Richard “Dick” Kabel, who spent 32 years at General Motors Research Laboratories and was one of the key figures in the development of the ILSAC passenger car motor oil standard, died July 29 at age 85.
Born in Detroit, he attended the University of Detroit and later graduated from the General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) in Flint, Michigan. In addition to his career at GM, Kabel was an active member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, serving on its board of directors, and formed Rich-Lo Consulting after his retirement from GM in 1987.
Kabel is attributed with developing the framework that led to the ILSAC specification, which replaced a handful of different standards that were used in the late 1960s, including standards from SAE, the American Petroleum Institute and ASTM International.
Kabel is survived by his wife Lois Kabel, children Keith Kabel and Kathleen Kania and sister Dee Berg, as well as five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.