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After Swirbul moved up to the presidency in 1946, the company diversified into boats, missiles and space engineering. But Swirbul's main business remained aircraft—90% for the military. Grumman's gross last year was $288,978,628—second only to the peak year of 1944.
The hard pace took its toll on Jake Swirbul. Last week, at 62, weakened by cancer and stricken with pneumonia, he died. When Board Chairman Roy Grumman announced the news over the plant public-address system, there were workers on the assembly line who wept.