The Plano City Council this week approved plans for two monuments dedicated to Ross Perot, one of Texas’ most influential businessmen.
Perot, who died in 2019 at age 89, founded Electronic Data Systems in 1962 after working as a salesman for IBM. He sold Electronic Data Systems to GM in 1985, and Forbes listed him as the second-wealthiest person in the U.S. that same year with a fortune of $1.8 billion.
Electronic Data Systems’ expansive Plano headquarters, which opened in 1992, was a cornerstone for the Legacy business park, a major driver of Plano’s explosive growth over the past few decades.
Perot later founded Perot Systems in 1988, another Plano company that grew to be worth billions of dollars.
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“Ross Perot helped shape Plano into a city known for economic leadership and opportunity,” Mayor John Muns said in a statement.
“His vision, leadership, and belief in this community transformed a once rural area into a globally recognized center for business and innovation. These monuments ensure that his legacy and contributions will always be honored and remembered in Plano,” Muns added.
The memorial will consist of two obelisk-style monuments on the north walls of the Legacy Pedestrian Bridge over the Dallas North Tollway. Each will be topped by a bronze eagle sculpture and adorned with bronze plaques ― the former being donated by the Perot family, according to director of engineering Caleb Thornhill, who spoke at the council meeting.
This is a rendering for a monument honoring the late Ross Perot, founder of Electronic Data Systems and influential Texas businessman. The monument will go up by the Legacy Pedestrian Bridge in Plano. The renderings are not final, according to a city spokesperson.
Plano City Council
A City Council member took up a community request, prompting the City of Plano to, “explore a meaningful and permanent way to honor Perot’s legacy,” according to the release. The installation comes after discussion with the Perot family.
About $580,000 was awarded to Concord Commercial Services, based in Balch Springs, for the project, according to the City Council meeting agenda. The motion for the monument passed unanimously.
Per a city spokesperson, the project is slated for completion in late spring.
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Aside from his business dealings, the Texarkana native was an active political actor who opposed the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations over geopolitical issues in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War. He organized his own strike team to rescue two Electronic Data Systems employees from an Iranian prison in 1979, earning him the Winston Churchill Award in 1986.
In 1992, he launched what would become the most successful independent Presidential campaign in U.S. history, earning nearly 19% of the popular vote. He ran again as a third-party candidate in 1996.
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