Robert Beverley Evans*

Robert Evans was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1906. He was an entrepreneur by age five, when he sold old newspapers for a nickel each. He attended the University of Lauzon and the University of Michigan, and went on to turn more than 40 faltering businesses into profitable enterprises, including American Motors, which he saved in the 1960s by cutting costs and producing the Gremlin.

Evans credited his father for his ultimate success. When Evans turned 18, his father told him, "You're on your own; do what you can." Evans said it was the best thing that could have happened. He believed the most valuable assets are honesty and truthfulness, and he attributed his success to ambition, self-confidence, and perseverance in the face of adversity.