Harry G. Garland

Harry G. Garland

Harry George Garland
Born November 28, 1899
Joliet, Illinois
Died June 18, 1972
Detroit, Michigan
Resting place Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)
Occupation Manufacturing executive
Known for Garland Manufacturing Co.
Spouse(s) Rose Garland
Children Harry, Judy, Carol
Parent(s) George Moses Garland
Annie Amilia Elliott
Call-sign WA8GFP

Harry George Garland (November 28, 1899 – June 18, 1972) was founder and president of Garland Manufacturing Company in Detroit, Michigan, a company that he founded in 1935. As a result of his contributions to the production of equipment for the armed forces during World War II, he was recognized as one of the leaders of wartime Michigan.[1] He sold Garland Manufacturing in 1947 and turned to a career of rescuing financially distressed companies, often as a court-appointed bankruptcy receiver. His receiverships included the Anker-Holth Manufacturing Co., Richmond & Backus Co., D. J. Healy Shops, Rocky River Paper Mill, and the F.L. Jacobs Company.[2][3] Mr. Garland also served on the Macomb County, Michigan Board of Supervisors for almost 20 years.[4] The Garland Lodge and Resort in Lewiston, Michigan is named after him.[5]

Early career

Garland Manufacturing Company on Gratiot Avenue in Detroit, Michigan (c. 1945)

Harry G. Garland learned the trade of tool and die making in the factories of Chicago and Detroit. In 1917 he began his apprenticeship at the American Can Company in Chicago, and worked there for four years. Seeing the opportunities in Michigan, where the automobile industry was in full swing, he moved to Detroit in 1921 to join the Studebaker Company as a journeyman, and in 1923 he moved on to the Chrysler Corporation where he rose to the position of master mechanic at the former Maxwell automobile plant.[2] He left Chrysler in 1935 to start Garland Manufacturing Company.[1]

Garland Manufacturing Company

Harry G. Garland pilots seaplane, with Garland Manufacturing logo, on the Detroit River (1946).

Garland Manufacturing Company was launched by Harry Garland in 1935 as a manufacturer of parts for the automobile industry. The plant was located at 10533 Gratiot Avenue in Detroit. When World War II broke out, Garland Manufacturing turned to the production of parts for trucks, tanks, and planes for the navy and the army. Garland's contribution to the war effort was recognized in the book "Leaders of Wartime Michigan".[1]

Garland was also owner of the Clairpointe Marina on the Detroit River.[6] The Marina was distinguished by the railroad system designed and constructed by Garland for transporting deep-keeled boats from the water to the storage areas and back.[1] He also operated Garland's Seaplane Base, and seaplanes from Garland's Seaplane Base, bearing the Garland Manufacturing Co. logo, could be seen taking off and landing on the Detroit River during the 1940s.[7]

Harry Garland sold Garland Manufacturing Company in 1947 to Herman Otto. Otto developed land owned by Garland Manufacturing in Lewiston, Michigan into a major resort which opened in 1951. The resort was named after Harry Garland – the Garland Lodge and Resort.[5]

F.L. Jacobs Co.

Arthur B. Pfleiderer and Harry G. Garland, Trustees of the F.L. Jacobs Co. (1964)

On March 18, 1959 U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Thornton appointed Harry G. Garland and Arthur B. Pfleiderer as trustees of the F.L. Jacobs Company and ordered the reorganization of the company under Chapter 10 of the Federal bankruptcy law.[3][8] The bankruptcy of the F.L. Jacobs Company was described as “the nation’s fourth largest corporate financing scandal of recent years”.[2] At the time of Judge Thornton's ruling, the F.L. Jacobs Company was headed by Hal Roach, Jr. who had taken over the chairmanship of the company from Alexander L. Guterma in early 1959.[3] In 1960 Guterma was sentenced to prison for his criminal mis-management of the company.[9] The F.L. Jacobs Company had manufacturing plants in Michigan and a lavish New York office that Judge Thornton characterized as "a cesspool of violations".[10]

As Garland and Pleiderer took on the task of untangling the convoluted financial affairs of the F. L. Jacobs Co., Harry Garland assumed the presidency of the two operating units of the company: Grand Rapids Metalcraft Corp. (which had been acquired by F.L. Jacobs in 1936) and Continental Die Casting Corp.[11][12] At the end of 1959 the Detroit News reported that the losses of these two companies had been cut substantially, and by early 1960 Garland reported that the companies were running "in the black".[13][14]

While operating Grand Rapids Metalcraft and Continental Die Casting profitably, Garland and Pfleiderer were able to retire the past obligations of the F.L. Jacobs Company and complete the reorganization.[15][16] In seven years Garland and Pfleiderer took F.L. Jacobs, with a negative net worth of $15.1 million, and returned it to viability.[17] The court, in its final ruling, heaped praise on Harry G. Garland and Arthur B. Pfleiderer noting that Grand Rapids Metalcraft Corp. and Continental Die Casting Corp. had been restored to "leaders in their fields".[18]

As F.L. Jacobs emerged from bankruptcy, Garland was appointed as chairman of the company.[19] Garland continued in this position until 1971 when he resigned the chairmanship in order to, as the Wall Street Journal reported, "turn the reins over to a younger man."[20]

Other businesses

Harry G. Garland with management of Anchor Steel and Conveyor Company in 1965: Ade Czarnecki (Chief Engineer), Harry Garland (President), Marshall Brenner (Vice President and General Manager), Ted Hegelman (Sales Manager).

