Herman H. Pevler

Herman H. Pevler (20 April 1903 – 29 August 1978) was the 10th president of the Roanoke, VA based Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W). He had previously served as president of the Wabash Railroad, and served as president of the N&W from October 1, 1963, until his retirement in April 1970.

Personal life

Commonwealth Magazine once described Pevler as "a driver who operated with doors open and coats off," citing the "sheer force of his personality" and vigor in his activities. He was an alumnus of Purdue University. He was buried in Evergreen Burial Park, Roanoke, Virginia,

Career

In 1927, Herman Pevler commenced work with the Pennsylvania Railroad, and he was elected Vice President of that railway in 1948.^[1]

In 1959, he was elected a director of the First National Bank at St. Louis.^[1]

Herman Pevler was the president of Wabash Railroad before he succeeded Stuart T. Saunders as President of N&W.^[2] Saunders left to head the Pennsylvania Railroad, a major N&W stockholder at that time. Pevler oversaw consummation of a complex group of mergers begun under Saunders which brought into the N&W fold the Nickel Plate Road, the Wabash Railroad and portions of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The mergers were completed in 1964, and widely expanded the company, reaching such major points as Detroit, Chicago, and St. Louis. The latter two were major gateways and interchange points with western railroads.

Following the expansion, NW revenues quadrupled during Pevler's administration. Coming from the Wabash, he was the first N&W president in the 20th century to have not come up through the lower ranks of the N&W, and his leadership was met with some resistance by some N&W staff. Among his legacies was a change in N&W livery on locomotives to a blue very similar to that employed by the Wabash, which became known within the company as "Pevler blue." As his mandatory retirement age approached, it became known that Pevler intended to recommend to the Board of Directors a top official of another railroad as his replacement. However, quick maneuvering by N&W insiders and lobbying of key directors resulted in the selection of John P. Fishwick, a longtime N&W staff attorney who Pevler had assigned to Cleveland to oversee a subsidiary operation.

In 1959, Pevler wrote a 12-page pamphlet on Featherbedding titled The Changing Railroad Picture.

Pevler supported the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966.^[3]

Awards

In 1967, Pevler was named Roanoke's Outstanding Citizen.^[4]

References

1. Finance Publishing Corporation (1959). "Finance". Finance. 76-77.
2. Barnes, Raymond P. (1968). A History of Roanoke. The University of Virginia. p. 815.
3. Mizruchi, Mark S. (2013). The Fracturing of the American Corporate Elite. Harvard University Press. p. 69. ISBN 9780674075368.
4. Norfolk and Western Railway Company (1968). "Herman H. Pevler Honored As Roanoke's Outstanding Citizen". Norfolk and Western Magazine. 46-47.

External links

• The Changing Railroad Picture by Herman H. Pevler