The man who was everyone's friend
14th April 1984, Page 59
14th April 1984
Page 59
Page 59, 14th April 1984
— The man who was everyone's friend
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SIR REGINALD PEARSON, who has died at the age of 86, had the rare ability to stand with one foot on the factory floor and the other in the board room, and be equally welcome in each. During his 43 years with Vauxhall Motors he rose from fitter and turner to deputy chairman.
By coincidence I had an appointment with him the day after his knighthood was announced in 1959.
As we walked around the plant, assembly-line workers waved, smiled and called, "Good morning, Reg." Those were the golden days of the Luton plant when a visitor was immediately absorbed into an extraordinary atmosphere of company loyalty, enthusiasm for the job and pride in the product. "Our Reg" contributed much to It.