Donald G. Stokes | Automotive exec, 94
Donald G. Stokes, who was at the heart of the rise and fall of Britain's automotive industry in the 1960s as chairman of the British Leyland Motor Corp., died July 21 at age 94.
Donald G. Stokes, who was at the heart of the rise and fall of Britain's automotive industry in the 1960s as chairman of the British Leyland Motor Corp., died July 21 at age 94.
His death was announced on the Web site of the British Parliament, which did not give a location or cause of death. Knighted in 1965 for his contributions to British industry, Mr. Stokes was one of the longest-serving members of the House of Lords.
Charged with rescuing an industry that was overstaffed, inefficient and lacking structure, Mr. Stokes oversaw the merger of Leyland Motor Corp. and British Motor Holdings in 1986.
The merger, which was intended to rescue a struggling carmaker and create a national champion, instead ended in a government bailout and Mr. Stokes' resignation.
Mr. Stokes is survived by Patricia Pascall, whom he married in 2000, and a child from his first marriage, to Laura Lamb, who died in 1995.
- New York
Times News Service