Charles T. Baughman, 90, died Sunday, June 17, 2012 at his home in Tallahassee, the result of a stroke. Kim Cook Baughman, his devoted wife, was by his side.
Baughman worked for 39 years with the Ford Motor Company, starting as an hourly line riveter at the Willow Run Assembly Plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan and retiring as a vice president of manufacturing with their international division, based in London, England. His executive assignments for America’s number two automotive manufacturing company sent him to Argentina and Brazil, where he pioneered the company’s strategy for diversifying its worldwide operations. That approach insured Ford’s recent competitive edge while other automotive giants struggled with high labor costs, mounting debts and unwanted car designs. He was also steadfast in training local executives to step into his role every time he moved onto his next project.
Baughman, known to family and friends as Charlie, was born in Cedar Creek, Missouri on June 6, 1922. He served proudly during World War II in the Army Air Corps based in Guam, and returned home to earn a degree in industrial management from Wayne State University. For the last 30 years of his life, he concentrated on industrial consultation, real estate investments, and his love of fishing, golf and horse racing, where he was named an honorary Kentucky Colonel.
In addition to his wife Kim, Charlie Baughman is survived by five children, Mary Ann Bittner, Charles Thomas Baughman, John Ross Baughman, Jacqueline A. Parker, and William F. Cook; along with four grandchildren, Brinka S. Bittner, Henry M. Baughman, Jarrod A. Dice and Hailey A. Cook.
A memorial service will be held at Culley’s MeadowWood Funeral Home 1737 Riggins Road at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 20, 2012. Donations in his memory can be made to the Disabled American Veterans or the Wounded Warriors.
Arrangements are under the direction of Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home in Tallahassee, Florida.
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