Jim Kimsey

James Verlin Kimsey (September 15, 1939 – March 1, 2016) was the co-founder of AOL. He was the first chairman of the company and served as CEO until 1995. Although Kimsey is best known for having helped to create AOL, he also spearheaded many other business, military and philanthropic endeavors. Early life Kimsey was born in Washington D.C. in 1939 and grew up in Arlington, Virginia. After being dismissed from Gonzaga College High School, he attended St. John's College High School, followed by Georgetown University for one term on an honors scholarship, and then the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, from which he graduated in 1962. Military Kimsey served in the U.S. Army, becoming a lieutenant and seeing active participation in U.S. interventions in the Dominican Republic and Vietnam. He served three combat tours as an Airborne Ranger, two in the Vietnam War, earning various awards for service and valor.