Mohawk Mourns Passing Of Fred Winkler
More Than 50 Years in the Bus Industry
Fredrick Winkler Jr., one of the founding executives of Mohawk Mfg. & Supply Co., died Monday, May 20, 2002 after a short illness. He was 80.
Mr Winkler was the Vice President of Engineering for Mohawk, where his impact is immeasurable. His expertise was instrumental in Mohawk’s growth. His eye for detail helped build Mohawk’s reputation of quality.
Mr. Winkler was Mohawk’s only engineer until 1986, and during his 44 years with Mohawk, he designed thousands of Mohawk’s parts. After semi-retiring in 1986, Mr. Winkler continued as Vice President of Engineering and worked closely with his successors, including current engineering manager Bob Stuker and associate engineer Russell Pinsky.
A graduate of St. Rita High School in Chicago and St Benedict’s College in Atchison, KS, Mr. Winkler served as a pilot in the United States Navy in World War II. After the war, Mr. Winkler joined Greyhound’s corporate engineering department in the late 1940s where he helped develop the popular Scenic Cruiser. He then worked for Chance Vaught in Dallas and then for Goodyear’s airplane production division.
He rejoined Greyhound, serving as a product engineer for greyhound Motor & Supply, Greyhound Bus’s replacement parts division. Mr. Winkler worked for division president Wilbur Brown. In 1958, Greyhound began disbanding its replacement parts division, so Wilbur Brown retired from Greyhound to start Mohawk Mfg. && Supply Co. Two Greyhound employees, John Brown and Mr. Winkler, joined him.
“He was an excellent engineer, and he became a close personal friend,” said current Mohawk president John Brown, who worked with Mr. Winkler for 49 years. “He was a person everyone in the organization enjoyed being associated with.”
Mr. Winkler is survived by his wife Patricia Rose and his children, Peter (Darlene), Kurt (Karen), Julie, Christine (Joe), Fredrick III (Eileen), John, Thomas (Michele) and Joe.
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- 8/11/2005—Engineering Manager Bob Stuker Passes
