Patrick Volkerding is best known for being the man behind
Slackware, the oldest
Linux distribution still actively maintained and in wide use.
Patrick released the first version of Slackware in April of 1993, with a 0.98pl4 Linux kernel. Walnut Creek CD-ROM, a CDROM vendor and operator of the famous ftp.cdrom.com site, provided Slackware with a home until slackware.com was formed.
In addition to maintaining Slackware, Patrick has authored several Linux/Slackware related books:
Patrick graduated in the spring of 1993 from Moorhead State
University with a BS in Computer Science, after spending 2 years pursuing a degree in in Computer Engineering at Boston University. He is reportedly a huge Grateful Dead fan and a proficient homebrewer.