[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 136 (Friday, September 27, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11570-S11571]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO CHARLES M. PIGOTT

 Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, at the end of this year Mr. Charles 
M. Pigott will step down as chairman and chief executive officer of 
PACCAR, Inc. Today I would like to recognize Mr. Pigott for his superb 
achievements and to pay tribute to a thoughtful and considerate friend.
  Guided for nearly three decades by Mr. Pigott's steady hand, PACCAR 
is now America's largest domestically owned truck manufacturer. His 
pursuit of quality and innovation has left a lasting imprint on the 
company and American industry as well.

[[Page S11571]]

  Mr. Pigott began at PACCAR with a summer job in 1945. He went on to 
receive an engineering degree from Stanford University, then served as 
a Navy aviator in Korea. When his tour of duty ended, he rejoined 
PACCAR. In 1967 he became chief executive officer. He oversaw a period 
of great change in the industry, a period in which trucks became safer, 
more efficient and longer-lasting.
  The technical center Mr. Pigott built has brought forth many new 
products and innovations. They include the aerodynamic Kenworth T600, 
which was so widely acclaimed and imitated it changed the look of 
heavy-duty trucks; the Kenworth T2000, PACCAR's newest edition; and the 
more than 330 patents PACCAR has garnered under Mr. Pigott.
  The market, of course, rewards quality. Nearly one out of four class 
8 trucks sold in America today is a Peterbilt or Kenworth. And company 
sales have, on Mr. Pigott's watch, grown from $320 million to $4.5 
billion annually. Net income increased almost sixteen-fold, and 
shareholders' equity from $88 million to well over $1.2 billion. It is 
remarkable that every year in which Mr. Piggot was CEO, PACCAR, 
recorded a profit.
  Mr. Pigott has made his mark in the community as well. For nearly 
five decades he has worked with the Boy Scouts of America, serving as 
president of both the Chief Seattle Council and the National Council. 
He has been general campaign chairman and trustee for United Way of 
King County, chairman of the Washington Roundtable and in leadership 
positions for many other cultural and civic organizations. He also 
heads the PACCAR Foundation, which distributes approximately $3 million 
yearly to civic, cultural, educational and health and welfare causes in 
communities where PACCAR does business.
  Mr. Pigott has been blessed with a wonderful family. He and his wife 
Yvonne have raised seven fine children.
  When Mr. Pigott steps down on December 31, 1996, he will continue 
family tradition and hand leadership over to his son. I congratulate 
him on a splendid career, thank him for his contributions to American 
industry, and wish him all the best in his retirement.

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