260:, Stempel joined GM's Oldsmobile Division as a senior detailer in the chassis design department in 1958, later serving as senior designer (1962); transmission design engineer (1964); motor engineer (1969); and assistant chief engineer (1972). Stempel subsequently worked on the team that developed the 1966 Toronado, the first modern American front-wheel-drive car. According to a GM biography, Stempel designed the Toronado's front suspension and its engine and transmission mounting system.
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In
January 1984, he was promoted to the dual responsibility of vice president and group executive in charge of the Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac group. He was elected to the board of directors (February, 1986) and became CEO (August, 1990) where he served until he was voted out in 1992 – shortly
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340:-based company that provided GM's battery engineering team with access to advanced lithium-ion cathode technology delivering higher cell energy density and lower cost. In March 2010, he joined the board of directors of Genesis Fluid Solutions Holdings, a water purification company in
326:. Subsequently, ECD formed joint ventures with Texaco Energy Systems Inc., GE Plastics and Belgium-based N.V. Bekaert S.A. The promising technologies were met with losses. Before retiring in 2007, Stempel was chairman of Energy Conversion for almost 12 years.
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Stempel joined the engineering department of the
Chevrolet Division as chief engineer in 1974 and was named Chevrolet's director of engineering in 1975. In 1978, Stempel was appointed general manager of the Pontiac Motor Division where he worked on the
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of
America, Inc.; the National Minority Supplier Development Council; and the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association; the Highway Users Federation and the United Way of Southeastern Michigan. He was a member of Detroit's Conference Board, The
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Stempel enjoyed attending auto races and motorsports events, and working on his cars, including his 1974 Corvette. He also enjoyed skiing and surf-casting. Prior to his death, the
Stempels lived and raised horses in
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In
November 1975, Stempel's son Timothy, 13, had been kidnapped. Stempel received a ransom demand of $ 150,000, which he paid. His son was later freed and kidnappers were apprehended and convicted.
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Ovshinsky called
Stempel "a visionary who saw the need for the U.S. to be independent of foreign oil." Before retiring in 2007, Stempel was chairman of Energy Conversion for almost 12 years.
268:– which used a plastic-body/space frame technology that became integral to GM's subsequent minivans and the Saturn lineup. In 1980, he was moved into the managing director position at
175:, to Carl (a banker) and Eleanor Stempel. He was one of four children. His brother Jack worked in aerospace, brother Ted was a teacher, and a sister, Dorothy, was a social worker.
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248:, on May 7, 2011, at the age of 77. With his wife Pat (nÊe Patricia Bachmann), he had three children, a daughter Barbara and sons Timothy and Peter.
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Shortly after
Stempel became chairman, ECD partnered engineered and provided the nickel-metal hydride batteries powered the
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in 1955 where he had been a tackle on the football team. He attended night classes and earned an MBA from
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and continued to maintain his interest and passion for automobiles and the automobile industry.
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Though he suffered a heart attack soon after leaving GM in 1992, Stempel continued to visit the
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after a recession when GM had closed a dozen plants, lost 74,000 jobs and lost $ 7 billion.
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in 1970 and later received an honorary doctorate from
Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
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213:. He was the first chairman of the American Quality Foundation, developed by the
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443:. Lansing Salaried Retirees Club, Nick Bunkley, May 10, 2011. Archived from
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which developed nonsilicon-based memory for electronic devices for Intel,
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in New Jersey in 1951. During his teen years, he worked as a mechanic in
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At the time of his death, Stempel served on the board of directors of
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478:. Detroit Free Press, Tom Walsh, May 10, 2011 â The State newspaper.
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159:. He was also involved with the team that created the first
491:"Robert Stempel, Former Head of General Motors, Dies at 77"
136:(July 15, 1933 â May 7, 2011) was chairman and CEO of
303:(ECD) as an adviser. Stempel was named chairman in 1995.
441:"Robert Stempel, an Engineer Who Led G.M., Dies at 77"
538:"Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel dies at 77"
705:
American chief executives in the automobile industry
476:"Bob Stempel: Engineer led GM during turbulent '90s"
365:"Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel, 77, dies"
148:1992. He joined GM in 1958 as a design engineer at
554:. Tributes.com, Tom Krisher, The Associated Press.
552:"Robert Stempel Ex-General Motors CEO dies at 77"
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656:
521:. The Detroit News, Daniel Howes, May 12, 2011.
459:"Kidnapping for ransom is a bad business model"
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367:. Detroit News, David Shepardson, May 9, 2011.
675:Bloomfield High School (New Jersey) alumni
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540:. Crains Detroit Business, May 10, 2011.
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285:North American International Auto Show
152:and was key in the development of the
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715:20th-century American businesspeople
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256:After serving two years in the U.S.
215:American Society for Quality Control
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171:Stempel was born July 15, 1933, in
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695:People from Bloomfield, New Jersey
519:"Stempel was 'car guy' to the end"
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710:People from Loxahatchee, Florida
690:Michigan State University alumni
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203:Society of Automotive Engineers
199:National Academy of Engineering
188:Worcester Polytechnic Institute
489:Bunkley, Nick (May 10, 2011).
310:. In 1999, ECD partnered with
252:Early career at General Motors
211:Engineering Society of Detroit
116:Engineer, Automobile executive
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416:"GM Biography Robert Stempel"
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197:Stempel was a member of the
167:Background and personal life
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342:Colorado Springs, Colorado
314:in a joint-venture called
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100:Michigan State University
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461:. aadotcom, Aug 9, 2010.
295:In 1993, Stempel joined
246:West Palm Beach, Florida
75:West Palm Beach, Florida
16:General Motors executive
258:Army Corps of Engineers
184:Bloomfield, New Jersey
180:Bloomfield High School
87:Worcester Polytechnic
235:Loxahatchee, Florida
565:Business positions
320:Samsung Electronics
224:Business Roundtable
173:Trenton, New Jersey
161:catalytic converter
134:Robert Carl Stempel
56:Trenton, New Jersey
42:Robert Carl Stempel
495:The New York Times
447:on April 17, 2011.
338:Newark, California
297:Stanford Ovshinsky
178:He graduated from
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644:Succeeded by
629:F. James McDonald
619:John F. Smith Jr.
616:Succeeded by
588:Succeeded by
418:. General Motors.
154:front-wheel drive
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124:Engineer, CEO of
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140:(GM) from August
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121:Known for
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71:(aged 77)
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498:. Retrieved
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69:(2011-05-07)
670:2011 deaths
665:1933 births
324:BAE Systems
67:May 7, 2011
659:Categories
641:1987â1990
613:1990â1992
585:1990â1992
348:References
209:, and the
150:Oldsmobile
48:1933-07-15
274:Chevrolet
89:Institute
157:Toronado
607:CEO of
500:May 10,
316:Ovonyx
237:, and
205:, the
201:, the
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312:Intel
266:Fiero
502:2011
336:, a
322:and
308:EV-1
77:, US
64:Died
58:, US
38:Born
105:MBA
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