'Woz' to Deliver Cal Commencement Address

It's not often that UC Berkeley places laurels on the heads of undergrad alums who dropped out for a decade or so before graduating.

But an exception will be made on May 18 when Apple Computers co-founder Steve Wozniak delivers the annual campuswide commencement address.

Wozniak, familiarly known as "Woz," helped pioneer the computer age in 1976 when he started Apple with his late friend Steve Jobs.

He had been pursuing a degree in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) at Berkeley in 1972 when he dropped out to work on computers, according to a UC Berkeley web page on famous Cal alumni. He returned years later and became an official member of the class of 1986.

Today he is a Silicon Valley philanthropist and Chief Scientist of Fusion-io, a Salt Lake City-based high-tech data management company.

In 1985, he was awarded the National Medal of Technology, and he was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame in 2000. At Cal, Wozniak Lounge in Soda Hall is named after him.

Wozniak delivered the commencement address last year at Santa Clara University.

The UC Berkeley commencement takes place Saturday, May 18, at 10 a.m. at the newly refurbished California Memorial Stadium.