Zenon Clayton Raymond Hansen (July 23, 1909''Florida Death Index, 1877-1998'' – October 19, 1990) was chairman and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

Mack Trucks Mack Trucks, Inc. is an American truck manufacturing company (law), company and a former manufacturer of buses and Trolleybus, trolley buses. Founded in 1900 as the Mack Brothers Company, it manufactured its first truck in 1905 and adopted its pr ...

, Inc. from 1965 to 1974. He was the fifth president of the company. Zenon C.R. Hansen was active in the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

and he was an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of Scouting America. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Scout rank has been earned by over ...

. Zenon C.R. Hansen was elected to the

Automotive Hall of Fame The Automotive Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum honoring influential figures in the history of the automotive industry. Located in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, US. The Hall of Fame is part of the MotorCities National Herita ...

in 1983. Hansen died in 1990. The Zenon C.R. Hansen Foundation helped to start a leadership program at

Doane College Doane University is a private university in Crete, Nebraska. It has additional campuses in Lincoln and Omaha. Established in 1872, Doane is the oldest private university in the state of Nebraska. History Doane College was founded on July 11, ...

Crete, Nebraska Crete is the most populous city of Saline County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,099 at the 2020 census. The city is home to Doane University. History The railroad reached Crete in 1870, attracting new settlers. In 1871, two c ...

. The Hansen Leadership Program is designed to develop the leadership skills of

students, area high school students, and community residents.

Early years

Zenon Clayton Raymond Hansen was born July 23, 1909, in

Hibbing, Minnesota Hibbing is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range an ...

. His parents were Nelson Christian Martin Hansen, a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

tailor and son of Swedish immigrants, and Ivah Delle Raymond Hansen, a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

housewife of French and Irish descent. His parents divorced when Hansen was four.

Recollections

"I started at Mack Trucks in June 20 1969. I started at 5C plant on the heavy Line. My twin was just above me mounting bogies (rear axles). It got to the point they had to place me on the Lite Line because my twin brother worked up from me on the same line & the bosses were giving orders to the wrong man in their area.They had to put me on the MB utility work on the Lite Line. Mr. Hansen was the best CEO that I ever worked under. The reason I say this , he was a fair man to his employees & a kind gentleman to ALL HIS EMPLOYEES. He did a lot for all the people in the Lehigh Valley & Allentown Pa.I put 32 years at Mack Trucks, from 1969-1974 were the best years of my life , thanks to Mr. Hansen. A Proud Mack Man" - Clinton L. Trumbauer

Later life

Zenon died of cancer on October 19, 1990, at the age of 81. His obituary was featured in the ''New York Times'' and other papers across the country.

In popular culture

Hansen was featured in the 2014 biography ''Legacy of Leadership: Zenon C.R. Hansen-The Untold Story of a Dedicated Boy Scout's Rise to Captain of Industry'' by Steve J. Myers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen 1990 deaths American chief executives of manufacturing companies 1909 births 20th-century American businesspeople