Personal Life of Bill Gates Essay Example
Bill Gates: Personal Life
Born on October 28, 1955 in Seattle, Washington, William H. Gates III was the second child and only son of his parents, William Henry Gates Jr. and Mary Maxwell. His father is a prominent Seattle attorney, and his late mother was a school teacher, regent at the University of Washington and chairperson of the United Way International. Kristi, his older sister, later became his tax accountant and Libby, his younger sister, lives in Seattle raising her two children. (Bill Gates Biography)
As a child, Gates was a lot like other boys his age, participated in sports, joined the Cub Scouts, and spent summers with his family in Bremerton, Washington. His parents had planned a career in law for him, and sent him to Seattle’s Lakeside School, a private school which they hoped would be more challenging for their son's intellectual drive and curiosity.
However, here he developed a keen interest in computer science and began studying computers in the 7th grade along with Paul Allen, who would eventually become one of his business partners. (Bill Gates Biography) Gates entered Harvard University in 1973 to study pre-law. By 1975, Gates had decided to pursue a career in computer software and dropped out of Harvard. (Gates, Bill - Overview, Personal Life, Career Details, Social and Economic Impact, Chronology)
Gates' competitive drive and fierce desire to win has made him a powerful force in business, but it has also consumed much of his personal life. In the six years between 1978 and 1984, he took a total of only two weeks’ vacation. But on January 1, 1994, Bill Gates married Melinda French, a Microsoft manager from Dallas, Texas and together they have three children: daughter Jennifer Katharine Gates born 1996, son Rory John Gates born 1999, and daughter Phoebe Adele Gates born 2002. In his leisure time Gates enjoys reading, playing golf, and bridge. (Bill Gates - Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia, 2011)
The Gates' home, an earth-sheltered house
Born on October 28, 1955 in Seattle, Washington, William H. Gates III was the second child and only son of his parents, William Henry Gates Jr. and Mary Maxwell. His father is a prominent Seattle attorney, and his late mother was a school teacher, regent at the University of Washington and chairperson of the United Way International. Kristi, his older sister, later became his tax accountant and Libby, his younger sister, lives in Seattle raising her two children. (Bill Gates Biography)
As a child, Gates was a lot like other boys his age, participated in sports, joined the Cub Scouts, and spent summers with his family in Bremerton, Washington. His parents had planned a career in law for him, and sent him to Seattle’s Lakeside School, a private school which they hoped would be more challenging for their son's intellectual drive and curiosity.
However, here he developed a keen interest in computer science and began studying computers in the 7th grade along with Paul Allen, who would eventually become one of his business partners. (Bill Gates Biography) Gates entered Harvard University in 1973 to study pre-law. By 1975, Gates had decided to pursue a career in computer software and dropped out of Harvard. (Gates, Bill - Overview, Personal Life, Career Details, Social and Economic Impact, Chronology)
Gates' competitive drive and fierce desire to win has made him a powerful force in business, but it has also consumed much of his personal life. In the six years between 1978 and 1984, he took a total of only two weeks’ vacation. But on January 1, 1994, Bill Gates married Melinda French, a Microsoft manager from Dallas, Texas and together they have three children: daughter Jennifer Katharine Gates born 1996, son Rory John Gates born 1999, and daughter Phoebe Adele Gates born 2002. In his leisure time Gates enjoys reading, playing golf, and bridge. (Bill Gates - Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia, 2011)
The Gates' home, an earth-sheltered house