Earl E. Walker, CEO of Carr Lane Mfg. Co. (St. Louis, Missouri) passed away on August 26, 2011. He worked full-time there until a week before his death at age 91.
In addition to his work with Carr Lane, a manufacturer of clamps, pins, fixturing devices and other metalworking component parts, Mr. Walker was known for his philanthropic work with numerous schools and charities. He was also actively involved with Scottish Rite and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Education Foundation.
Mr. Walker studied welding in technical school before working for the company that became McDonnel Aircraft Corporation. During his time there, he identified the need for standardized parts after noticing that all production would stop to make one or two pins. He and two friends began producing parts in a garage on nights and weekends with help from his wife, Myrtle. That effort eventually grew into Carr Lane Mfg. Co., which today distributes more than 100,000 products globally.
An 8-page commemorative issue of the company’s newsletter detailing Earl Walker’s life is available at carrlane.com/articles/walkerpassing.cfm.
Carr Lane will celebrate 60 years in business in 2012, and the company continues to move forward with efforts to strengthen its position in the future, says Judy Camp, marketing director. These include green initiatives, productivity improvements and building updates in addition to the recently remodeled lobby.
.png;maxWidth=300;quality=90)
