Willian T. Ylvisker

 
February 5, 2010
OBITUARY
 
 

WILLIAM T. YLVISAKER
 
 

William “Bill” T. Ylvisaker was a visionary business leader and a lifelong polo enthusiast whose dedication to each led to many accomplishments, both on and off the field.
 
As the CEO of Gould Electronics from 1967 until 1986, Mr. Ylvisaker transformed a $100 million battery manufacturer into a $2.3 billion diversified technology company. Mr. Ylvisaker’s transformation of Gould was a feat acclaimed by Business Week magazine in 1984 as an accomplishment most old-line manufacturers only dreamed of.  “He turned his company, Gould Inc., into a bona fide force in high technology.  In just three years he bought nine high-tech companies – ranging from a minicomputer maker to a producer of custom integrated circuits – and shed all of Gould’s traditional operations, including bearings and piston, electrical equipment and finally its giant battery division.” During his business career, he acquired more than 150 companies. Under Mr. Ylvisaker, Gould constructed a land-mark corporate headquarters complex in the Chicago suburb of Rolling Meadows. In 1983, Mr. Ylvisaker lost a dearly beloved son which ultimately altered his lifestyle and business outlook. In 1986, he retired from Gould and established his own company, Corporate Focus, for the purpose of acquiring and operating privately held manufacturing and industrial service companies. His inspiration of combining work with an athletic and cultural lifestyle was evident in the sprawling Gould Center, which featured research and training facilities, two multi-floor office buildings, restaurants, a health club, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, and an outdoor running track which were surrounded by a meticulously groomed grounds, including a Henry Moore and Picasso sculpture. 1978 Gould took a route that many other major companies were pursuin, land development, and Gould purchased a ranch in rural Palm Beach County (Florida) and began the development of Wellington, which would change the face of the community and make Wellington the dominant polo and equestrian center of the world. Mr. Ylvisaker included in his plan the prestigious Palm Beach Polo and Country Club, a complex consisting today of 45 holes of golf, 14 polo fields, 26 tennis courts and thousands of homes.  The complex was sold in 1986 by Gould after 10 years of successful growth.
 
Ylvisaker was a gifted athlete and promoted an active lifestyle throughout his life. He captained both the polo and tennis teams at the Lawrenceville School of Lawrenceville, NJ, where he was a trustee for 20 years, and at Yale, where he won the Interscholastic Polo Championship. During his lifetime in polo, Ylvisaker attained a very impressive 7-goal handicap as an amateur, winning three US Open Championships, the Gold Cup, two Coronation Cups, and numerous other national and international honors. Ylvisaker is attributed with significantly heightening the interest in the sport of polo and dedicated his much of his life to this pursuit. In addition to founding the Palm Beach Polo & Country Club, he also founded the Polo Training Foundation to teach and develop young polo players. He served as chairman of the US Polo Association from 1970-1875. Ylvisaker was elected to the Polo Hall of Fame in 1994.
 
Mr. Ylvisaker’s extremely active involvement in business and sports never detracted from the love for his five children: Laurie Ylvisaker of Woodstock, New York; Mrs. Elizabeth Ylvisaker of Woodstock, New York; and son, Jon Ylvisaker of New York, New York.  A son, William, and daughter Amy are deceased.  He has four grandchildren, Maren, Brieze and Marlia Keeley of Chicago and Alastair James Ylvisaker of New York, NY.  His sister, Sara Heller of Westport, Connecticut passed away in 2001.
 
He had residences in Barrington, IL and at the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. In his later years, during the offseason, he lived in  Middleburg, Virginia, where he owned Cotswold Farm for breeding horses.
 
