Obituaries - Jan. 20, 1988

Samuel N. Regenstrief, Millionaire-Philanthropist

Samuel N. Regenstrief, 78, an Austrian immigrant who became a millionaire-philanthropist and head of one of the world’s largest manufacturers of dish-washing machines. He was founder and chairman of Design & Manufacturing Corp. in Connersville, Ind., which produced machines sold by Sears, Roebuck & Co. under the Lady Kenmore brand. Other brand names included Modern Maid, Admiral and Norge. The company had fewer than 100 employees when he established it in 1959 but by the mid-1970s employed about 2,000 people producing 30% of the world’s dishwashers. He established a Regenstrief Institute at Indiana University Medical Center which led to the opening in 1975 of the Regenstrief Health Center at Wishard Hospital, financed in part by a $2-million gift from him. In Connersville on Sunday.