The Otto Bock Group is mourning John R. Hendrickson who recently passed away at the age of 97. As the first CEO of the Otto Bock branch in the USA founded in 1958, John R. Hendrickson was one of the veterans of the extended Otto Bock family and made a major contribution to its global success.

Otto Bock CEO Dr.-Ing. E.h. Max Näder describes his meeting with John R. Hendrickson in 1957 as a magical moment for the early move of his company towards globalisation. The first Otto Bock foreign branch was founded in Minneapolis back on February 21, 1958 and John R. Hendrickson was appointed Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Finding the right person in the right place for the right job has always been part of the company philosophy as a guarantee for long-term success. With John R. Hendrickson, Dr. Max Näder had found the best man: A competent expert and reliable partner. It was the start of productive cooperation and decades of friendship between men dedicated to their responsibilities. John R. Hendrickson developed Otto Bock USA with vision and commitment, passing a prosperous company down to his son Jack (born in 1943) in the year 1979.

The relationship between the Näder und Hendrickson families, which spanned generations, becomes clear in the recently published company history “Bewegte Zeiten” (“Eventful Times” – a trilogy telling the story of the Otto Bock family and company integrated in their historical context). The Hendrickson family, inextricably linked to the development of the company in the USA, has been loyal to Otto Bock for three generations: James R. Hendrickson (born 03/07/1973), son of Jack and grandson of John Hendrickson, is “Manager Technical Service Initiatives” for the group. His sister Anna M. Hendrickson (born 04/04/1970) is “E-Communication Specialist” at Otto Bock HealthCare in Minneapolis, the American head office of all Otto Bock operations in the USA.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Otto Bock USA in February 2008 Professor Hans Georg Näder, chairman and CEO of the Otto Bock Group, recognised the achievements of the founding generation and thanked them for their decades of dedication. As a special gesture of recognition, he presented John R. Hendrickson with the feathered headdress of an honorary Indian chief. In his letter of condolence to the family, Professor Näder wrote about the occasion: “How wonderful that John was able to experience the 50th company anniversary last year, enjoying the tributes, appreciation and ovations surrounding him with pride and emotion. I will never forget his shining eyes when he was presented with the Indian chief headdress.”

Many paid their last respects to John R. Hendrickson at a dignified funeral service – exactly on June 24, 2009 when Dr. Max Näder reached the age of 94.

Additional information:
Dirk Artmann
Director of Corporate Communication / Company Spokesman
Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH, Max-Näder-Str. 15, 37115 Duderstadt
Phone: (05527) 848-3036, Fax: (05527) 848-3360
E-Mail: dirk.artmann@ottobock.de
www.ottobock.com