During the 1960s Harry Garland also served as president of Anchor Steel and Conveyor Company in Dearborn, Michigan.[21] At this company Garland completed the design, construction, and installation of a sophisticated conveyor system that transported huge crowds of visitors through General Motors' Futurama exhibit at the 1964 New York World's Fair.[22] Garland's conveyor system carried 1400 seated visitors simultaneously through the Futurama diorama on a 15-minute ride through scenes of the Antarctic, the moon, the ocean floor, the jungle, mountains, desert, and the urban community of the future.[23][24] The ride did not need to pause for passenger loading and unloading, as visitors boarded and exited from moving walkways synchronized precisely with the speed of the moving seats.[25] During the course of the World's Fair nearly 26 million visitors were transported by this system. It was the Fair's most popular attraction.[26]

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, over and above his other corporate responsibilities, Harry Garland served as the representative in the Detroit area for Lake Shore, Inc., a manufacturing company in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. He was credited with establishing Lake Shore, Inc. as a major sub-contractor to the automotive industry.[27]

Personal life

Harry G. Garland with his wife, Rose Garland, in 1945

Harry G. Garland was born in Joliet, Illinois on November 28, 1899.[1] He moved to Detroit in 1921, and spent the rest of his life in the Detroit area. He was an accomplished pilot and yachtsman, active in the Civil Air Patrol, and served on the Advisory Board of Aviation and Yachting magazine.[28] In 1945 he built his home in Detroit at 14480 Riverside Avenue, located on the Detroit River. He operated a seaplane base and flight school from his home. Garland's seaplane base had both wooden ramps, from which he operated floatplanes, and a concrete ramp from which he could taxi his Grumman Widgeon amphibian into the water.[28]

In 1952 the City of Detroit took possession of Garland's property by eminent domain to convert it into a park, and Garland moved to Grosse Pointe Shores in Lake Township. He built his home at Gaukler Point on the shore of Lake St. Clair and constructed a seaplane ramp from which he operated his Piper PA-18 "Super Cub" floatplane.[29] He replaced Mrs. Edsel Ford on the township board of review and became Supervisor of Lake Township on November 6, 1953 at a time that the township had only 13 registered voters.[30][31] As Township Supervisor he was a member of the Macomb County Board of Supervisors for nearly 20 years, and served as Chairman of the Airport Committee.[4][29]

