William T. Ylvisaker

William Townsend Ylvisaker (February 25, 1924 – February 6, 2010) was an American businessman and polo player.[1][2][3]

Biography

Early life

Ylvisaker was born in St. Paul, Minnesota.[4] He went to the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey.[2] He attended Yale University, where he served as captain of the polo team.[1]

Career

He started his career at the General American Transportation Corporation.[2] In 1967, he became the chairman and chief executive officer of Gould, Inc..[2] He built a corporate campus in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, that included health clubs, swimming pools and running tracks.[2] He retired in 1986 and founded Corporate Focus, a consulting firm on mergers and acquisitions.[2][5] He owned three additional companies: Penske Tank Inc., Mercury Metal Products Inc., and Ultraflo.[3]

In 1991, he was appointed to the executive committee of CDC Development Solutions by President George H. W. Bush and took trips to Poland, where he trained businesspeople.[3]

Polo

A seven-goal player, he won US Open Championships, two Coronation Cups, the Gold Cup, four National twenty-goals.[1] He also played elephant polo.[3]

He co-founded the Polo Training Foundation alongside Northrup R. Knox and C. Heath Manning in 1967, and he served as its first vice president.[1][6] He helped establish the World Polo Championship.[1] He was the developer of the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club.[1][2]

He served as chairman of the United States Polo Association from 1970 to 1975.[1][7] He was inducted into the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame on February 9, 1996.[1]

Personal life

He lived in Wellington, Florida, from 1997 to his death in 2010.[2] He was married and divorced three times.[2] He had two daughters, Laurie Ylvisaker and Elizabeth Maren Keeley and two sons, the late "Billy" Ylvisaker and Jon Ylvisaker[2]

Bibliography

• Integrated technology : the story of Gould Inc. (1972)

References

1. Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame, William T. Ylvisaker's biography
2. Trevor Jensen, William T. Ylvisaker, 1924-2010: Business executive, polo player, The Chicago Tribune, February 12, 2010
3. William Gruber, `Retiree` Ylvisaker Still Plays To Win, The Chicago Tribune, September 11, 2011
5. Chairman Leaves Gould, The New York Times, September 3, 1986
6. The Polo Training Foundation: The Founding
7. William Clark Hetherington, Six Chukkers Of Love, AuthorHouse, 2005, p. 122