FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith died at the age of 80, changing global shipping
No injuries reported. Air traffic was temporarily suspended as a precaution, but operations have since resumed.
Frederick W. Smith, founder and former executive chairman FedEx, He passed away on Saturday, the company announced. He was 80 years old.
“Fred was a pioneer in the industry and not the founder of our great company. He was the heart and soul of FedEx. Its PSP culture, values, integrity, spirit” was a message to the FedEx employees of CEP Raj Subramaniam, referring to the philosophy of “People-Service-Profit.”
Smith was said to be “a lot of mentor” and “a source of inspiration for everyone.”
He graduated from Yale in 1966 and served in the Marines for four years. This includes two mission tours in Vietnam, launching the “original Air Force Federal Express Network, which began operation in 1973.” Marine Corps Association.
Fred Smith was a Marine veteran who flew on combat missions in Vietnam. This photo of him is from July 25, 1980 and is posted on a FedEx truck in San Diego, California. (bettmann/contributor/getty images)
According to Reuters, FedEx officially launched with 389 team members and 14 small planes flying 186 packages from Memphis to 25 US cities.
Smith recently served as the company’s executive chairman, focusing on board governance, and, according to his profile on the FedEx website, he focuses on globally important issues such as sustainability, innovation and public policy.
FedEx Founder Fred Smith: “Unsustainable” Records US Debt
Submitted photos of FedEx founder Fred Smith shared by the US Marines. (US Marine Corps/Fox News)
He was aside in 2022 and was taken over by Subra Maniam, the company’s chief operating officer at the time, Reuters reported.
“As we begin to handle this huge loss, it is important to look after each other and show the passion and compassion that Fred has embodied every day. Over the next few days and weeks, we will all find a way to respect his memory and pay tribute to his legacy,” the Subramaniam message concluded.
On May 27, 2024, he is aiming to become the former CEO of FedEx Fred Smith, who served in the US Marine Corps and fought in Vietnam at the National Mall on Memorial Day in Washington. (Tom Brenner/Reuters)
According to the website, FedEx’s business includes 705 aircraft, more than 200,000 vehicles and approximately 5,000 driving facilities. More than 500,000 employees around the world are dealing with it 17 million shipments FedEx every day.
“FedEx has changed the way we live and change the way we do business,” he said. President George W. Bush, The man who was Smith’s fraternity brother of Yale said in a statement.
| Ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDX | FedEx Corp. | 226.04 | +2.74 |
+1.23% |
David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs Group, will be discussing with Fredrik Miss, founder and executive chairman of FedEx Corporation, on Monday, September 25th, 2023 at the American Energy Security Summit in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Nick Oxford/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
For more information about Fox Business, click here
“I asked him twice to serve as Secretary of Defense, and he declined twice just for his dedication to his family. Laura and I will send our dol dol to Fred’s beloved children and grandchildren and his wife Diane,” Bush said.
Mike Emanuel and Reuters of Fox News contributed to this report.