Whiz Kids
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The Whiz Kids were ten U.S. Army Air Force veterans of World War II who became Ford Motor Company executives in 1946.
They were led by their commanding officer, Charles S. "Tex" Thornton. The others were:
- Wilbur Andreson
- Charles Bosworth, eventually head of purchasing.
- J. Edward Lundy, eventually chief financial officer.
- Robert S. McNamara, eventually Ford president, then Secretary of Defense.
- Arjay Miller, eventually Ford president.
- Ben Mills, eventually general manager of Lincoln-Mercury Division.
- George Moore
- Francis "Jack" Reith, the executive responsible for the Mercury Turnpike Cruiser and the Edsel, both sales failures -- Reith committed suicide a few years later.
- James Wright, eventually head of Ford division.
Thornton wrote to several corporations, offering their services as a group -- all ten, or nothing. Henry Ford II had recently taken over the company from his ailing grandfather and, needing management help badly, accepted their offer. Seven of the ten went on to senior management positions. Thornton left Ford in 1948 for Hughes Aircraft, and later was head of Litton Industries.
Other uses of "Whiz Kids"
The term less famously was later used to describe some members of United States President John F. Kennedy's administration, led by Robert S. McNamara. This was an extension of the earlier description.
Whiz Kids was also the title of a short-lived 1983 American adventure TV series about a group of teenaged computer hackers who work as amateur detectives when they aren't doing their homework.
The term also refers to the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies, who had an average age of 26. They were the youngest squad to ever win the National League pennant, and at that time were the youngest to ever play in a World Series.
Links
- Detroit News article (http://www.detnews.com/2003/specialreport/0306/09/f06-186985.htm)
- J. Edward Lundy bio in Automotive Hall of Fame (http://www.automotivehalloffame.org/honors/index.php?cmd=view&id=662&type=inductees)
- McNamara interview (http://www.refstar.com/vietnam/mcnamara_interview.html)