Known as “the man who put the crunch in M&Ms” after figuring out how to add peanuts to the popular button-sized candies, Vernon was more notably a member of the team which developed the Marshall Plan, designed to foster “American assistance in restoring the economic infrastructure of Europe” after World War II.
He also helped develop the International Monetary Fund and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and later taught international business management and international affairs at Harvard University. Vernon died August 26 from cancer. He was 85.