Stempel, Robert

Robert Carl Stempel was born July 15, 1933, in Trenton, N.J. He received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts in 1955. He later earned a master's degree in business administration from Michigan State University in 1970.

In 1958, after serving two years in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Stempel joined GM's Oldsmobile Division as a senior detailer in the chassis design department. He later served as senior designer (1962); transmission design engineer (1964); motor engineer (1969); and assistant chief engineer (1972). Stempel was a member of 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. He also participated in the development of the first catalytic converter.

In 1973 Stempel was appointed special assistant to the president of General Motors. He joined the engineering department of the Chevrolet Division as chief engineer-engines and components in 1974 and was named Chevrolet's director of engineering in 1975.

On November 6, 1978, Mr. Stempel was appointed general manager of the Pontiac Motor Division and elected a vice president of General Motors. In September 1980, he was appointed managing director of Adam Opel AG (the German subsidiary of GM) in the Federal Republic of Germany, with responsibility for European-sourced passenger-car operations. In 1982, he returned to Detroit as General Manager of Chevrolet.

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). He became president and chief operating officer of General Motors Corporation on September 1, 1987. In August 1990, he became chairman and chief executive officer. He resigned in 1992.

In 1993, Stempel joined Stanford Ovshinsky founder of Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) as an adviser. Stempel was named chairman in 1995. In 1999, ECD partnered with Intel in a joint-venture called Ovonyx which developed nonsilicon-based memory for electronic devices. Subsequently ECD formed joint ventures with Texaco Energy Systems Inc., GE Plastics and Belgium-based N.V. Bekaert S.A.

Stempel retired from ECD in 2007; he died May 7, 2011 in West Palm Beach Florida.

From the guide to the Robert C. Stempel papers, 1965-2007, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)