Taking the GM wheel

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jun 12, 2009 by Jan Biles

By Jan Biles

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

The former chief executive officer and chairman of AT&T Inc. who will head General Motors Corp.'s board after the automaker emerges from bankruptcy protection has ties to Topeka.

Edward Whitacre Jr., 67, was president of the Kansas division of Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., now AT&T, from 1982 to 1985. GM announced Tuesday that Whitacre will replace Kent Kresa, who will remain as interim chairman until the new GM, with majority ownership by the U.S. government, is launched later this summer.

GM CEO Fritz Henderson said Thursday that he expects to remain as the automaker's chief executive when it emerges from bankruptcy protection.

Merle Blair, former president and CEO of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, remembers when Whitacre and his family relocated in 1985 from their home on S.W. Burlingame Road to St. Louis, where he worked as group president in charge of Southwestern Bell's nontelephone operations.

Whitacre was chairman-elect of the chamber, but never served because of the move.

Blair said Whitacre "started from the top" when he was hired by Southwestern Bell in 1963.

"He was a wonderful man, and the people at Southwestern Bell loved him because he started out as a pole climber in Texas," he said. "He was a down-home guy -- no-nonsense, but fun and very deliberate."

Whitacre earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Texas Tech in 1964 while working for the telephone company. He worked his way up the ranks until he was named chairman and CEO in 1990.

He is credited with the company's growth from a regional telephone provider to the nation's largest provider of wireless, broadband and traditional phone service. He retired from the company in 2007 with a $158 million package that was among the largest ever given to a corporate chief.

He sits on the boards of Exxon Mobil Corp. and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.

"Overall, he's quite a leader and straight shooter," Blair said.

Howard Fricke, former Kansas secretary of commerce and retired chairman of the board for Security Benefit Group of Cos., said he didn't know Whitacre when he lived in Topeka but later became his friend when Whitacre was working for Southwestern Bell in St. Louis and San Antonio.

"He is extremely bright and people-oriented," Fricke said.

He remembers Whitacre being interested in the people making up the entire Southwestern Bell/AT&T organization, from senior officers to customer service representatives to customers.

"He treats his employees as he treats his customers," he said.

While in Topeka, Whitacre was active in the Jayhawk Area Council- Boy Scouts of America. He continued that interest and served as the national president of the Boy Scouts of America from 1998 to 2000.

"He personally took an active interest in every community where he lived," Fricke said.

Fricke said he keeps in touch with the former Kansan but hasn't spoken to him this week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jan Biles can be reached at (785) 295-1292 or jan.biles@cjonline.com.