From Tire Review
Long-time leader of the American Retreaders Association and Tire Industry Hall of Famer Ed Wagner passed away Sept. 7. He was 87.
Wagner was in a hospice near his Louisville, Ky., home when he died.
Wagner was born in Boston on April 24, 1924, and served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. Following the war, he got into the tire retreading industry with the Fort Western Tire Co. in Augusta, Maine. He moved on to head Super Mold Corp. in Lodi, Calif., from 1960-65, and then started his own retread plant in 1966. That facility burned down in a devastating fire in 1968, but Wagner rebuilt it and eventually sold the business.
Later in 1968, Wagner bought the Retreader’s Journal from ARA managing director George Edwards and took the reins of the ARA at the same time. Wagner was the face and voice of retreading for more than 25 years, finally retiring from that post in 1988, handing the position over to his son, John.
After leaving the ARA, Wagner started Tire & Technical Services in Louisville, providing expert advice on retreading operations and serving as a witness in a number of tire-related court cases. He was elected into the Tire Industry Hall of Fame in 1998.
Wagner is survived by his wife of 60 years, Martha, as well as five sons, four daughters, and nine grandchildren.
His funeral will be Monday, Sept. 12, at St. Albert the Great Catholic Church in Louisville.
