Bill Stumpf

Stumpf was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His father died when he was 13, and his mother, a gerontology nurse, relocated the family to Winona, Minnesota, to be near her family. He served in the U.S. Navy and then earned a bachelor's in industrial design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a master's in environmental design from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Stumpf died at age 70 in 2006, from abdominal surgery complications. He was married to Sharon Stumpf, with whom he had two children, Jon Stumpf and Carol Stumpf and five grandchildren: Gabriella, Erin, Max, David and Julia.

• Illustration — Aeron chair prototype, Victoria and Albert Museum At the University of Wisconsin-Madison Stumpf worked with specialists in orthopedic and vascular medicine, conducted extensive research into ergonomics, specifically in the way people sit. In 1974, Herman Miller commissioned him to apply his research to office seating. Two years later, the Ergon chair was introduced. The company has said that Stumpf had a direct and indirect influence on each of its chair designs since 1976. Stumpf's association with Herman Miller began in 1970 when he joined the staff of the Herman Miller Research Corporation. After establishing his own firm in 1972, Stumpf created the Ergon chair, the first ergonomic work chair. Later, in collaboration with Don Chadwick, he designed the Equa and Aeron chairs, the latter of which is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art and was included in Pirouette: Turning Points in Design, an exhibition featuring "widely recognized design icons [...] highlighting pivotal moments in design history." He was also the principal designer for the Ethospace system.