March 20, 2011 - 4:35pm
Alum and auto legend Donald Frey dies at age 87
BY LINDSAY KRAMER AND WHITNEY WILD
Donald Frey, a prominent University alum and legend in the auto industry, passed away earlier this month at age 87.
Frey is most widely remembered for his work designing the first Ford Mustang — an automobile he had to fight to get on the production lines — and developing and engineering the first CD-ROM.
Born in 1923 in St. Louis, Mo, Frey began his path toward engineering when he was studying at Michigan State University, according to an article in The Chicago Tribune. However, his studies were interrupted by World War II and from 1942 to 1946 he left classes to serve in the military.
Following his service, he resumed his studies at the University of Michigan where he received both a bachelors and masters degree before going on to earn a Ph.D. in metallurgical engineering in 1951, according to the Tribune article.
After earning his doctorate, Frey began his career at Ford Motor Company. Starting as a research engineer in 1951, Frey was promoted to vice president and chief engineer in 1964.
In his time at Ford, Frey was responsible for the initial development and introduction of the iconic Ford Mustang, according to the Tribune article. He did much of his work on the Mustang with Lee Iacocca — best known for his revival of Chrysler Corporation.
Frey’s work on the Ford Mustang was anything but easy. According to an article in Automotive News, Frey once told a reporter that it had taken five pitches to convince Henry Ford II to put the car in production.
“ ‘On the fifth try, he said to me, ‘I’m going to approve your Mustang, and it’s your ass if it doesn’t sell,’ ” Frey told Automative News in a previous article about Ford’s response to the idea.
However, Frey’s hunch about the Mustang was right. On April 17, 1964, Ford debuted the Mustang at the New York World’s Fair where it became an instant hit, with sales more than quadrupling projections.
In 1967, just prior to his departure from Ford in 1968, Frey received an honorary doctorate from the University.
Following his prolific career at Ford, Frey became the president and chief operating officer of General Cable Company in New York, according to the Tribune article.
In the late 1970’s, Frey served as the Chairman and CEO of Bell & Howell Co., a Chicago-based imaging corporation. Under his leadership, the company launched partnerships with Apple to develop the Bell & Howell Apple II Plus computer.
At the same time, Frey served as a member of the board of directors for 20th Century Fox, where he pioneered the first phase of the home-video industry by convincing the film industry to release movies on videotapes, according to the Tribune article.
Later, Frey went on to play an integral role in the application and use of the first CD-ROMs.
In 1988, he retired from Bell & Howell, and began a teaching career at Northwestern University. While at Northwestern, Frey’s teaching and research led him to focus on information systems and technology management, according to the Tribune article.
In 1966, he was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Then in 1990, he received the National Medal of Technology that was presented to him by President George H.W. Bush.
Frey holds a position on the University’s School of Engineering’s lifetime donor wall.
According to Innovation Magazine’s 1997 profile of him, Frey told his students, "I don't care if you're building chairs, automobiles or schools … the most important part of business is knowing your audience.”
Frey, who died of a stroke at the Evanston Hospital in Suburban Chicago, is survived by his six children and many grandchildren.
