Decker, Alonzo Galloway, Jr.

▪ 2003

      American business executive (b. Jan. 18, 1908, Orangeville, Md.—d. March 18, 2002, Earleville, Md.), transformed Black & Decker, a power-tool company cofounded by his father, into a corporate giant. Decker went to work at the company after graduating from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., in 1929 with a degree in electrical engineering. He became vice president in 1940 and served as CEO from 1964 to 1975. Under Decker's leadership the company began marketing power tools for home as well as industrial use; sales climbed dramatically, from $100 million to $650 million per year, and Black & Decker became a household name. Decker was chairman of the board from 1968 to 1979 and remained a board member until 2000.

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