Obituary: Kirk Patrick Pond

Kirk Patrick Pond

CAPE ELIZABETH – Kirk Patrick Pond of Cape Elizabeth died on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022, at the age of 78. Kirk was born in Fort Smith, Ark. on July 22, 1944 to Chester and Adele (Kirkpatrick) Pond and was raised in Stuttgart, Ark.

In his early years he had a paper route and worked in his parents’ clothing store. He loved comic books, and would often sneak into the movies, where he would sit in the front of the theater for hours and eat as much popcorn as a boy could possibly consume. He was valedictorian of the Stuttgart High School class of 1962 and often quoted his favorite line of his graduation speech about the pioneers: “The cowards never started, and the weak died along the way.” Those same qualities of hard work and courage would be reflected throughout Kirk’s life.

Kirk went on to the University of Arkansas, where, as a second generation Razorback, he received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering in 1966 and was a proud member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, forging many enduring friendships. Most importantly, he met the first love of his life, Loretta Allene Thompson: “the first girl that would go out on more than one date with me.” They fell deeply in love and were married in 1965, before their senior year. The newlyweds took a marriage and family course together in college, and over the years Kirk enjoyed noting that he received a higher grade than Loretta in the class. He was a lifelong fan of the Razorbacks, and to hear Kirk “call the Hogs” was unforgettable.

After graduation, Kirk and Loretta moved to Philadelphia, where Kirk earned an MBA at The University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Finance. After graduating in 1968, he took a job at Texas Instruments (TI) in Dallas, working on a relatively new technology called semiconductors. During his career at TI, he moved his young family to Singapore, Taiwan, and several places in Texas, and eventually rose to the position of Corporate Vice President. His children, however, were most impressed by his involvement in the creation of the Speak-and-Spell, which allowed them to see a sneak preview of a little movie called E.T.

In 1982, Kirk left TI, moved to Connecticut, and went to work at Timex running its Computer Division. Two years later, Kirk joined Fairchild Semiconductor in South Portland, Maine as Vice President of the Digital Logic Division; he would stay in the semiconductor industry for the remainder of his career. Best of all, Fairchild brought the Pond family to Maine. Kirk fell in love with Maine immediately; it reminded him of his childhood and the small town life he knew in Arkansas.

Fairchild was eventually acquired by National Semiconductor Corporation and in 1994, Kirk was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of National. At National, he was instrumental in choosing to build a new semiconductor wafer fabrication facility in Maine (beating out his former home state of Texas, thanks in part to support from then-Governor Angus King) and cementing National’s presence in Maine.

In 1997, Kirk led a management buyout of a portion of National Semiconductor, creating a new company with over 7,000 employees worldwide and reviving the Fairchild Semiconductor name. Despite everyone in the industry thinking he was crazy, he insisted that Fairchild be headquartered in Maine, three thousand miles away from the semiconductor epicenter in Silicon Valley. It was important to him that this growing business be a Maine-based company, and he was proud of the local jobs that were created.

As President and CEO, Kirk and his team built and strengthened the business, and in 1999 Fairchild once again became a publicly traded company. Ringing the bell at the NYSE was a highlight of his career. He retired from Fairchild in 2005 and left the Board of Directors in 2007.

In his late professional life, Kirk took his vast knowledge of semiconductors and the economy in northern New England and served as a Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. He was also a valued board member of companies such as Brooks Automation Inc., Sensata Technologies Inc., and WEX Inc, helping them grow and prosper. Kirk was a member and past Chairman of the Maine Science and Technology Board and a board member of the National Association of Manufacturers. In 2005, he was awarded the Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Southern Maine, and Kirk was proud to be elected to the Arkansas Academy of Electrical Engineering in 2022.

Several years after Loretta’s death in 1995, Kirk met the other great love of his life, Nancy (Topshee) St. John. They were married in January 1999 during a snowstorm. Nancy was a wonderful complement to Kirk and they traveled the world together for Kirk’s work, but kept their roots in Maine. Having eight children between the two of them, they blended their two families thoughtfully. “Grampy” was incredibly proud of his huge extended family that currently includes eight children, seven spouses, and 17 cherished grandchildren. Some of Grampy’s happiest times were when a gaggle of children and grandchildren descended upon the house. In anticipation of these times, Grampy would tune up his go cart, prepare steaks with his secret marinade, buy twenty tickets for the latest science fiction movie (regardless of the quality), have his table at Q Street Diner reserved, and make sure his beloved gardens looked spectacular.

Kirk was a religious man who taught Sunday school for years and was proud to be an Elder at the First Congregational Church of South Portland. He loved his community and Kirk and Nancy felt fortunate to be able to support local nonprofits, improving the lives of countless people throughout the state of Maine. He will be missed by many, but the lessons he taught his family and friends and the impact he made on his community will live on.

He often spoke inspiringly about how his biggest professional disappointments led to his most important successes, and he encouraged his children and grandchildren to take risks, to not be afraid of failure, and to see disappointment as opportunity. Above all else, it is his strength of character that defined him. He had a sharp mind, a dry sense of humor, was a dedicated husband, and was generous to his family and community. He was, simply, a good man.

Kirk was predeceased by his first wife of 30 years, Loretta (Thompson) Pond; his parents, Chester and Adele (Kirkpatrick) Pond; his sister, Candace (Pond) Ennis of Fort Smith, Ark., and his brother, Charles Phillip Pond of Atlanta, Ga.

Kirk is survived by his loving wife, Ann Elizabeth “Nancy” (St. John) Pond; his children, Michael (Elizabeth) St. John of Raleigh, N.C., Joel (Joanna) Pond of Falmouth, Maine, Paul (Jennifer) St. John of Holliston, Mass., Kyle (Erika) Pond of Newton, Mass., Erin (Peter) Friedland of New York, N.Y., Ann (Shawn) Gray, Mark (Julia) St. John, and Stephen St. John of Cape Elizabeth, Maine; as well as his 17 beloved grandchildren, Jake (Stephanie) Watson, Maximus St. John, Justin Pond, Grady St. John, Alex St. John, Ryan Pond, Grace Gray, Cole Gray, Margaret Pond, Lauren Pond, William Gray, Caroline Pond, Emily Pond, Noah Friedland, Joshua Pond, and Adele Friedland.

Private services will be held. Online condolence messages can be submitted at the funeral home website, http://www.hobbsfuneralhome.com.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, those who wish to express sympathy make a donation to the: Glickman Lauder Center of Excellence in Autism and Developmental Disorders in Portland, Maine or to: