SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
June 24, 1994
Date of Earliest Event Reported
COMDISCO, INC.
(a Delaware Corporation)
6111 North River Road
Rosemont, Illinois 60018
Telephone (708) 698-3000
Commission file number 1-7725
I.R.S. Employer Identification Number 36-2687938
Item 5. Other Events
On June 24, 1994, Comdisco, Inc. reported the death of Mr. Kenneth
N. Pontikes, Chairman of the Board and President. Mr. Pontikes, who had
been diagnosed with colon cancer in early December, 1993, had been
undergoing treatment for the disease. The Company will continue under the
leadership of the Office of the President. The Office of the President is
under the direction of Mr. John F. Slevin, who was named Interim Chief
Operating Officer in December, 1993.
Exhibit 99. Press Release announcing the death of Mr. Pontikes
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this Current Report on Form 8-K to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
COMDISCO, INC.
Date: June 24, 1994 by: /s/ John J. Vosicky
John J. Vosicky
Senior Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer
Exhibit 99
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mary Moster Neal Lulofs
Comdisco Inc. Comdisco Inc.
708-518-5147 708-518-5616
COMDISCO ANNOUNCES DEATH OF PONTIKES
Rosemont, Illinois, June 24, 1994: Kenneth N. Pontikes, chairman of the
board and president of Comdisco, Inc., died early today from colon cancer.
Pontikes, 54, who had been diagnosed with caner in early December of 1993,
had been undergoing treatment for the disease.
Speaking on behalf of the board of directors, Philip A. Hewes, senior
vice president, legal, and secretary, issued the following statement: "All
of us at Comdisco, and Ken's many other friends, mourn the loss of this
charismatic entrepreneur and visionary leader. He lived his life with great
courage and determination, and embodied the belief that "opportunities are
everywhere' for those with conviction and a strong work ethic. His legacy is
the entrepreneurial spirit that continues to guide the company he founded.
We will miss him and share this sadness with his family."
The company will continue under the leadership of the Office of the
President, which was formed in 1992 to manage Comdisco's business. The
Office of the President is under the direction of Jack Slevin, who was named
chief operating officer in December of 1993.
The son of immigrants from Greece, Pontikes started Comdisco with a
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$5,000 loan in 1969 at age 29. He served as chairman of the board and
president since the company was founded. Under his direction, Comdisco has
grown into the world's largest independent high-technology leasing company and
the leading provider of disaster recovery services worldwide.
Prior to forming Comdisco, Pontikes was employed as manager of computer
brokerage operations for Data Power, Inc. in Chicago. From 1963 to 1968 he
was a salesman for the Information Records Division of the IBM Corporation.
A native of Chicago, Pontikes graduated in 1963 from Southern Illinois
University in Carbondale with a B.A. degree in economics and marketing. He
continued to be an active supporter and contributor to the university
throughout his career, including donations to found the Pontikes Center on the
university campus. He was named the Southern Illinois University College of
Business and Administration Entrepreneur of the Year in 1986.
Pontikes served on the board of directors for Richardson Electronics,
Ltd., Pier 1 Imports and Caremark International. He was actively involved in
the community and was personally deeply supportive of both the Maryville
Academy in Des Plaines, Illinois, and the Better Boys Foundation in Chicago.
As a result of his "I Will Spirit," Pontikes was named Crain's Chicago
Business Executive of the Year for 1991. He also received the Peat Marwick
High-Tech Entrepreneur Award in 1988.
Pontikes is survived by his wife, Lynne, and three children: Nicholas of
Chicago, who is president of Comdisco Disaster Recovery Services; Victoria
Gallegos of San Francisco; and Melissa Scanlan of West Dundee, Ill.; and two
grandchildren.
The Pontikes family has requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions
in the memory of Kenneth Pontikes may be made to the Maryville Academy City
of Youth, 1150 North River Road, Des Plains, Ill., 60016.
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