James H. Grommersch, ’47 died Jan. 15, 2018, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
The 95-year-old mechanical engineer was born and raised in Brookings and later returned following his retirement from Ford Tractor Co.
After graduation, Grommersch began his career as a product engineer at Dearborn Motors, which was acquired by Ford Tractor Co., where Grommersch held a variety of positions until his final promotion to assistant general manager – sales and marketing for Ford Tractor Operations Worldwide in 1973. He retired in 1981.
He was selected as a Distinguished Alumnus in 1973.
He and his wife, Kitty, moved to Brookings in 1990 and had a winter home in Mandeville, Louisiana. Shortly before his retirement, he began to acquire farmland in Brookings County, where he developed shelterbelts and pheasant habitat. In 2016, he was recognized as Sportsman of the Year by Pheasants Forever.
Grommersch is survived by his wife of nearly 67 years, two sons, a daughter, four grandchildren, a great-granddaughter and a sister, June Helsper, of Brookings.
