General Motors

If Jack Smith retires next spring as rumor has it, he'll be the first General Motors Corp. chairman in modern history to voluntarily exit before age 65. He'll be 62.Conventional wisdom goes like this: John F. Smith Jr. has done his job. During the seven years he has served as president or chairman, both as CEO, he has taken the world's largest automaker from the brink of financial disaster to the

byDavid C.Smith with Steve Finlay