Former Head Of GM, Robert Stempel, Dies At 77

DETROIT (WWJ) - General Motors Co. says former Chairman and CEO Robert Stempel has died at the age of 77.
Stempel led the company from 1990-92 until he was forced out in a boardroom coup. 

WWJ Newsradio 950's AutoBeat Reporter Jeff Gilbert remembers Stempel as a man ahead of his time.

 "Robert Stempel was a gentleman and a visionary.  He foresaw the rise in electric vehicles a decade before most others, and remained very involved in that movement even after his departure from General Motors," says Gilbert.

In a statement prepared on the General Motors website, Stempel is acknowledged as leading the company through a challenging period.

"The General Motors family mourns the passing of Bob Stempel, who admirably led the company during very difficult times in the early 1990s. Bob was a very popular chairman with employees, and his many accomplishments as a visionary engineer included leading the development of the catalytic converter," the GM website says.

"His knowledge of battery development led to the push for the EV1 electric car, and Bob continued to build his expertise in the electrification of the automobile after he left GM in 1992," states the GM website.

Stempel spent three decades at GM, and the automaker credits him with leading the development of the catalytic converter, which the statement calls "one of the great environmental advancements in auto history.''

Stempel died in Florida on May 7, 2011.