Former CEO of Proctor and Gamble died at age 84. He joined Procter & Gamble in 1952 as an assistant brand manager. He retired 38 years later after serving as P&G's chairman & CEO. Three years later, at the age of 65, he became chairman of General Motors in one of the most dramatic management revolutions of the 1990s, when the board of directors rebellion ousted GM's CEO Robert Stempel. At GM, Smale slashed costs & returned the company to profitability. He retired from GM at the end of 1995, although he served as chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board.
Smale married in 1950, & he and wife Phyllis, had four children. He courted his wife, who died previously, when he attended Miami & she attended the Western College for women, both in Oxford, Ohio.
Smale's ancestry was German, but he was born in Listowel, Ontario.
John E. Pepper, former CEO from 1995 to 1999 said of John Smale: "John brought together wisdom & courage, concern for people, & commitment to the long term in a manner I've never seen exceeded, He was quite simply the most effective executive I've ever known."
He served on the boards of several other companies, including Eastman Kodak & J.P. Morgan & Co. He received honorary doctorates from Miami & several other schools.
Smale credited his wife's support with enabling him to immerse himself into work he enjoyed, often staying on the job late at night & on weekends.
"Life would be awful long if you were working at something you didn't like to do," he said.
"I never really envisioned that I was going to end up as chief executive of Procter & Gamble, that's probably a good thing because it seems to me that if you're focused on making a success out of what you're doing, then, certainly at a company like P&G, you could assume that your personal success is going to take care of itself."
Smale married in 1950, & he and wife Phyllis, had four children. He courted his wife, who died previously, when he attended Miami & she attended the Western College for women, both in Oxford, Ohio.
Smale's ancestry was German, but he was born in Listowel, Ontario.
John E. Pepper, former CEO from 1995 to 1999 said of John Smale: "John brought together wisdom & courage, concern for people, & commitment to the long term in a manner I've never seen exceeded, He was quite simply the most effective executive I've ever known."
He served on the boards of several other companies, including Eastman Kodak & J.P. Morgan & Co. He received honorary doctorates from Miami & several other schools.
Smale credited his wife's support with enabling him to immerse himself into work he enjoyed, often staying on the job late at night & on weekends.
"Life would be awful long if you were working at something you didn't like to do," he said.
"I never really envisioned that I was going to end up as chief executive of Procter & Gamble, that's probably a good thing because it seems to me that if you're focused on making a success out of what you're doing, then, certainly at a company like P&G, you could assume that your personal success is going to take care of itself."
Former CEO of Proctor and Gamble died at age 84. He joined Procter & Gamble in 1952 as an assistant brand manager. He retired 38 years later after serving as P&G's chairman & CEO. Three years later, at the age of 65, he became chairman of General Motors in one of the most dramatic management revolutions of the 1990s, when the board of directors rebellion ousted GM's CEO Robert Stempel. At GM, Smale slashed costs & returned the company to profitability. He retired from GM at the end of 1995, although he served as chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board.
Smale married in 1950, & he and wife Phyllis, had four children. He courted his wife, who died previously, when he attended Miami & she attended the Western College for women, both in Oxford, Ohio.
Smale's ancestry was German, but he was born in Listowel, Ontario.
John E. Pepper, former CEO from 1995 to 1999 said of John Smale: "John brought together wisdom & courage, concern for people, & commitment to the long term in a manner I've never seen exceeded, He was quite simply the most effective executive I've ever known."
He served on the boards of several other companies, including Eastman Kodak & J.P. Morgan & Co. He received honorary doctorates from Miami & several other schools.
Smale credited his wife's support with enabling him to immerse himself into work he enjoyed, often staying on the job late at night & on weekends.
"Life would be awful long if you were working at something you didn't like to do," he said.
"I never really envisioned that I was going to end up as chief executive of Procter & Gamble, that's probably a good thing because it seems to me that if you're focused on making a success out of what you're doing, then, certainly at a company like P&G, you could assume that your personal success is going to take care of itself."
Smale married in 1950, & he and wife Phyllis, had four children. He courted his wife, who died previously, when he attended Miami & she attended the Western College for women, both in Oxford, Ohio.
Smale's ancestry was German, but he was born in Listowel, Ontario.
John E. Pepper, former CEO from 1995 to 1999 said of John Smale: "John brought together wisdom & courage, concern for people, & commitment to the long term in a manner I've never seen exceeded, He was quite simply the most effective executive I've ever known."
He served on the boards of several other companies, including Eastman Kodak & J.P. Morgan & Co. He received honorary doctorates from Miami & several other schools.
Smale credited his wife's support with enabling him to immerse himself into work he enjoyed, often staying on the job late at night & on weekends.
"Life would be awful long if you were working at something you didn't like to do," he said.
"I never really envisioned that I was going to end up as chief executive of Procter & Gamble, that's probably a good thing because it seems to me that if you're focused on making a success out of what you're doing, then, certainly at a company like P&G, you could assume that your personal success is going to take care of itself."
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