Utah billionaire James Sorenson Dies of Cancer

Utah billionaire James LeVoy Sorenson, who overcame a childhood learning disability and built a fortune in pioneering medical equipment such as the computerized heart monitor and disposable surgical mask, died of cancer on Sunday. He was 86.

Mr. Sorenson was Utah's wealthiest man, the largest private landowner in the state as well as the richest Mormon, with a fortune estimated at $4.5 billion, according to Forbes magazine's 2007 rankings. He founded several companies, including Sorenson Research, which was acquired by Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) in 1980. He known both for his wealth -- and for choosing not to flaunt it.

Look in any modern operating room or intensive care unit, and you'll see enduring evidence of Jim's creative solutions to tough medical problems. Mr. Sorenson was considered one of the most generous philanthropists in the state, giving millions of dollars to medical facilities, religious organizations and other causes. Jim Sorenson was dedicated to making people's lives better. Spokesman for Sorenson Companies said funeral arrangements were pending Sunday. Instead of flowers, the family requested that donations be made to the many organizations Mr. Sorenson assisted, including the Huntsman Cancer Foundation. Mr. Sorenson is survived by his wife, Beverley, eight children, 47 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.

Sorenson was born in Rexburg, Idaho, in 1921. Mr. Sorenson's company biography describes the difficulties he had growing up in a tar paper shack in Yuba City, California, where his father found work as a ditch digger during the height of the Great Depression in central California. Mr. Sorenson had dyslexia, a condition that can make words and letters look jumbled and makes reading and writing difficult.

Mr. Sorenson overcame the challenge and went on to become an astute problem solver, a talent that bolstered him throughout his career. Mr. Sorenson started in pharmaceutical sales in the 1950s. In his early 20s, he served as a missionary in New England for more than two years for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He took up a job as a pharmaceutical sales representative after World War Two and started dabbling in real estate on the side. He co-founded Deseret Pharmaceutical in 1957, where he invented the first disposable paper surgical mask, and started Sorenson Research in 1962. His other medical inventions included the first real-time computerized heart monitoring systems and the automated intravenous drug pump.

Sorenson's interests also spanned other fields. Early in his career, Mr. Sorenson bought a goat pasture in the hills above Salt Lake City for $25 an acre. The former grazing land is now home to some of the area's most plush neighborhoods, overlooking the Salt Lake Valley from the Wasatch Mountain foothills.

In 2000, he founded Sorenson Genomics, which offers genetic testing services. The company helped the Thai government in identifying victims in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.
Its forensics unit has helped lead to arrests in about 10 cold murder cases in Utah since it was founded last year, spokesman David Parkinson said. Sorenson, his family and companies have also pledged more than $100 million to philanthropic organizations over the past three years.