REI Co-op announced the death of Jim Whittaker, the Seattle-based retailer’s one-time CEO and the first American to summit Mount Everest, which he completed in May 1963 alongside Nawang Gombu Sherpa.
Whittaker was hired by REI co-founder Lloyd Anderson in 1955, becoming the company’s first full-time paid employee, according to a news release. He became CEO in 1971 and served in the role until 1979. Under his leadership, REI membership grew from 250,000 members to more than 900,000.
He was also a pioneering advocate for the outdoors. In 1968, he testified before U.S. Congress and later helped establish North Cascades National Park and the Pasayten Wilderness in Washington, as well as California’s Redwood National Park.
“Throughout his life, Jim measured success not by personal achievement, but by the communities he built, the responsibility he modeled, and the countless people he inspired to step outside and discover something larger than themselves,” said the press release. “Our hearts go out to his loving family, including his wife Dianne Roberts and his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.”
