William Wren, a former Northwest Airlines executive and company spokesman, who helped bring competing airlines to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's gates as a Metropolitan Airports Commission executive, and who was a leader of many civic groups, died of a heart attack Friday at his home in Burnsville. He was 65.
Wren was the face of the company in August 1987, when a Northwest Airlines plane crashed shortly after it took off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, killing 156 people aboard. He also spoke for management during labor negotiations and during the acquisition of Republic Airlines.
Arlie Johnson, a former Northwest colleague of Wren's, said he worked for the airline during a challenging time. "What comes to mind for me is his ready smile and helping hand for anyone and everyone who needed it," said Johnson, who now works at the Airports Commission.
After graduating from the University of California, Fresno, Wren joined Northwest Airlines as a ticket agent at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
After serving in leadership positions for Northwest at overseas such posts as Ireland, Sweden and England, he led operations in Tampa, Fla.
He liked to be with the passengers and to meet flights to ensure that the pilots and crews had everything they needed.
"What brightened his day were those pilots coming in with the red tails," said his wife, Linda, of Burnsville, a former employee of the old Braniff Airlines.
He was a natural at maintaining good relations with customers, employees and the news media, she said.
In 1984, the airline named him vice president of public relations and later promoted him to vice president of corporate relations.
He left Northwest in 1992, working outside of the airline industry for several years. In 1998, he went to work for the Airports Commission, given the task of recruiting airlines to the Twin Cities.
Wren, who rose up through the ranks of Northwest in operations, brought unique knowledge of the industry to the airport, said Jeff Hamiel, executive director of the Metropolitan Airports Commission. "He was viewed as an airport expert and as a credible resource for airlines when they determine future service," he said.
Wren was key in bringing Alaska Airlines, Icelandair, Southwest Airlines and, soon, Aeromexico to the Twin Cities.
He was active in nearly two dozen civic groups, leading many of their boards, included Operation Smile, the Red Cross and Dunkers, which provides scholarships.
He worked on the Airports Commission Foundation with Dennis Schulstad, a former Minneapolis City Council member.
"People just had absolute trust in Bill Wren," said Schulstad. "When Bill Wren told you something, you could take it to the bank. To meet him was to be his friend."
In addition to his wife of 34 years, he is survived by a sister, Patricia Wren, of Redding Calif.; and two brothers, Anthony, of Paradise, Calif., and Jonathan, of Chico, Calif.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. today at Washburn-McReavy Edina Chapel, W. 50th Street. and Hwy. 100. Visitation will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at the funeral chapel.
