Herman H. Pevler
Encyclopedia
Herman H. Pevler 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.
Pevler succeeded Stuart T. Saunders
, who left to head the Pennsylvania Railroad
, a major stockholder of the N&W at that time. He 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.
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,
Norfolk and Western Railway
The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....
(N&W). He had previously served as president of the Wabash Railroad
Wabash Railroad
The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including trackage in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Ontario. Its primary connections included Chicago, Illinois, Kansas City, Missouri, Detroit,...
, and served as president of the N&W from October 1, 1963, until his retirement in April 1970.
Pevler succeeded Stuart T. Saunders
Stuart T. Saunders
Stuart Thomas Saunders was an American railroad executive.Saunders served as president of the Norfolk and Western Railway, one of the nation's most profitable, from 1958 to 1963...
, who left to head the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, a major stockholder of the N&W at that time. He 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
Wabash Railroad
The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including trackage in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Ontario. Its primary connections included Chicago, Illinois, Kansas City, Missouri, Detroit,...
and portions of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
. 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.
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
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
. He was buried in Evergreen Burial Park
Evergreen Burial Park
Evergreen Burial Park is a cemetery located at 1307 Summit Avenue, SW in the Raleigh Court neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia. The cemetery began in 1916 in what was then Roanoke County....
, Roanoke, Virginia,