William "Bill" Fuhr

Fuhr, William "Bill" Henry age 77, of Edina, passed away March 17, 2010. He was born on December 7th, 1932 in New Orleans, LA. His family owned and operated Fuhr's Bakery on Magazine Street. He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Tulane University, where he participated in the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, held a full time faculty position, and was awarded the Harold A. Levey Medal for Engineering Achievement. He then attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C. where he held an adjunct faculty position, and studied in the D.Sc. Program in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He later earned an MBA in Strategic Management from the University of Minnesota. He continued his lifelong education through participation in various programs at Kellogg, Wharton, Darden, and Penn State. He started his non-academic career at Melpar Incorporated in Falls Church, Virginia where he held numerous engineering and management positions. In 1969, he joined Control Data Corporation as a Product Manager for Electronic Warfare Programs. In 1970, the first of several promotions at Control Data saw a transfer to headquarters in Minneapolis, MN. He subsequently held numerous positions in Military Products and systems planning, business strategy, venture management, and business ventures. He traveled extensively domestically and throughout Europe, Middle East, and Asia in these positions. After Control Data, he started his Pilot House Associates Consulting Practice where he participated in the formulation and support of clients' business- development, technology transfer, licensing, strategic-alliance, acquisition and growth strategies, and divestitures. He ultimately retired from the University of Minnesota, where he was Associate Director in the Industrial Partnership for Research in Interfacial and Materials Engineering (I PRIME), the Center for Interfacial Engineering (CIE), and the Materials Research, Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). Bill also enjoyed boating with his family on the St. Croix and dining with his family and friends (particularly at Perkins). It was at Melpar that his future wife Alison Davies uttered the life-altering sentence, "Bill Fuhr, you're taking me to lunch!" They were lunch partners for nearly 50 years until her passing in September 2009. They had 2 children, Laura Leigh Fuhr Atol (Robert Jon Atol) and William Bryan Fuhr (Paula Marie Sadler) and two granddaughters, Nicole Marissa Atol and Piper Ann Fuhr, 17 and 1, respectively, of whom Bill was especially proud. Both Bill and Alison will be missed dearly by family and friends. Memorials are preferred to NC Little Hospice, Edina, MN. Memorial services Saturday, April 10th at 2PM, Christ Presbyterian Church, Edina. Washburn-McReavy Edina Chapel 952-920-3996

Tributes

William "Bill" Fuhr

April 4, 2010

Tributes

William "Bill" Fuhr

April 4, 2010

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