271:, 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
351:-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
337:. 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.
279:– 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
186:, 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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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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224:. He was the first chairman of the American Quality Foundation, developed by the
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454:. 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
489:. Detroit Free Press, Tom Walsh, May 10, 2011 â The State newspaper.
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170:. He was also involved with the team that created the first
502:"Robert Stempel, Former Head of General Motors, Dies at 77"
147:(July 15, 1933 â May 7, 2011) was chairman and CEO of
314:(ECD) as an adviser. Stempel was named chairman in 1995.
452:"Robert Stempel, an Engineer Who Led G.M., Dies at 77"
549:"Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel dies at 77"
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American chief executives in the automobile industry
487:"Bob Stempel: Engineer led GM during turbulent '90s"
376:"Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel, 77, dies"
159:1992. He joined GM in 1958 as a design engineer at
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565:. Tributes.com, Tom Krisher, The Associated Press.
563:"Robert Stempel Ex-General Motors CEO dies at 77"
532:. The Detroit News, Daniel Howes, May 12, 2011.
470:"Kidnapping for ransom is a bad business model"
378:. Detroit News, David Shepardson, May 9, 2011.
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686:Bloomfield High School (New Jersey) alumni
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163:and was key in the development of the
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726:20th-century American businesspeople
267:After serving two years in the U.S.
226:American Society for Quality Control
182:Stempel was born July 15, 1933, in
706:People from Bloomfield, New Jersey
530:"Stempel was 'car guy' to the end"
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721:People from Loxahatchee, Florida
701:Michigan State University alumni
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210:National Academy of Engineering
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321:. In 1999, ECD partnered with
263:Early career at General Motors
222:Engineering Society of Detroit
127:Engineer, Automobile executive
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427:"GM Biography Robert Stempel"
208:Stempel was a member of the
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472:. aadotcom, Aug 9, 2010.
306:In 1993, Stempel joined
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86:West Palm Beach, Florida
27:General Motors executive
269:Army Corps of Engineers
195:Bloomfield, New Jersey
191:Bloomfield High School
98:Worcester Polytechnic
246:Loxahatchee, Florida
576:Business positions
331:Samsung Electronics
235:Business Roundtable
184:Trenton, New Jersey
172:catalytic converter
145:Robert Carl Stempel
67:Trenton, New Jersey
53:Robert Carl Stempel
506:The New York Times
458:on April 17, 2011.
349:Newark, California
308:Stanford Ovshinsky
189:He graduated from
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655:Succeeded by
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630:John F. Smith Jr.
627:Succeeded by
599:Succeeded by
429:. General Motors.
165:front-wheel drive
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135:Engineer, CEO of
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18:Robert C. Stempel
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80:(2011-05-07)
681:2011 deaths
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335:BAE Systems
78:May 7, 2011
670:Categories
652:1987â1990
624:1990â1992
596:1990â1992
359:References
220:, and the
161:Oldsmobile
59:1933-07-15
285:Chevrolet
100:Institute
168:Toronado
618:CEO of
511:May 10,
327:Ovonyx
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216:, the
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323:Intel
277:Fiero
513:2011
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75:Died
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49:Born
116:MBA
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