Alonzo Benton Ordway
From early in the twentieth century, until his death, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser considered Alonzo Benton Ordway his right hand man and as his first and loyal employee.
Ordway started with HJ Kaiser paving roads in Washington and British Columbia. "Ord", was affectionately known, within the corporation, as "Mr. Employee". He and his wife, Wilma Robbins, moved to California in the early 1920's to continue his work with the Kaiser Corporation. From 1927 to 1930, Ordway was the general manager of Kaiser's $20 million highway project in Cuba. Eventually Ordway and his family settled in Oakland and Piedmont close to Kaiser headquarters.
At various times during his 64-year career with Kaiser, Ordway was general manager, director, and vice president of most of the principal Kaiser companies and he held other senior management positions with most of the affiliated companies. These included Richmond Shipbuilders Corp (WW2 shipyards), Kaiser Steel Corp., Kaiser Engineers, Kaiser Center, and Kaiser Industries Corp (which would also included jeep, areospace, electronics, and broadcasting). He was instrumental in the formation of prepaid medical and hospital plans for Kaiser workers and their families during the early ship and dam building days. These were later enlarged to become today's Kaiser Permanente Health Plan. Ordway served as trustee and director of the medical and hospital organizations which administer the plan.
In 1969 Edgar Kaiser honored Ord by naming Oakland's newest high rise, next to the Kaiser Center, the Ordway Building. It was completed in 1970 and is currently the tallest building in Oakland.
Widowed in 1970, Ordway lived his last seven years in an apartment two blocks from the Ordway and Kaiser Buildings, overlooking Lake Merritt. After yet another day of his visiting the Kaiser offices, he lay down for a nap and died peacefully at home. His funeral service was here at the mausoleum with over 200 attendees and 28 pallbearers, including Edgar Kaiser and the mayor of Oakland. He was entombed here next to his beloved Wilma, and downstairs from his old friend and boss, Henry J. Kaiser.
From early in the twentieth century, until his death, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser considered Alonzo Benton Ordway his right hand man and as his first and loyal employee.
Ordway started with HJ Kaiser paving roads in Washington and British Columbia. "Ord", was affectionately known, within the corporation, as "Mr. Employee". He and his wife, Wilma Robbins, moved to California in the early 1920's to continue his work with the Kaiser Corporation. From 1927 to 1930, Ordway was the general manager of Kaiser's $20 million highway project in Cuba. Eventually Ordway and his family settled in Oakland and Piedmont close to Kaiser headquarters.
At various times during his 64-year career with Kaiser, Ordway was general manager, director, and vice president of most of the principal Kaiser companies and he held other senior management positions with most of the affiliated companies. These included Richmond Shipbuilders Corp (WW2 shipyards), Kaiser Steel Corp., Kaiser Engineers, Kaiser Center, and Kaiser Industries Corp (which would also included jeep, areospace, electronics, and broadcasting). He was instrumental in the formation of prepaid medical and hospital plans for Kaiser workers and their families during the early ship and dam building days. These were later enlarged to become today's Kaiser Permanente Health Plan. Ordway served as trustee and director of the medical and hospital organizations which administer the plan.
In 1969 Edgar Kaiser honored Ord by naming Oakland's newest high rise, next to the Kaiser Center, the Ordway Building. It was completed in 1970 and is currently the tallest building in Oakland.
Widowed in 1970, Ordway lived his last seven years in an apartment two blocks from the Ordway and Kaiser Buildings, overlooking Lake Merritt. After yet another day of his visiting the Kaiser offices, he lay down for a nap and died peacefully at home. His funeral service was here at the mausoleum with over 200 attendees and 28 pallbearers, including Edgar Kaiser and the mayor of Oakland. He was entombed here next to his beloved Wilma, and downstairs from his old friend and boss, Henry J. Kaiser.
Alonzo Benton Ordway
From early in the twentieth century, until his death, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser considered Alonzo Benton Ordway his right hand man and as his first and loyal employee.
Ordway started with HJ Kaiser paving roads in Washington and British Columbia. "Ord", was affectionately known, within the corporation, as "Mr. Employee". He and his wife, Wilma Robbins, moved to California in the early 1920's to continue his work with the Kaiser Corporation. From 1927 to 1930, Ordway was the general manager of Kaiser's $20 million highway project in Cuba. Eventually Ordway and his family settled in Oakland and Piedmont close to Kaiser headquarters.
At various times during his 64-year career with Kaiser, Ordway was general manager, director, and vice president of most of the principal Kaiser companies and he held other senior management positions with most of the affiliated companies. These included Richmond Shipbuilders Corp (WW2 shipyards), Kaiser Steel Corp., Kaiser Engineers, Kaiser Center, and Kaiser Industries Corp (which would also included jeep, areospace, electronics, and broadcasting). He was instrumental in the formation of prepaid medical and hospital plans for Kaiser workers and their families during the early ship and dam building days. These were later enlarged to become today's Kaiser Permanente Health Plan. Ordway served as trustee and director of the medical and hospital organizations which administer the plan.
In 1969 Edgar Kaiser honored Ord by naming Oakland's newest high rise, next to the Kaiser Center, the Ordway Building. It was completed in 1970 and is currently the tallest building in Oakland.
Widowed in 1970, Ordway lived his last seven years in an apartment two blocks from the Ordway and Kaiser Buildings, overlooking Lake Merritt. After yet another day of his visiting the Kaiser offices, he lay down for a nap and died peacefully at home. His funeral service was here at the mausoleum with over 200 attendees and 28 pallbearers, including Edgar Kaiser and the mayor of Oakland. He was entombed here next to his beloved Wilma, and downstairs from his old friend and boss, Henry J. Kaiser.
From early in the twentieth century, until his death, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser considered Alonzo Benton Ordway his right hand man and as his first and loyal employee.
Ordway started with HJ Kaiser paving roads in Washington and British Columbia. "Ord", was affectionately known, within the corporation, as "Mr. Employee". He and his wife, Wilma Robbins, moved to California in the early 1920's to continue his work with the Kaiser Corporation. From 1927 to 1930, Ordway was the general manager of Kaiser's $20 million highway project in Cuba. Eventually Ordway and his family settled in Oakland and Piedmont close to Kaiser headquarters.
At various times during his 64-year career with Kaiser, Ordway was general manager, director, and vice president of most of the principal Kaiser companies and he held other senior management positions with most of the affiliated companies. These included Richmond Shipbuilders Corp (WW2 shipyards), Kaiser Steel Corp., Kaiser Engineers, Kaiser Center, and Kaiser Industries Corp (which would also included jeep, areospace, electronics, and broadcasting). He was instrumental in the formation of prepaid medical and hospital plans for Kaiser workers and their families during the early ship and dam building days. These were later enlarged to become today's Kaiser Permanente Health Plan. Ordway served as trustee and director of the medical and hospital organizations which administer the plan.
In 1969 Edgar Kaiser honored Ord by naming Oakland's newest high rise, next to the Kaiser Center, the Ordway Building. It was completed in 1970 and is currently the tallest building in Oakland.
Widowed in 1970, Ordway lived his last seven years in an apartment two blocks from the Ordway and Kaiser Buildings, overlooking Lake Merritt. After yet another day of his visiting the Kaiser offices, he lay down for a nap and died peacefully at home. His funeral service was here at the mausoleum with over 200 attendees and 28 pallbearers, including Edgar Kaiser and the mayor of Oakland. He was entombed here next to his beloved Wilma, and downstairs from his old friend and boss, Henry J. Kaiser.
