Oar Beloved President, John Frrjikliri-Schcnck
Dies at Home in Lavvndc.le, on
'rrjikliri • S chcnck •
March A,
Vv
1**1 • K*'
By
^ ' X Tom Forney
We who live in Lawndale ?nd v;ho work for the CleveL'^.nd'Mill rjid Po^ver Company
are ma.de sad in the realization that no longer tjILI v/c see c?.bout Jbhe office, the mill,
the Dye House, the.Machine Shop'or in the Store the beloved figure of our President
cjid friend, Mr. Jolm F, Schenck, Sr, Thci’e ig, hovvevor> consolation in the fact that
in the hearts of all the community cmd in continuation of the v;orks he has fostered
and fathered, he lives on, ' •
The people here loved him for his sense of humor, for his fair dealing, for his
vigor in attacking what ho believed to be wrong. There vjere many vt/ho disagreed with
him in point of view. Yet many, too, agreed either in whole or in part with his views
Regardless of whether one agreed or disagreed with him, he would have to admit that
Mr, Jolm Schcnck, Sr, was firra but fair in* expressing his opinions while allovdng the
other to be equa]J.y as expressive either for or against that point of view,
Sunday, March 4, 1945> Mr. Jolm F, Schenck, Sr, passed away. The funeral service
was held at the-home at 11 A.M,, Tuesday, March 6, 19^5. He v;as laid to rest'in'the
Simset Cemetery in Shelby, Active pall bearers were Ticy Iiodford, Johnny Elmore,
Shannon Blanton, J. B. Brackett, Tal Wallace, Cliff Wallace, Burgin Southard and Burt
Brackett, Th^ service was conducted by Rev, J. V7, Suttle and assisted by Rev.*Zeno
Wall and Rev, C, G, Is ley, Man^i^ beautiful flowers expressing the regards of friends
and employees ;vere sent, A long list of honorary pall bearers consisted of mnjiy of
his emplojrees and associates of long standing as well as many of his out of town
friends,
' Mr, John Schenck, Sr, had lived a rich, full life. He was born almost 80 years
ago, the son of Major and Mrs, Henry Franklin Schenck in La\mdale, He attended Capt
ain Bells Preparatory School at Kings Mountain and I'lter attended Wake Forest College
and the University of North Carc-lina, He received the degree of Bachelor -of Philos
ophy, at the latter school, after which ho''studied law and vjas admitted to the bar.
After a short period of law practice llri^Schenck returned to Lawndale to help his
father ija;'the operation of the cotton mill, • i'he textile industry’then v;as in its in-
f-'^ncy and' needed the help whicih Mr, John Schenck could give to it,
,. The first cotton mill scuth of the Potomac was crected by his great-grandfather,
Michael Schenck, His father. Major Henry F, Schenck, in 1871, built a sma3JL cotton
mill about 2 miles’above the present site of Lav-ndale, The mill was called "Cleve
land Cctton Mills", Later the’mill v:as moved to its present site, at Lawndale and the
n^e became-"Cleveland Mill .and Pov:er Company,"
''"'‘■ Mr. Schenck continued-to help his farther in the operation of the mill until, when
the Major died in 1915, he’took over the'Presidency of the company and since then has
deteri-iiinod its policy, Mr, John Schenck, Sr, also was/.President of the Lily Mills
Company, named in honor of his first wife, Mrs, Lily Moore Schenck. '
In 1892 Mr, Schenck married liiss Lily Moore of Texas, She died in 19/1.0/ Mrs,
Lily.Schenck is remembered with lo\'e ,?nd-tenderness by the people of Lawndale,
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