Harry and his wife Rose had three children: Harry (b. 1947), Judy (b. 1949), and Carol (b. 1951).[29] Harry G. Garland died on June 18, 1972.[4] His wife Rose continued living in their Grosse Pointe Shores home until her death on April 26, 2014.[32]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Moranz, John (1945). Leaders of Wartime Michigan. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: John Moranz. p. 86.
  2. 1 2 3 Thompson, Kenneth (14 June 1964). "Trustees Team To 'Cure' Firms". The Detroit Free Press. pp. 12–13B.
  3. 1 2 3 "Trustees Named to Reorganize F.L. Jacobs; Court Move May Supersede Other Rulings". Wall Street Journal (New York, New York: Dow Jones & Company). March 19, 1959. p. 28.
  4. 1 2 3 "Resolution of the Council of the Village of Grosse Pointe Shores". archive.org. Internet Archive. July 18, 1972. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  5. 1 2 Schult-Mazzenga, Jil (November 27, 2009). "Otto remembered for style, charm and grace". Herald Times. Retrieved 3 December 2013. The resort was named after Harry Garland, the man from whom Herman Otto bought his prototype shop.
  6. ↑ Thompson, Michael A. "A Brief Non-Yachting History of the Bayview Yacht Club" (PDF). p. 34. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "Michigan Airport Directory: 1946-1947". archive.org. Internet Archive. August 1, 1947. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "Court Picks Trustees for Jacobs Co.". Detroit News. March 18, 1959. Thornton appointed Harry Garland, former owner of Garland Manufacturing Co. and Arthur B. Pfleiderer, vice president of the Detroit Bank & Trust Co., as trustees
  9. ↑ "Guterma Sentenced to 4 Years, 11 months, Fined $160,000; Appeal Set, Bail Denied". Wall Street Journal (New York, New York: Dow Jones & Company). February 18, 1960. p. 4.
  10. ↑ "Court Holds Jacobs Co. in Detroit". Detroit Free Press. March 28, 1959. p. 5. Shortly before his ruling he described the manufacturing company’s New York office as “a cesspool of violations.”
  11. ↑ "Grand Rapids Metalcraft Merger". Wall Street Journal (New York, New York: Dow Jones & Company). August 17, 1936. p. 2.
  12. ↑ "Metalcraft Continues". Grand Rapids Press. March 30, 1959.
  13. ↑ "Trustees Cut Jacobs Loss in Fiscal ‘59". Detroit News. December 14, 1959.
  14. ↑ Thompson, Kenneth (February 21, 1960). "F.L. Jacobs Tangle Easing". Detroit Free Press. p. 10-C.
  15. ↑ "Jacobs Co. Trustees Offer Settlements, Plan Reorganization". Wall Street Journal (New York, New York: Dow Jones & Company). February 26, 1963. p. 9.
  16. ↑ "F.L. Jacobs Trustees Propose Reorganization of Bankrupt Concern". Wall Street Journal (New York, New York: Dow Jones & Company). June 18, 1965. p. 26.
  17. ↑ McCann, Hugh (December 5, 1971). "Jacobs Holders Recall the Chill Of Siberian Era". Detroit Free Press. p. 12-B. It took F.L. Jacobs Co. seven years to make a comeback from a negative net worth of $15.1 million....The comeback was primarily the result of the labors of the trustees, Harry Garland and Arthur B. Pfleiderer.
  18. ↑ Thompson, Ken (March 1, 1967). "F.L. Jacobs Co. Recovery Official". Detroit Free Press. p. 4-B. The court in its final ruling appeared unable to resist heaping praise on Harry Garland and Arthur B. Pfleiderer
  19. ↑ "F.L. Jacobs Officer Slate Approved by Federal Court". Wall Street Journal (New York, New York: Dow Jones & Company). August 29, 1966. p. 14.
  20. ↑ "F.L. Jacobs Names Erskine Chairman, Olsen President". Wall Street Journal (New York, New York: Dow Jones & Company). September 17, 1971. p. 14. Mr. Garland, 72 years old, resigned in order to turn the reins over to a younger man.
  21. ↑ "1965 Annual Report of Anchor Steel and Conveyor Company". archive.org. Internet Archive. February 28, 1966. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  22. ↑ Smith, Robert F. (1964). "Futurama II: Drive designed for better-than-standard quiet synchronization". Power Transmission Design (Penton/IPC): 17. Anchor Steel & Conveyor’s engineers tackled a tough one: a people conveyor – the drive system for the moving observation seats in the General Motors exhibit at the New York World’s Fair.
  23. ↑ Smith, Robert F.; Czarnecki, Ade (October 1964). "Futurama II Ride at World's Fair has Unique Drive Assembly". Detroit Engineer (The Engineering Society of Detroit): 16–18. Built and installed by Anchor Steel & Conveyor Co. of Dearborn, it is a continuous closed loop operation requiring approximately 15 minutes for each complete circuit at 123.5 fpm track speed.
  24. ↑ Pope, Leroy (February 29, 1968). "Financial Gossip". Tyrone Daily Herald. p. 9. The Futurama ride carried 1,400 seated spectators simultaneously on a 15 minute tour of the huge GM exhibit.
  25. ↑ "1964 Annual Report of Anchor Steel and Conveyor Company". archive.org. Internet Archive. March 15, 1965. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  26. ↑ Carlson, Jen (March 11, 2013). "Experience The Futurama Ride At The 1964 World’s Fair". gothamist.com. Retrieved December 11, 2013. The GM Futurama Ride...was the fair's most popular attraction, and nearly 26 million people took a ride into the future.
  27. ↑ "In Memoriam". Lake Shore News 19 (2) (Kingsford, Michigan: Lake Shore, Inc.). 1972. For nearly a quarter century, Mr. Garland represented Lake Shore, Inc. in the Detroit area, and was instrumental in establishing Lake Shore as a major sub-contractor to the automotive industry.
  28. 1 2 "Harry Garland's Attractive Home and Seaplane Base". Aviation and Yachting 15 (1): 12. June 1947.
  29. 1 2 3 "Garland Speaks For Unique Lake Township On Macomb County Board". South Macomb News. August 22, 1957.
  30. ↑ Courage, Raymond (March 7, 1955). "Lake Township Needs More Voters---13 Aren’t Enough to Go Around". Detroit Free Press. p. 16. The township supervisor is Harry Garland
  31. ↑ "Mrs. Edsel Ford Drops Out of Lake Township Board Race". The Detroit News. April 3, 1953. p. 4. Mrs. Ford's place on the board of review will be filled by Harry Garland
  32. ↑ "Rose Garland Thornton". Grosse Pointe News. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
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