CHICAGO, IL, March 08, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- John R. Furrer has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Mr. Furrer graduated from Harvard College in 1949 where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics. He then joined American Car & Foundry (later to become ACF Industries) in New York City but was soon assigned to several years of duty in Madrid, Spain where he represented the company as a special representative and helped supervise the introduction of the revolutionary Talgo train to service on the Spanish National Railways. During 1952 and 1953, he was reassigned to ACF's participation in the development and testing of the first hydrogen bomb where he was assistant supervisor of thermonuclear development at Los Alamos, NM, and Eniwetok Atoll. In 1954 he returned to NYC to become director of product development where he promoted and reengineered the Talgo train for use on the Rock Island, New Haven, and Boston & Maine railroads. He also led the development of equipment permitting highway trailers to be transported by rail and the multimodal use of containers by sea, highway and rail. In 1959 Mr. Furrer joined the Central Engineering Laboratories (CEL) of the Food Machinery & Chemical Corp. (later to become FMC Corp.) in San Jose, CA where he was able to secure a contract from the United States Post Office to develop automated mail handling equipment. Fulfillment of that contract required formation of the machinery systems group of which he was director. That group was later spun off of CEL and became the engineered systems division (ESD) of FMC engaged in the development of high speed machinery for various government agencies and industry at large. Mr. Furrer was general manager of that division. In 1970 he was elected a corporate vice president with responsibility for CEL, ESD and the planning department for all machinery groups of FMC. In 1971 he was put in charge of the material handling group of divisions operating worldwide in a broad range of material handling fields. In 1977 he became vice president of corporate development for FMC corporation and oversaw the strategic planning for the corporation as a whole and all its groups and divisions in addition to responsibility for all acquisitions and divestitures. He retired in December, 1989 as a senior vice president.
As examples of skill in his fields, Mr. Furrer has been affiliated with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for over 50 years and was chairman of the Conference Board's Council of Planning Executives from 1986-1987. He holds various patents. Additionally he has had the honor of being named in Who's Who in Science and Engineering, Who's Who in Finance and Industry, Who's Who in the World and Who's Who in the Midwest.
Mr. Furrer enjoys giving back to the community when his other activities permit. As examples, he was chairman of the San Jose Chapter of the Children's Home Society from 1964-1966; Trustee of the Ravinia Festival from 1986-1990 and a director of the Grand Teton Music Festival from 2002-2008. Since his retirement, he has designed and built three homes and three large boats for his own use, has become the self-appointed family genealogist and has continued to enjoy worldwide travel.
In 1954 Mr. Furrer married Annie Louise Waldo and is looking forward to his 63rd wedding anniversary in April.
About Marquis Who's Who :
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America , Marquis Who's Who has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America , Who's Who in the World , Who's Who in American Law , Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare , Who's Who in Science and Engineering , and Who's Who in Asia . Marquis publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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