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Clarence Killebrew

Considered a key engineer in the design and development of the construction industry's first wheel loader, Clarence Killebrew also made a dramatic impact on the construction equipment industry's corporate ranks.

Armed with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and six years teaching experience at factory schools, Killebrew joined the Frank G. Hough Company in 1940 where he spent 12 years in the design and development of the first wheel loader used by the agricultural industry, and shortly after by the construction industry.

He then joined the Construction Machinery Division of Clark Equipment Company in 1952, where he developed and introduced within one year the industry's first loader to use hydraulic torque converter, power shift transmission and planetary axles. As a corporate director and vice president of engineering, his team's machine was the first to be designed as a true wheel loader, rather than a modified farm tractor, with capacities 3 to 4 times higher than conventional models. Clarence Killebrew provided the leadership, vision, engineering know-how and political muscle necessary to make it happen.

Although he is now retired, Clarence Killebrew remains a lifetime honorary director of the Construction Industry Manufacturers Association (CIMA).

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