Walter O. Spencer was elected president of the Sherwin-William Company in 1969 and named chief executive officer in 1971. He had joined the company in 1949 as a paint formulator in Cleveland following his graduation from Western Reserve University. In 1951, he transferred to Havana as assistant manager of the Sherwin-Williams Company of Cuba, then went on to supervise company facilities in Venezuela, Vancouver, Cleveland and Chicago. Returning to Cleveland once again in 1965, he served in successive managerial and executive positions. In 1978, he resigned from the company (stating that the job was “no longer any fun”), and the following year became dean of Tulane University’s graduate school of business administration. He left the academic post 15 months later, citing lack of both autonomy and funds at the school. Spencer served on the boards of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, Musical Arts Association and United Way, and was a member of the Cleveland Commission on Higher Education.