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Louis W. Menk

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Louis Wilson Menk
BornApril 8, 1918
DiedNovember 27, 1999(1999-11-27) (aged 81)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationRailway executive

Louis Wilson Menk (April 8, 1918 - November 23, 1999) was an American railway worker and executive. He served as the last president of Northern Pacific Railway 1966-1970, before the railroad was merged into Burlington Northern Railroad, and the first president and second chairman of Burlington Northern.[2] Menk was also selected as Modern Railroads (now Railway Age) Man of the Year for 1967, an award that has continued annually and is now known as Railroader of the Year.

Early life

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Menk was the son of Louis Albert and Daisy Deane (Frantz) Menk. He married Martha Jane Swan on May 30, 1942. They had two children, David Louis and Barbara Ann.

Menk attended University of Denver, and Harvard Business School's six-week Advanced Management Program. He received honorary LL.D. degrees from Northwestern University (1959), Drury College (1965), University of Denver (1966), and Monmouth College.

Career

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Publications

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  • Menk, Louis W. A Railroad Man Looks At America; Excerpts from the Speeches of Louis W. Menk. No place: privately published, n.d. [circa 1974].

References

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  1. ^ Chicago Tribune[dead link]
  2. ^ Louis Menk, former BN Chairman, Dies
  3. ^ Osthoff, Frederick C (1968). Who's Who in Railroading in North America. New York: Simmons-Boardman. p. 341.
Preceded by
President of St. Louis-San Francisco Railway
1962 – 1966
Succeeded by
Preceded by President of Northern Pacific Railway
1966 – 1970
Burlington Northern Railroad merger
Preceded by Modern Railways magazine
Man of the Year

1967
Succeeded by