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Edgar S. Woolard Jr.

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Edgar Smith Woolard Jr. (April 15, 1934 – December 4, 2023) was an American businessman.[1] He was chairman and chief executive officer of DuPont from 1989 to 1995.[1][2][3][4][5]

Early life

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Edgar Woolard was born on April 15, 1934, in Washington, North Carolina.[3] He received a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from North Carolina State University in 1956.[1][2] He was a lieutenant in the United States Armed Forces.[5]

Career

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In 1957, he joined DuPont as an industrial engineer in the Kinston, North Carolina, plant, moving on to manufacturing and management positions in Wilmington, Delaware, Old Hickory, Tennessee and Camden, South Carolina.[1][2][5] He was CEO and chairman from 1989 to 1995.[1][4] During that time, DuPont stock increased by 160 percent.[4]

Woolard joined the board of directors of Telex Communications in 1998, and was its chairman from March 2000 to November 2003.[1] He has been on the board of directors of the New York Stock Exchange, Citigroup, Apple Inc., IBM and Bell Atlantic.[1][3][4][5] He has also been an advisor to Acorn Energy since January 2010.[1][3] He was a member of the North Carolina Textile Foundation.[2] He was chairman of The Business Council from 1995 to 1996.[6][3] He was a member of the Bretton Woods Committee.[5]

Philanthropy

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Woolard was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Philosophical Society.[3] In 1988, he received the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award Recipient from his alma mater, NCSU.[2][7] He donated more than US$1 million to the John T. Caldwell Alumni Scholarships at NCSU.[2] The Edgar S. Woolard Chair at the University of Delaware is named after him.[4]

Personal life

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Woolard was married to Peggy Harrell. They had two daughters.[5] He lived in Wilmington, Delaware, Jupiter, Florida, and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.[2][5] Woolard died on December 4, 2023, at the age of 89.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h BusinessWeek
  2. ^ a b c d e f g North Carolina State University biography
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Acorn Energy biography". Archived from the original on 2013-01-17. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
  4. ^ a b c d e "University of Delaware: Edgar S. Woolard Chair". Archived from the original on 2013-04-06. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "University of Delaware biography" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-05-16. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
  6. ^ The Business Council, Official website, Background Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award Recipient: Edgar S. Woolard Jr. — 1988". Archived from the original on 2012-05-16. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
  8. ^ "Edgar S. Woolard, Jr". Chandler Funeral Homes Delaware. Retrieved 2023-12-06.