Donald M. Genaro (born 1932) is a retired

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

industrial designer Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in advance of the manufactu ...

. He was president of

Henry Dreyfuss Associates Henry Dreyfuss (March 2, 1904 – October 5, 1972) was an American industrial design pioneer. Dreyfuss is known for designing some of the most iconic devices found in American homes and offices throughout the twentieth century, including the West ...

up to 1994. He has been recognized by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' for his contribution to industrial design.

Biography

Genaro was born in

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...

, where he attended public school. He served an apprenticeship at the architecture firm of F.W. Fisher but left to serve the U.S. army during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. After mustering out he entered the Pratt Institute where he graduated in 1957 with a degree in industrial design. A year before completing his studies, Genaro started a work/study program at the offices of Henry Dreyfuss and he remained with the firm after graduation. Genaro took on several projects among Henry Dreyfuss' corporate clients and was made an associate in 1963. He became a partner shortly thereafter and worked alongside Henry Dreyfuss until Dreyfuss' retirement in 1969. Genaro then remained the senior partner until his retirement from the firm in 1994. Throughout his career Genaro oversaw product development, ergonomic, graphic and architectural/interior design projects for

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...

Bell Labs Nokia Bell Labs, originally named Bell Telephone Laboratories (1925–1984), then AT&T Bell Laboratories (1984–1996) and Bell Labs Innovations (1996–2007), is an American industrial Research and development, research and scientific developm ...

, John Deere,

Polaroid Polaroid may refer to: * Polaroid Corporation, an American company known for its instant film and cameras * Polaroid camera, a brand of instant camera formerly produced by Polaroid Corporation * Polaroid film, instant film, and photographs * Polar ...

, Singer Corporation, American Standard and

Bankers Trust Bankers Trust was a historic American banking organization. The bank merged with Alex. Brown & Sons in 1997 before being acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1999. Deutsche Bank sold the Trust and Custody division of Bankers Trust to State Street Corpo ...

, among others. He has also consulted with

Olivetti Olivetti S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of computers, tablets, smartphones, printers and other such business products as calculators and fax machines. Headquartered in Ivrea, in the Metropolitan City of Turin, the company has been par ...

, British Aircraft Corporation, Matsushita Electric and Hitachi. Genaro has lectured on design at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

Carnegie Mellon Carnegie may refer to: People *Carnegie (surname), including a list of people with the name *Clan Carnegie, a lowland Scottish clan Institutions Named for Andrew Carnegie * Carnegie Building (Troy, New York), on the campus of Rensselaer Polyte ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, the Pratt Institute and the Rhode Island School of Design. After retirement he assumed the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Pascack Valley Hospital in

Westwood, New Jersey Westwood (known as "The Hub of the Pascack Valley") is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 10,908,

Notable designs

One of Genaro's most notable designs is the compact 1965 Trimline phone which was designed for

with the Bell Labs and manufactured by Bell System's Western Electric company. This design was notable for moving the dial from the base to the handset, a legacy carried on in all modern

cell phones A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...

. It was also among the first phones to use the

RJ11 A registered jack (RJ) is a standardized telecommunication network interface for connecting voice and data equipment to a service provided by a local exchange carrier or long distance carrier. Registration interfaces were first defined in th ...

modular phone plug and jack, a connecting device now found on numerous products. Genaro also worked on Singer Sewing Machines, the Bard-Parker scalpel, John Deere tractors,

cameras, building and aircraft interiors for

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

, th
Flicker razor
and sinks and faucets for American Standard, among others.

Achievements and awards

In 1985, ''

'' described Genaro as "one of a small but growing fraternity that decides the shapes, sizes and colors of everyday products—pens and stoves, belt buckles and cars". His designed have obtained awards from professional organizations and publications, as well as coverage in '' Fortune'', '' Business Week'', ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' and ''

Advertising Age ''Ad Age'' (known as ''Advertising Age'' until 2017) is a global media brand that publishes news, analysis, and data on marketing and media. Its namesake magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930. ''Ad Age'' appears in m ...

''. His designs feature in collections at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

and National Design Museum. He holds over 150 US patents.

Professional organization membership

Genaro is a member of the

Industrial Designers Society of America The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) is a membership-based not-for-profit organization that promotes the practice and education of industrial design. The organization was formally established in 1965 by the collaborative merger of ...

Personal life

Genaro lives with his family in

Haworth, New Jersey Haworth ( ) is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 3,382,

Notes

External links

J. J. Sedelmaier, "Saying Goodbye To An Old Friend - The Hardwired (AT&T/Bell System/Western Electric) Telephone""Gale Directory of Company Histories: Henry Dreyfuss Associates LLC"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Genaro, Donald 1932 births American industrial designers Pratt Institute alumni Living people People from Haworth, New Jersey People from Hoboken, New Jersey