Home Address:
2563 Player’s Court, West Palm Beach, Florida  33414
 
Children:
Laurie Ellen Ylvisaker; Elizabeth Maren Keeley;
Jon Alastair Ylvisaker; Amy Townend Reistrup (deceased); William Wendel Ylvisaker (deceased)
 
Education:
Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, NJ, 1937-43
Yale University, New Haven, CT, 1945-48, B.S. Engineering
 
Honorary Degree:
Luther College, Decorah, IA 1980, Doctor of Law
 
Previous Business Positions:
Bank of New York (New York City), Assistant Security Analyst, 1948-1949
Lake Forest Motor Sales (Lake Forest, IL), General Manager, 1949-1952
Phoell Manufacturing Co. (Chicago, IL), Vice President & General Manager, 1952-1958
Parker Kalon, Div. GATX, (Clifton, NJ), President, 1958-1961
General American Transportation Corp. (Chicago, IL), Group Vice President & Director, 1961-1967
Gould Inc. (Rolling Meadows, IL), Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, 1967-1986
Datron Inc. (Hoffman Estates, IL), President & Chief Executive Officer, 1988-1990
Mercury Products, Inc. (Schaumburg, IL), Chairman, 1988-1995
Pentron Inc. (Hoffman Estates, IL), President & Chief Executive Officer, 1986-1995
Amerail (Chicago, IL), Chairman, 1995-1998
 
Military Service:
Aviation Cadet & Ensign, U.S.N.R., 1943-1945
 
Former Director or Trustee:
Accumulateurs Tudor, S.A., Belgium, Director, 1968-1975
Allied Control Corp., Plantsville, CT, Director, 1970-1978
American Electronics Assoc., Director at Large, Director, 1984-1986
Arlington International Racecourse, Arlington Heights, IL, Board of Governors, 1988-1994
Citizens Democracy Corps Executive Committee (Presidential Appointment), 1990-1997
Compagnie Francaise d’Electro Chimie, France, Director, 1968-1987
First National Bank of St. Paul, St. Paul, MN, Director, 1969-1977
GNB Inc., Mendota Hts., MN, Director, 1984-1988
International Tennis Hall of Fame, 1992-2001
Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, NJ, Trustee & Trustee Emeritus, 1974-present
National Alliance of Businessmen, Director, 1975-1991
National Conference of Christians & Jews, 1978-1991
The Orchestral Association – Chicago Symphony, Director, 1978-1984
RTE Corporation, Brookfield, WI, Director, 1986-1988
Bush-Quayle ’92, Finance Chairman Region VI, 1991-1992
Penske Corporation, Detroit, MI, Director, 1978-1996
Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, Trustee, 1978-1995
Saratoga Polo Club President, 1999-Present
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Guggenheim Museum, New York City, Trustee, 1970-2001
 
 
Former Activities, Awards and Professional Societies:
Northwestern University Associate
Yale Club of Chicago
Yale Polo & Equestrian Association, Director & Co-Chairman, 1976-present
Allendale School for Boys, Trustee, 1962-1988
Alumni Council, Lawrenceville School, Executive Committee, 1956-1963
American Electronics Association
Charles T. Miller Hospital, St. Paul, MN, Director, 1968-1971
Chicago Association of Commerce & Industry, Director, 1964-1968
Citizens Board of the University of Chicago
Clifton, New Jersey, Chamber of Commerce, Director, 1959-1961
The Conference Board, New York, Senior Member
Corporate Fund for the Performing Arts at Kennedy Center
Council on the Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago
Governor’s Commission on Science of Technology, Illinois, Chairman, 1980-1986
Illinois Children’s Home & Aid Society, Director, 1959-1961
Illinois Horse Racing Advisory Panel, Chairman, 1983-1985
Joint Council on Economic Education, Finance Committee, 1980-1986
Marketer of the Year Award from the Chicago Chapter of the American Marketing Association, 1977
Northwood Institute Award, Outstanding Business Leader, 1982
United Republican Fund, State of Illinois, Governor
Polo Training Foundation, Director, 1966-present; Former Chairman, 1966-1983
St. Mark’s Church, Barrington, IL, Vestryman, 1967-1970
U.S. Polo Association, Secretary/Treasurer, 1960-1966, Vice Chairman, 1966-1970, Chairman, 1970-1975
Yale Club of Chicago, Director, 1966-1968