March 12, 2005

BY STEVE PATTERSON AND DAVID ROEDER Staff Reporters

Monday, he lost his job. Friday, he lost his wife.

Ousted Boeing CEO Harry Stonecipher, booted for an extramarital affair with a colleague, could lose a lot more after his wife filed for divorce on Friday.

Joan Stonecipher filed just days after headlines splashed details of the affair her husband had with Debra Peabody, a 48-year-old Boeing vice president.

Citing "irreconcilable differences," Joan Stonecipher demands "a fair and reasonable sum" from her husband, whom she identifies as "well and able-bodied" and "of substantial income and wealth."

She filed for divorce just a month after the couple had celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

Wife seeks 'equitable share'


Joan Stonecipher says her husband is "capable of making suitable provisions" to ensure she continues to live "in a style commensurate" to what she enjoyed during their marriage.

She also demands "her equitable share of" all marital properties.

The couple, both 68, were enjoying retirement before Stonecipher was hired 15 months ago to burnish the company's reputation.

Boeing had been accused of ethical violations in securing defense contracts, and since then, it has focused on improving company ethics.

After an employee recently reported seeing e-mails from Stonecipher, detailing his affair with Washington-based Peabody, Boeing Chairman Lewis Platt said the way Stonecipher handled the affair had violated company ethics, adding it reflected on his "judgment and would impair his ability to lead the company."

Got $2.1 million bonus


Stonecipher will leave April 1 with no cushy financial send-off, though he will collect his 2004 bonus of $2.1 million, officials said.

In her divorce filing, Joan Stonecipher refers to such assets in seeking a "fair and reasonable sum" for her "temporary and permanent maintenance."

"Past attempts at reconciliation have failed," she adds. "And future attempts at reconciliation would be impracticable and not in the best interests of the family."

Her attorney, Donald Schiller, did not return a call late Friday.

The couple, Tennessee natives who share May birthdays, were married in Rossville, Ga., on Feb. 5, 1955, and have two living children and two grandchildren.


Copyright © The Sun-Times Company

How sad,after sharing their Golden Anniversary together,to have it all end on such a sickening,sordid and sad note. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="images/icons/frown.gif" />

What I want to know is what punishment the homewrecker will recieve for being a part of all this.I just hope that she doesn't walk away without a scratch.She should get booted too IMO.Public disgrace and scandal to follow suit.Nothing less.If she is a VP then HER judgment also could impair her ability to lead the compnay.Cmon.

At least Joan will be well off financially.

O

I agree OctoberGirl,

The OW should be fired too!

"If she is a VP then HER judgment also could impair her ability to lead the company."

I'll say her judgement is impaired! Did you see the pic of the old loser? Me thinx her eyesight may be impaired as well.

<small>[ March 12, 2005, 10:26 PM: Message edited by: meremortal ]</small>

LOL MM.

You know that it's all about how the OP makes them feel <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="images/icons/rolleyes.gif" />

Hmmm.Wonder if she is married too.ugh

I guess money, power and career advancement might make any girl turn a blind eye to the fact she is sleeping with an ugly grandpa!

Boy, this is going to cost grandpa quite a bit. Ah well, play with fire and you get burned.

How sad for his W though. Sure she's getting a lot of money, but this whole thing is so very public. <img border="0" alt="[Teary]" title="" src="graemlins/teary.gif" />

I was watching the talking heads on FOX today discussing this issue and I was completely disgusted by the display of apologetics and rationalizations presented by the pundits. All but one claimed that this was not fair to this man, that the firing was extreme and it would "harm" the business world because -God Forbid! -it would make executives more concerned with their nonbusiness affairs.

I am very pro-business, but I disregard as nonsense the idea that morality can be dissociated from human ventures. Man is bound by the principles of morality, they have demonstrable consequences, and I believe that companies have every right to hold their employees to a code of conduct. No one is forced to take a position with any company, quit if you don't want to abide by their ethical guidelines.

Here's my take on what might have happened:

I'll bet this guy has been using the workplace as his own personal dating service for years. Hey, everybody does it -- what's it gonna hurt as long as you do your job and take care of your family when you do get around to going home?

His betrayed wife has been struggling with this for years, but managed to hang on for the sake of the family and because, bless her, she really did love her husband.

Finally he retires. BW breathes a sigh of relief. Thank god, THAT'S over. Now maybe we can have some good times together with what remains of our lives.

Then, Boeing calls. They need him to restore the good image of the company. And g*ddam if he doesn't go straight out and find himself a girlfried AGAIN.

This would explain why his BW filed for divorce so fast it makes your head spin -- something like five weeks after their 50th wedding anniversary.

Five weeks ago, this man had a top job at a highly respected company and a wife who was willing to stay with him no matter what he, personally, had done to her up to now.

Now he has:
1) No career.
2) No co-workers.
3) No wife.
4) Worldwide public humilation.

What does that leave?

Oh, yeah. It leaves the wh*re he threw it all away for. I'm sure SHE'LL always be there for him.
Mulan

2X4 for WH and OW. Huggs for all of them because they will need it to include WH and OW. I hope the can put there lives back together.