Harold Andrew “Hal” Brownfield Jr. was born in Detroit, MI on November 7, 1938 to Harold Brownfield Sr. and Merle Pearson Brownfield and was a “car guy” all his life. His three sisters were Dorothy Herrick, Patricia Wellsbacher, and Merrianne Johnson. He was quick to describe himself as an “under-performing high school graduate from Detroit” (his words) whose substantial success in life is due to just two factors, his attendance at West Point and the talented Sue Gatchell, who fortuitously agreed to marry him.
He was equally unassuming as a cadet. He ran a little track and joined a few clubs to get some trips. He stayed out of trouble, studied just hard enough, and graduated safely removed from the Class Goat. He started his post-graduation career, as many in his class did, as an Infantry lieutenant in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, KY. Although he describes those years as rewarding, he left at the first opportunity to seek greener pastures in Detroit. And green they were! He started at Ford and ended up at General Motors, where he met the aforementioned Sue. They both held down very significant positions at General Motors. His last job at GM was as a program manager for two GM car lines, which followed his job as director of body engineering for the Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac divisions. Sue, with her Ph.D. in engineering, became the director of marketing, planning and engineering for the Delphi Group of GM.
They both left GM in the ’80s to pursue numerous and varied other activities. Hal became President of Auto Style, a key automotive supplier. Then he served as Chief Operating Officer of a joint GM-Fiat company. Eventually he founded his own manufacturing company, Andrew Pearson Industries, specializing in furniture and glass manufacturing. Showing unusual versatility, he also became the chairman of the Old North State Wine Growers Foundation in 2003, a director of the North Carolina Granite Corporation in 2005 and the chairman of Design Sources, International in 2006.
Hal and Sue are particularly proud of their only son, Andy. He graduated a year early with an MBA from the University of Chicago and went on at the same pace to make vice president on Wall Street at 25 and managing director at 31. Andy managed one of the world’s major investment banks in Japan prior to retiring at age 42 to manage his private investment fund in Connecticut. Andy and his wife, Faye, provided the requisite grandkids, Harry and Daisy, both of whom performed capably in the classroom and on the athletics fields, just like their grandfather, Hal.
Hal started slowly in life, but about the same time he married Sue, he shifted into high gear and achieved successes that were beyond his imagination in the ’50s in Detroit and at West Point. It should be clear from his example that successfully navigating the academic, military and athletic standards of West Point can stand one in good stead for a variety of subsequent careers regardless of the class standing achieved. Hal was the perfect example of the broad strength and general utility of the West Point curriculum.
Well Done, Hal; Be Thou at Peace.