The Oldest Boss

Vermilion's chairman at 99

Although confined to a wheelchair, with failing eyesight and hearing, J. Fred Boyd has no notion of quitting as chairman of Vermilion Bay Land, a Louisiana oil-and-gas company he helped start 39 years ago. He gets monthly reports on company affairs, and attended all three of the company's board meetings last year. Last week in Detroit, he attended his 50th consecutive annual meeting, where he was elected to his 13th term as chairman. The only thing unusual about all this is that he is 99 years old.

Boyd began his...

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