Container pioneer Phil Busby dies in Fort Lauderdale

Container pioneer Phil Busby dies in Fort Lauderdale    Philip Busby, a container shipping pioneer who worked with Malcom McLean at McLean Trucking Co. and who joined the fledgling Sea-Land Service in 1957, died in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, November 17. He was 83.
   A press release issued Monday by Transportation Services Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, where Busby was vice president, said Busby died after a bout with pneumonia.
   Busby was a 1949 Harvard graduate who had served in the Merchant Marine during World War II. He worked for Wachovia Bank, then went to work for McLean Trucking, whose owner, Malcom McLean, is regarded as the father of containerized shipping.
   'He was one of a pioneer group whose development of containerization revolutionized ocean freight shipping, and as a consequence, world-wide commerce,' the statement said.
   Busby's career included service as general manager of Caribbean development at Sea-Land Service. He was also the executive director of the Caribbean Shipowners Association for 20 years, and started and managed several ocean transportation companies.
   A memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, November 22, at the All Saints Episcopal Church, 333 Tarpon Drive, in Fort Lauderdale. For anyone wishing to express their sympathy, the family requests that contributions be sent to the Seafarers' House, P.O. Box 13034, Port Everglades, FL    33316.