# Robert Pew

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{{short description|American businessman}}
'''Robert Cunningham Pew II''' (June 4, 1923 – December 22, 2012) was an American businessman and chairman of [Steelcase](/source/Steelcase) and played a role in [Grand Valley State University](/source/Grand_Valley_State_University)'s development in the 1980s. Pew joined Steelcase in 1952 and served as official chairman through 1974 until 1999. He became an official member of the GVSU board from 1985 to 1988. In the 1990s, Pew's organization became the world's largest producer and distributor of office furniture.

==Personal life==
Pew was born in [Syracuse, New York](/source/Syracuse%2C_New_York) on June 4, 1923.  He served in [World War II](/source/World_War_II) in years 1942 and 1945 and completed over 50 missions as a fighter pilot captain.

In 1989, [Ronald Reagan](/source/Ronald_Reagan) awarded Pew with the National Trust Historic Preservation Award.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/12/longtime_steelcase_leader_robe.html|title=Longtime Steelcase leader Robert Pew passes away|date=23 December 2012 |publisher=Michigan Live|accessdate=28 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/kent_county/steelcases-robert-pew-dies-at-89|title=Steelcase's Robert Pew dies at 89|publisher=WOOD tv|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121230232816/http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/kent_county/steelcases-robert-pew-dies-at-89|archivedate=30 December 2012|accessdate=28 December 2012}}</ref>  The following year, 1990, [''Forbes'' Magazine](/source/Forbes_Magazine) nominated Pew and his family as one of the world's 25 wealthiest families.

He died in [Palm Beach, Florida](/source/Palm_Beach%2C_Florida) on December 22, 2012. He died of natural causes, aged 89, preceded in death by his wife Mary Idema Pew, survived by sons Robert Cunningham Pew III and John, daughter Kate Wolters.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pew, Robert}}
Category:1923 births
Category:2012 deaths
Category:Philanthropists from New York (state)
Category:Businesspeople from Syracuse, New York
Category:Grand Valley State University people
Category:United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II
Category:20th-century American businesspeople
Category:20th-century American philanthropists
Category:United States Army Air Forces officers
Category:American World War II fighter pilots
Category:United States Air Force officers
Category:United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War

{{US-business-bio-1920s-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Robert Pew](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Pew) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Pew?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.