Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter.
Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
OCR for page 204
Final Tribute Vol 13.indd 204 3/23/10 3:42:28 PM
OCR for page 205
C H A R L E S E. R E E D
1913–2007
Elected in 1969
“For his engineering accomplishments in blending scientific, technological,
and commercial elements to the production of man-made diamonds,
new silicones, commercialization of oxidative technology in the form of
lexan polycarbonates and the plant design and process developments
accompanying these new materials.”
BY WILLIAM F. BANHOLZER
D R. CHARLES E. REED, 94, retired executive from General
Electric (GE), passed away on November 16, 2007, at his home
in Bridgeport, Connecticut, at the age of 94.
My first memories of Charlie Reed date back to my days as
a young engineer at GE, working on my first silicon catalysis
project. One day, my boss told me I was going to have an
important visitor. Not long after, an older gentleman walked
into my lab, but I did not recognize him. He asked a lot of
questions, and he was intensely interested in everything we
discussed. I remember thinking that his enthusiasm and
curiosity were contagious.
I later asked a colleague who he was. The reply, “That was
Dr. Charles Reed! Not only a distinguished GE leader, but also
an amazing engineer.” I was speechless — Charlie was “THE”
engineer who had developed the fluidization process I was
working on. In this first meeting it was already obvious to me
that Charlie Reed was a passionate scientist — curious and
humble, intuitive and inspiring. He loved his craft, and his
enthusiasm was apparent in everything he did and to every life
he touched.
205
Final Tribute Vol 13.indd 205 3/23/10 3:42:28 PM
OCR for page 206
206 MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
Born in Findlay, Ohio, in 1913, Charlie graduated from Case
Institute of Technology in Cleveland and later from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a doctorate
in chemical engineering by the age of 24. He joined GE in 1942,
leaving an assistant professorship at MIT to become a research
associate at the GE Research Laboratory. Now it seems such a
gamble: this was a time when the company was far better known
for its efforts in the electrical industry than for its embryonic
chemical businesses.
Over the next three decades, Charlie helped GE become a
top manufacturer of high-performance, engineered materials.
He managed GE’s first chemical engineering division which
led to the development of the first commercial production plant
for the manufacture of silicone polymer oils, rubbers, and resins.
Charlie became the first general manager of GE’s Silicone
Products Business Department when it was organized in 1952.
Six years later, he moved to the post of general manager of the
Metallurgical Products Business Department, which produced
cemented tungsten carbides, permanent magnets, the first Man-
Made™ industrial diamonds, and Borazon® cubic boron nitride
products. When the two departments were combined, GE made
him general manager for the new Chemical and Metallurgical
Business Division. Under his guidance, the division capitalized
on the success of GE’s LEXAN® polycarbonate resin.
GE elected Charlie to the position of company vice president
in 1962. This was followed by six years as group executive for
Components and Materials and then senior vice president on
the corporate staff. Later, he was named head of the corporate
technology staff and director of corporate strategic planning.
Charlie served as a member of GE’s Corporate Policy Board
and consultant to the chairman and CEO until he retired in
1978. He was a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical
Engineers, and he held numerous patents in silicone
manufacturing. Although Charlie was less directly involved in
management after his retirement, he remained extremely active
in many small local companies as both investor and advisor.
GE credits Charlie with more than $3 billion in annual sales
from the engineering materials businesses he built and managed.
Final Tribute Vol 13.indd 206 3/23/10 3:42:28 PM
OCR for page 207
CHARLES E. REED 207
These products can be found in everything from bathtub caulk
and oil-drilling equipment to football helmets and aircraft—
virtually everywhere, including outer space, in the soles of the
boots worn by the astronauts who first walked on the moon.
Jack Welch has said that “under Charlie Reed’s leadership, GE
became a world leader in high-technology materials—first in
the silicone industry, then in the manufacture of man-made
diamonds, and ultimately in the engineering plastics
industry.”
We often refer to an expert by saying “he wrote the textbook
on that”—but Charlie actually did. He was co-author of Applied
Mathematics in Chemical Engineering (McGraw-Hill, 1957)—
which is still considered the classic educational text in the field.
And for a scientist, there is no honor greater than the National
Medal of Technology. In 1991, Charlie traveled to the White
House where President George H. W. Bush presented him with
that award, our nation’s highest technology honor.
Charlie was the kind of person who saw the future and
pursued opportunities despite—or maybe because of—the
limited frame of reference we have as humans. His vision and
principles were so well respected that they formed a kind of
creed—we called it “Reed’s Creed”—and it had these tenets:
• Always look for the competitive advantage.
• Exploit it with effective teamwork among engineering,
manufacturing, marketing, and finance.
• Avoid the complacency that comes with a single
success.
• Look for the breakthroughs in science and technology
that will help you extend your market basket.
• Make your own products obsolete before the competition
does.
In all of the best ways, Charlie embodied the type of executive
who leads well, seizes the future, and gives back generously to
younger men and women so they can continue the rich legacy
of science, technology, and engineering. After retiring from GE,
Final Tribute Vol 13.indd 207 3/23/10 3:42:29 PM
OCR for page 208
208 MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
Charlie was chairman of the board for the Biological Energy
Corporation and a member of the boards of several other
organizations, including the University of Bridgeport in
Connecticut. He was a member of the National Academy of
Engineering and he endowed many foundations and charitable
causes during his lifetime and beyond.
Despite his promotion to the highest management levels at
GE, he remained an engineer at heart throughout his life and
he never lost his passion for innovation. I remember planning
a meeting of senior leaders at GE. I had asked Charlie to attend
the session as our guest speaker, requesting that he share how
he evaluated risk and took the initiative to launch new
businesses for GE. He was about 80 years old at the time and
had been retired for nearly 15 years, but he began to speak and
it was like we were listening to an engineer fresh out of school.
He explained how he had worked in thixotropic liquids and
how that had given him the idea to move into new materials.
He talked for more than an hour and the time flew by as he
explained his management philosophy with a little bit of history
thrown in for good measure.
While I might not remember every detail of that talk, I will
never forget his obvious passion for innovation and his clear
explanation of the need to take prudent risks. He told the group
that the decision to build the first polycarbonate plant was made
before the complete process had been worked out. He knew
that polycarbonate was an incredible product and that speed
was essential if the company were to capture the market. As I
listened, I was struck by the contrast between today’s overly
disciplined financial leaders, who often stifle innovation with
their fear of failure, and Charlie’s visionary leadership — a
combination of gut level trust in the technology and financial
common sense. This is something we’ve lost. Today there are
many accomplished MBAs in the executive seat. But Charlie
was more — the type of leader who could give a deep technical
lecture as well as discuss the merits of risk taking in business
while explaining the sensitivities in the NPV calculation. I will
never forget his parting advice, “Don’t let the bean counters set
your strategy.”
Final Tribute Vol 13.indd 208 3/23/10 3:42:29 PM
OCR for page 209
CHARLES E. REED 209
Charlie Reed was a remarkable man and without peer in his
field. He brought value to his company, to his profession, to an
entire industry, and to everyone who knew him. It was Leonardo
da Vinci who said that “a life well spent is long.” At 94, our
friend undeniably had a long life. And, Charlie, you certainly
spent it well.
Final Tribute Vol 13.indd 209 3/23/10 3:42:29 PM
