GM’s Chairman Hospitalized, Reported in Serious Condition

DETROIT — General Motors Corp. Chairman Robert Stempel was in serious condition with an undisclosed illness Tuesday night in a Washington hospital, a spokeswoman said.

George Washington University Hospital spokeswoman Terry Abdoo declined to provide details about Stempel’s illness.

Stempel, 59, was meeting with a representative of the Conference Board shortly after noon at the Willard Hotel when he became ill, GM said in a statement.

Emergency crews took Stempel to George Washington University Hospital, where he was admitted for observation. He was “resting comfortably while undergoing further tests,” the statement said.

James Crellin, a GM spokesman in Detroit, said he had no other information.

Stempel has been GM chairman since August, 1990. He joined the auto maker in 1958 as a senior detailer in the engineering ranks. He headed Adam Opel in Germany from 1980-82 and became head of GM’s Chevrolet division in 1982.