Industry icon passes away
CONWAY, Ark. — Charles D. Ward, former president and CEO of school bus manufacturer Ward Industries Inc., passed away on Wednesday. He had been suffe...
CONWAY, Ark. — Charles D. Ward, former president and CEO of school bus manufacturer Ward Industries Inc., passed away on Wednesday. He had been suffering from health problems for several years. He was 67 years old.
Ward’s father, D.H. Ward, founded the manufacturing business in 1933. The company produced the Ward school bus product line at its plant in Conway. The elder Ward passed the leadership baton to his son in 1968.
In 1980, the company was acquired by American Transportation Corp. (AmTran), which in turn was acquired by Navistar during the ’90s. The Conway plant continues to manufacture buses today under the IC Corporation label, which is a division of International Truck and Engine Corporation.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 31, at the Roller-McNutt Funeral Home in Conway.
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