Robert Stempel - Background and Personal

Background and Personal

Stempel was born July 15, 1933 in Trenton, New Jersey to Carl (a banker) and Eleanor Stempel. He was one of four children. His brother Jack worked in aerospace, brother Ted was a teacher, and a sister, Dorothy, was a social worker.

He graduated from Bloomfield High School in New Jersey in 1951. In his teen years he had worked in Bloomfield, New Jersey as a mechanic to earn his college tuition, fixing his fellow students' cars while attending college. He received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1955 where he had been a tackle on the football team. He attended night classes and earned an MBA from Michigan State University in 1970 and later received an honorary doctorate from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Stempel was a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Engineering Society of Detroit. He was the first chairman of the American Quality Foundation, developed by the American Society for Quality Control. He was a member of the board of directors and chairman of the National Industrial Advisory Council to the Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, Inc.; the National Minority Supplier Development Council; and the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association; the Highway Users Federation and the United Way of Southeastern Michigan. He was a member of Detroit's Conference Board, The Business Roundtable, and The Business Council and he was a trustee of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Detroit Renaissance, and New Detroit, Inc.

In November 1975, Stempel's son Timothy, 13, had been kidnapped. Stempel received a ransom demand of $150,000, which he paid. His son was later freed and kidnappers were apprehended and convicted.

Stempel enjoyed attending auto races and motorsports events, and working on his cars, including his l974 Corvette. He also enjoyed skiing and surf-casting. Prior to his death, the Stempels lived and raised horses in Loxahatchee, Florida and Oxford, Michigan.

Stempel died in West Palm Beach, Florida on May 7, 2011 at the age of 77. With his wife Pat (née Patricia Bachmann), he had three children, a daughter Barbara and sons Timothy and Peter.