Richard Teague

Richard A. Teague
Richard Teague at AMC during the 1970s
Born	(1923-12-26)December 26, 1923 Los Angeles, California, United States
Died	May 5, 1991(1991-05-05) (aged 67) San Diego, California
Alma mater	Art Center College of Design
Occupation	Industrial designer
Years active	1948–1983
Employer	General Motors Packard Motor Car Company Chrysler Corporation American Motors Corporation
Known for	Developing the concept of interchangeable body panels for use among different models
Notable work	1955 Packard Oldsmobile Rocket Rambler Classic AMC Cavalier AMC Gremlin AMC Javelin AMC AMX AMX GT AMC Hornet AMC Eagle Jeep Cherokee (XJ) AMC Pacer
Awards	EyesOn Design Lifetime Design Achievement Automotive Industries Man of the Year

Richard A. (Dick) Teague (December 26, 1923 – May 5, 1991), born in Los Angeles, California, was an American industrial designer in the North American automotive industry. He held automotive design positions at General Motors, Packard, and Chrysler before becoming Vice President of Design for American Motors Corporation (AMC), and designed several notable show cars and production vehicles including AMC's Pacer, Gremlin and Hornet models, as well as the Jeep Cherokee XJ and even had a hand in designing/assisted in the designing of later cars for Chrysler after American Motor's buyout such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Neon.

Teague's mother worked in the motion picture industry during the silent movie era. At five years of age Teague appeared in five episodes of Our Gang, playing the role of Dixie Duval, a girl. When he was six, he was seriously injured in a car accident near Pasadena, California, which was caused by a drunk driver. He lost several teeth, suffered a broken jaw, as well as sight in his right eye leaving him unable to perceive depth, while his mother was left an invalid. A year later his father was killed in another automobile crash that was also caused by a drunk driver.

While attending grade school in Los Angeles during the 1930s, Teague built model airplanes before turning to hot rods, since his schoolmates included Ed Iskendarian (who became a drag racer), and land speed racer Stuart Hilborn, as well as other car enthusiasts. He participated in time trials on a dry lake northeast of Los Angeles and was fond of saying that he "had a little gasoline in his blood."

Teague was exempt from service in the armed forces during World War II because of his visual impairment, After graduating from Susan Miller Dorsey High School in 1942, he worked as an aircraft technical illustrator for Northrop Corporation. His boss was Paul Browne, a former designer at General Motors, and he suggested that Teague take night classes at the Art Center College of Design.