Mr. Adolph M. Quilici
Mr. Adolph M. Quilici was born on a
ranch in Dayton, Nevada, on June 18, 1930, the son of Italian immigrants. The family moved to San Jose,
California, when he was a boy, and there he attended the public schools. He graduated from the University of Santa
Clara in 1953, with a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering.
He was employed by the FMC Corporation following graduation from college, and remained with them for forty years, retiring as Vice-President and General Manager, Defense Systems in 1993. During his early years with FMC, he was the key designer of the M113 family of armored vehicles. In the 1960s, he managed the development of several Army and international track vehicle programs. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was Program Manager for the U.S. Marine Corps' LVVT7 amphibious vehicle fleet program. The US Army's Bradley Fighting Vehicle and the Royal Netherlands Army AIFV were developed under his direction. In the late 1970s, he was manager of FMC's San Jose Ordnance Plant, where the M113 family of vehicles and Bradleys were being produced. He was General Manager of FMC's Ground Systems Division from 1979 to 1990, and from 1990 to 1993 was FMC Vice-President and General Manager. In this latter capacity, he was responsible for all FMC defense business, with annual sales in excess of $1 billion. In retirement, he continues as board or advisory board member for several companies, as a consultant, and as a participant on the Defense Science Board.
Mr. Quilici's engineering skill, managerial abilities, and many other contributions to FMC, the Ordnance Corps, and the defense industry in general have earned him the highest respect of his peers, his employees, and his customers.