Sun Rubber Company History Part 1
With the holiday season upon us we decided that it would be fun to delve into our collection and bring you a little bit of history on some locally created toys which reside in our collection, beginning with those created by the Sun Rubber Company.
Over the years the toy market has changed drastically, especially once electronics became easier to mass produce. Before the technology revolution however, many child found joy in much simpler toys such as those that were produced by the local Sun Rubber Company.
The company was founded in part by Thomas William Smith Jr., who was born on July 23, 1898 in McKeesport, PA. After graduating from high school, Smith attended the University of Pennsylvania for a short time, before leaving to enlist in the Naval Reserve officer’s training program. Afterwards he had business ventures in real estate and the hardware industry before he partnered with John T. and Joseph L. McLane to purchase the obsolete Avalon Rubber Company which was situated in Barberton, Ohio the early 1920s. Their company sought to develop a new material for radio panels, but the venture failed and Smith was sent to plant to come up with another idea for revenue.
On April 4, 1923 the Sun Rubber Company was incorporated, with John T. McLane serving as the president, Joseph L. McLane as the vice-president, and Thomas William Smith Jr. as the general manager, secretary, and treasurer. Seeking to make money, the company entered the toy market, supposedly after an employee suggested that they make hot water bottles for dolls. After producing a sample water bottle, Smith went to N.Y. and met with representatives of F.W. Woolworth several times before returning to the plant with an order for 100,000 bottles to be delivered within two months. Fortunately, they were able to complete the order and decided to create their own toys.
Trivia Answer: Frank Winfield Woolworth was the owner of the F.W. Woolworth Company, which was also known as Woolworth or Woolworth’s. A pioneer of the five and dime store, Woolworth’s company would eventually become one of the largest retail chains in the world. As time went on, the focus of the company changed and they eventually got into the sporting goods market. In 1963 Woolworth purchased the Kinney Shoe Corporation, which would eventually branch into the Foot Locker Company in 1974. The company continues to grow to this day and in 2012, Foot Locker, Inc. celebrated its 100th anniversary of being publically listed on the NY stock exchange, a feat which made it the first retail store to obtain that mile marker and one of only 22 companies total to obtain this honor since 1817.
To learn more about the company’s transition into the sporting goods market you can watch a video at:
https://www.thestreet.com/…/foot-locker-history…
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48Jeremy R Clemetson, Sharon K McGalliard Thomas and 46 others
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My grandmother’s old workplace!