L. Stanley Crane

Leo Stanley Crane (born on 7. September 1915 in Cincinnati ( Ohio ), died on 15. July 2003 in Boynton Beach , Florida ) was an American railway manager. He was President of Southern Railway and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Conrail .

Life

His father, Leo Vincent Crane, was an executive with the Southern Railway . In 1938 he received his degree in chemistry from George Washington University . As early as 1934 he was working as a laboratory assistant for the Southern Railway in Alexandria (Virginia) . He continued this activity after completing his studies.

The following years were marked by strong technological progress. The steam locomotives were replaced by diesel locomotives, the freight wagons were able to carry ever greater loads and the tracks were welded and fastened to the sleepers with screws. Crane was heavily involved in this entire development at the Southern Railway.

In 1959 he became assistant to the chief mechanical officer of this railway company. Since he saw no further opportunities for advancement, Crane moved to the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1963 . There he became director of industrial engineering . However, D. William Brosnan brought him back to the Southern Railway in 1965 and Crane became the vice president responsible for engineering and development. After W. Graham Claytor became president in 1970 , Crane became vice president of operations and was part of the Claytor management team. After Claytor became Secretary of the Navy in 1976 , Crane was named President and Chief Executive Officer (1977) of the Southern Railway. During his tenure, the Southern Railway ended its own long-distance passenger transport as one of the last major railway companies. Crane also made the company the second most profitable in the United States. In 1979 he became Chairman of the Board of the railway company. In 1980 he had to resign when he reached the age limit.

In 1981 he was appointed to succeed Edward G. Jordan as second chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the state rescue company Conrail. He managed to turn the chronically loss-making company into profit. Among other things, he negotiated new collective agreements with the unions, cut thousands of jobs and shut down railway lines. Contrary to the plans of the Republican Transport Minister Elizabeth Dole and the requirements in the Northeast Rail Services Act of 1981, he prevented from 1983 a sale of the railway company below value to Norfolk Southern or other interested parties. Conrail has made a profit since taking office. In 1986 he was able to repay loans from the American federal administration for the first time. In 1987 Conrail went public for $ 1.65 billion. This was the largest initial public offering in the United States to date. At the end of 1988 he ended his successful work at Conrail. He was succeeded as Chairman and CEO by Conrail's President Richard D. Sanborn .

He supported the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in the research and investigation of new components and parts for rail transport. Among other things, he supported the use of the test facilities of the FRA ( Transportation Technology Center ) in Pueblo (Colorado) by the AAR.

In 1974 and 1983 he received the Railroader of the Year award from Modern Railroads magazine . The Financial World awarded him the "Silver Award of CEO of the Decade" and "Chief Railroad Executive of the Year". In 1978 he became a member of the National Academy of Engineering . He has also received many other awards and recognitions.

L. Stanley Crane lived in Berwyn while on the Pennsylvania Railroad . He then lived in McLean (Virginia) . While working for Conrail, he lived in Gladwyne before moving to Boynton Beach.

His first marriage to Jean Eward was from 1962 to 1976. The marriage has two children. From 1976 to 1999 he was married to Joan McCoy.

He died of pneumonia.

Web links

• Richard Pearson: L. Stanley Crane Dies . In: Washington Post . August 2, 2003, ISSN  0190-8286 ( washingtonpost.com [accessed December 6, 2019]).
• Agis Salpukas: Stymied Conrail Officer Resigns . In: The New York Times . January 1, 1988, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed December 12, 2019]).
• 19 Jul 2003, Page D06 - The Philadelphia Inquirer at Newspapers.com. Retrieved December 12, 2019 (English, obituary). 
• Stan Crane Dead at 87 | JOC.com. Retrieved December 12, 2019 . 
• DIE ZEIT (archive): Railways: cured by the father state . In: The time . February 15, 1985, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed December 17, 2019]).

literature

• David C. Lester: Crane, L. Stanley . In: William D. Middleton , George M. Smerk, Roberta L. Diehl (Eds.): Encyclopedia of North American Railroads . Indiana University Press, Bloomington, IN 2007, ISBN 978-0-253-34916-3 , pp. 338-339 .
• National Academy of Engineering: Memorial Tributes: Volume 11 (2007), ISBN 978-0-309-10337-4 , pp. 70-74 ( online )