Gerald (Jerry) H. Trautman |
| Posted 2008-08-21 by Pat Wilson |
| G.H. TRAUTMAN, EX-GREYHOUND CHIEF Gerald ''Jerry'' H. Trautman, former chairman and president of the Greyhound Corp., currently known as Viad Corp., died Monday . He was 87. Mr. Trautman, who was born in Petoskey, Mich., became president of Greyhound Corp. in 1966. A Harvard Law School graduate, Mr. Trautman was vice president and general counsel with the company for three years before taking the reins. Mr. Trautman helped transform Greyhound from mainly a bus transportation service to a Fortune 500 company. In 1970, he acquired Armour & Co., which was followed up by the acquisition of smaller service businesses. The following year, Mr. Trautman moved the corporate headquarters from Chicago to Phoenix, making Greyhound the largest publicly held company in the state. ''In those days conglomerates were the rage,'' John Teets, former chairman of Greyhound, Dial and Viad said. ''He acquired about 75 companies, one being Armour. I think this was visionary,'' Teets said. By 1980, Greyhound had revenues of more than $5 billion. ''He was a great man to work with,'' L. Gene Lemon, who was vice president and general counsel for Greyhound, said. ''Certainly, he was the architect of all of Greyhound's success.'' Mr. Trautman retired in 1982. He continued to serve as a member of the Greyhound board and executive committee after his retirement. In 1980, he was awarded the National Conference of Christians and Jews' National Brotherhood and Humanitarian Award. Mr. Trautman graduated from Stanford University in 1934, where he played on both the golf and baseball teams. He turned down a chance to try out for a major league baseball team and chose to attend law school. ''He was a tall, good-looking guy,'' Teets said. The two met in 1965 at the World's Fair in New York. ''He was a great golfer,'' Teets said. ''That's one of the reasons why I think that he moved to Arizona.'' Mr. Trautman also served in the Navy in World War II. He is survived by his wife, Barbara sons, Gerald H. Jr., William E., Tucker K., Timothy, Christopher and Thomas and eight grandchildren. Services were held in All Saints Episcopal Church, 6300 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. The family suggests contributions be made to Westside Food Bank, 13050 W. Elm St., Surprise, AZ 85374, or to a favorite charity. The Arizona Republic, October 27, 1999 |
Note: These obituaries are transcribed as published and are submitted by volunteers who have no connection to the families. They do not write the obituaries and have no further information other than what is posted within the obituaries. We do not do personal research. For this you would have to find a volunteer who does this or hire a professional researcher.
Questions About This Project?