BRP announced that its Evinrude brand will dedicate a memorial to the legacy of Ole Evinrude at a June 23 ceremony that will include the unveiling of a plaque to be placed on a bridge over Okauchee Lake in Oconomowoc, Wisc.
“Ole Evinrude not only invented the outboard engine on Okauchee Lake in 1909, he invented an industry that we still cherish today,” said Christopher Berg, global director of marketing and strategic planning, Evinrude. “This was his home, the place which fueled his spirit of innovation and the birthplace of the Evinrude brand which continues to thrive over a century later. We are dedicating this memorial so that the world will remember his invention and the significant impact it has had on all of us.”
During a romantic picnic on an island of Okauchee Lake in 1906, Bess Cary asked her fiancé, Ole Evinrude, for ice cream. While fetching her ice cream on that hot summer day, Ole realized that there had to be a better, faster way to get across the water and make his delivery – an outboard engine. Over the next several years, he perfected his design and released the world’s first outboard engine in 1909.
Okauchee Lake will also be a hosting site for BRP Evinrude Club, June 26-28, where dealers, distributors, boat builders, and members of the press from all over the world will be able to experience the next Evinrude innovations on the water.
The dedication ceremony will include remarks by the Town of Oconomowoc Administrator, Jeff Herrmann; Alain Villemure, vice president and general manager, Marine Propulsion Systems division, BRP; and Dennis Evinrude, great-grandnephew of Ole Evinrude,