mission credo with Bakken.
“I don’t think that there has ever been a harsh word said about him,” Holloran’s daughter Anne Holloran told the Star Tribune. “He lived a long, beautiful, rich, full life.”