Former Packers treasurer Phil Hendrickson dies
GREEN BAY – Former Green Bay Packers treasurer Philip J. Hendrickson died Tuesday.
Hendrickson, 97, also was president of Krueger Metal Products, now KI in Bellevue.
Hendrickson was elected to the Packers board of directors in 1975. He was elected to the executive committee in 1982 and was treasurer from 1984 to 1990. He worked closely with then–president Judge Robert Parins and with Parins' successor, Bob Harlan. He moved to director emeritus status in 2011.
"Phil was a great asset for the organization, particularly with his expertise in financial matters as the business of the NFL was beginning to really grow in the 1980s," Harlan said in a statement. "His knowledge in the investments area was also a great benefit to the organization and how we positioned ourselves for the future."
Packers historian Cliff Christl wrote that Hendrickson played a key role with Parins when it was decided to add luxury boxes to Lambeau Field.
“Just as Bob Harlan was a leader, the Judge was the same way: A little more conservative, but he had a vision,” Christl quoted Hendrickson from a 2010 interview. “That’s why we started the boxes. We needed more money. The league was pressing us. So the Judge and I went around: To Dallas, to the Giants, to the Bears, to Pittsburgh.”
Hendrickson was born at Camp Douglas and was raised in Madison. He was in the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving on the destroyer USS Nicholson. Hendrickson achieved the rank of lieutenant commander before leaving the Navy to attend Harvard Business School.
He joined Krueger Metal Products in 1950 as secretary-treasurer, was named president in 1967 and chairman in 1983. He retired in 1985.
In 1986, Hendrickson was the fourth recipient of the Rotary Club of Green Bay's Free Enterprise Award, which honors corporate leaders in Brown County.
His wife, Elizabeth "Betsy" Hendrickson, died in 2013. The Hendricksons were quiet but active philanthropists in the community.
"Phil was a great supporter of the Packers and an important member of the Packers family for many years," said Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy. "His experience was a valuable asset to the Packers board of directors and executive committee for more than three decades, and we are grateful for his contributions."
Services will be at 10 a.m. March 25 at First United Methodist Church, 501 Howe St. A reception will follow in the St. Norbert College Hendrickson Dining Room. He will be buried with full military honors next to his wife in Baileys Harbor Town Cemetery.
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