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DONALD J
.
1 924-1 994
ATWO O D
BY B. PAUL BLASINGAME
DONALD ~ ATWOOD, past councillor en c! treasurer of the Na-
tional Acaclemy of Engineering, diecl on April 24, 1994, at the
age of sixty-nine. Mr. Atwood was born May 25, 1924, in Haver-
hill, Massachusetts. He is survived by his wife, Sue, and by two
children: Susan Atwood Lavoie and Donalc! l. Atwood HI.
ElectecI to the National Academy of Engineering in 1980,
he served on nine of its committees, two as chairman, over the
period from 1984 to 1994. In adclition, his public service in-
clucled the Corporation of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology; the board of directors of The Charles Stark Drap-
er Laboratory, Inc.; the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics; the Society of Automotive Engineers; the board
of directors of the Michigan Opera Theatre; and the national
executive board of the Boy Scouts of America.
Mr. Atwood attended the Massachusetts Institute of Tech
nology (MTT), with an interruption of several years' service in
Burma with the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Upon return to civil-
ian life, Don married Sue Harlan, a graduate of Tufts
University, and reentered MIT to complete bachelor's and
master's degrees in electrical engineering. While at MIT, he
was associated with the research work pioneering the develop-
ment of inertial guidance systems. He served as a research
associate in MIT's Instrumentation Laboratory from 1948 to
1952. Later, with an associate, he foundecI the Dynatro! Cor
11
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12
MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
poration, for which he served as vice-president and treasurer
from 1952 to 1959. (In May 1988 Mr. Atwood received an
honorary doctor of engineering degree from Rose-Hulman
Institute of Technology).
In 1959 Mr. Atwooc! joined the AC Spark Plug Division of
General Motors Corporation (GM) as a laboratory director ancl
became director of engineering of that division's Milwaukee opt
erations a few years later. The work in Milwaukee centered
around inertial guidance and navigation for large missiles, the
Apollo spacecraft, and commercial aircraft for airlines worldwide.
During the next two clecades, Mr. Atwooc! progressed through
a series of increasingly responsible assignments as GM chose him
to manage its rapidly advancing technology-basec! business. In
1970, when the Detroit Diesel Engine and Allison Divisions were
consolidated into the Detroit Diesel Allison Division, Mr. Atwood
was namer! manager of the Indianapolis operations. In 1974 he
became the first general manager of GM's new Transportation
Systems Division ant! later that year was named general manager
of the Delco Electronics Division. In 1978 Mr. Atwood was named
vice-president of the corporation and general manager of the
Detroit Diesel Allison Division. Three years later he was named
vice-president and group executive in charge of the Electrical
Components Group, and in 1981, he was assigned responsibility
for the worldwide Truck and Bus Group. In 1984 he was namer!
president of the GM Hughes Electronics Corporation, a subsid-
iary consisting of Delco Electronics as well as Hughes. Also in
1984 he was named executive vice-president of the corporation,
and in 1987, was elevates! to the position of vice-chairman of the
board. Mr. Atwood's rapid progress through General Motors
Corporation reflected his key leaclership of three major changes
in General Motors. First was his role in applying electronics to
modernization improvements in automobiles ancl trucks. Sec-
ond was his critical role in the acquisition of Hughes Aircraft
Company, Inc., and third was a similar role in the acquisition of
Electronic Data Systems.
In the first of these, the entire automotive industry was
faced with making a giant step forward to bring emissions
under control en cl at the same time improve fuel consump
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DONALD J. ATWOOD
13
lion, performance, and safety. This meant attacking the prob-
lem on a total systems basis in a situation in which fuel control
devices were under development in one division, electronics
to sense the system's needs en c! issue command signals were
under development in another division and, the automobile
was designecI anct built in any one of five other divisions. Mr.
Atwood, with his extensive background! in electronics, sensors,
and dynamic systems, provided a key role overseeing individu-
al component development and simultaneously tying all
together in the automobile and demonstrating total perfor-
mance of the whole.
His corporate roles required the human side of leadership,
which Mr. Atwood had in great measure. For example, con-
vincing three different business organizations General
Motors, Hughes Aircraft, and Electronic Data Systems of
their mutual needs and finding working protocols under
which each could be productive was a gigantic assignment. Yet
Mr. Atwood's practical business experience, his credibility, and
his very human approach to such matters were probably the
singular factor in making the s,vnerg,v of these organizations
realizable and successful.
As Mr. Atwood approached GM's retirement age, the new
administration in Washington was searching for people of tal-
ent and dedication. President George Bush called Mr. Atwood
asking him to become deputy secretary of defense. It was a
time of soul searching when normal mortals seek a "few days
off," but Don set aside his own comfort and with the support
of his wife, Sue, signed on.
The next four years were more demanding than could have
been imagined. Fortunately, Don Atwood and Secretary of De-
fense Dick Cheney made the perfect team. Of necessity, Mr.
Cheney was swept up in a fast-developing sequence of interna-
tional events from the coup to oust President Gorbachev to
Desert Storm. Mr. Atwood, meanwhile, had to manage the {le-
fense establishment while at the same time overseeing domestic
field operations. It was his task to send federal troops to stop loss
of lives and rioting during a chain of hurricanes from the Virgin
Islands to Florida to Guam and then to protect lives and proper-
ty during the Los Angeles riots.
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14
MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
Washingtonians were delighted by the Atwoods. Don went
about the defense management business with his typical down-
to-earth Yankee wisdom. He proved to be a superb statesman
and diplomat as he met with foreign diplomats as well as con-
gressional and corporate leaders throughout the world.
Frequently Don and Sue were called upon to travel to foreign
locations where Don would deliver a sensitive message or re-
solve a potential problem. Using his quiet, credible diplomacy,
he handled each situation without crisis. Don was frequently
sought after to give major speeches around the globe because
of his wealth of knowledge, clear perspective on events, and
outstanding communication skills. It is rare that an appointed
executive wins the overwhelming respect of the Washington
bureaucracy, but Don did.
. ~
From laboratory engineer to business manager to govern-
ment executive, Don Atwood was a leader with genuine
humility, not one out to take credit or seek accolades, but in
fact, a very natural person who took time to work with people
out of concern for their well-being.
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
allison division
