`Noah Roberts

In 1895, Louis Lipsitz began a small recycling business on Bridge Street. The business had a humble start, beginning off by buying and selling scrap copper, iron, brass, rubber, glass and animal hides and bones. Over time his business started to grow expanding to different and bigger materials, while at home him and his wife started to raise a family. Eventually in 1933 Melvin Lipsitz, Louis’s son, joined his father and they relocated their business to the corner of Franklin and First Street in downtown Waco. Melvin married Thelma Sheff in 1935 ,and for fifteen years they worked together in the business as their family grew. They had a son Melvin Jr. and a daughter Lynn.

The original Louis Lipshitz building (Before name change)

The early Lipsitz and Co. factory would take tons and tons of scrap metal, including junk cars, and use it to make new steel. The industry expanded to be so big to where the new steel produced from the scrap in Waco could end up anywhere from Chicago to Mexico. The industry at this point in 1959 was worth almost $2 billion dollars. Being one of the oldest and largest scrap processors in the southwest, M. Lipsitz Co. had a very big impact on this huge industry.

Lipsitz junkyard cars waiting to be shredded

Because of how large their company was, Melvin and Thelma Lipsitz played large roles in the Industry’s affiliated committees. In 1959, Melvin Sr was the vice president and director of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the National Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel. He had also been named the chairman of traffic transportation for the chapter. He would eventually become the president and chairman of the Gulf Coast Chapter. Thelma Lipsitz was the first woman named Panel Vice Chairman of the convention by the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel Inc National Trade Associations of the iron and steel scrap industry. This resulted in her being placed on the board of directors for the association. Thelma Lipsitz was also involved in multiple outside organizations. She was elected president of Sisterhood of Temple Rodef Sholom, and was the founder and president of the Progressive club, which held meetings and meals in their home.

Eventually, in 1969, Melvin Lipsitz Sr died. His partner, John Salome, took over management of the company and bought half of it, which he still owns today. Melvin Jr became the vice president of the company while Thelma continued to help out in different ways with the business side of the company.

Melvin Lipsitz Senior (Center) standing with other Scrap Metal Executives

In the 1970s, M. Lipsitz and Co. took more initiative in the clean up of Waco. When there were disasters or fires they would be there helping clean the area and would salvage any materials. They would also provide industries with huge containers which gave the companies a permanent place to keep their metal waste. This was able to reduce pollution as well as provide them with more metal scrap.

In April of 1975, they were approved for a zone change to move to a 3.5-acre industrial building in Elm. They got a car shredder as a part of the city beautification program. Using this they were rapidly eliminating unsightly land pollution in Central Texas.

Car being shredded in the M. Lipsitz Co. shredder

This car shredder was a newer technology and was a big help for Waco. This new machine was able to shred a car in 40 seconds which allowed them to shred around 400 cars a day. Tom Salome, the general manager, said it was one of the most modern and cleanest ways to recycle the metal scrap.

Employees look at the companies new car shredder in the scrap processing facility

However, in 1979 the Lipsitz company was held liable for PCB runoff poisoning the water. PCB-contaminated oils from newly purchased electric transformers had soaked parts of the Lipsitz work cite and the rain water was carrying run off into Lake Brazos. Legal action was taken and they were forced to come up with a plan of how they were going to remove the contaminated soil since the effects of PCB can lead to cancer. The companies who sold the transformers to Lipsitz were also held liable for the contamination, since the M. Lipsitz was not intentionally buying contaminated transformers. It took a couple of years for them to recover, but the clean up was complete and the work cite was safe by 1981.

In 1982, the M. Lipsitz company revamped their recycling initiative and proposed another idea to help clean up Waco. They teamed up with Anheuser Busch to encourage the public to start recycling cans instead of throwing them away or polluting the city with litter. They proposed that both individuals and companies would receive 20 cents per pound of cans returned to the M. Lipsitz Co. Again, this program was able to benefit both parties. M. Lipstiz would receive more metals to be able to reuse, and the city had less garbage lying around. The program went on to be so successful that in 1988 Melvin Lipsitz Jr and Anheuser Busch received the Independent Eagle Award in recognition of their efforts.

The M. Lipsitz company has continued to lead recycling efforts in Waco over the past couple of decades by encouraging events like Earth day and Recycling Day. The M. Lipsitz company continued to expand and now has 10 different locations throughout Texas and Oklahoma. It is still run by Tom Salome and Melvin Lipsitz Jr at their location on Elm street in Waco.

Brenda Sheppard reminisces of a time when the Lipsitz can recycling initiative was able to impact a homeless member of the community in a positive way. 43:22 – 44:32

Bobby Eugene Hopper reflects on the duties of his job at the Lipsitz company before his time serving in the Air Force.

Works Cited

Lester, Marla Pierson. “Brenda Sheppard Oral History Memoir.” Baylor University Institute for Oral History 13 May 2003.

Downes, Terry. “Bobby Eugene Hopper Oral History Memoir.” Baylor University Institute for Oral History 1 May 2014.

“Mrs. Lipstiz Named Panel Vice Chairman” The Waco News Tribune [Waco] March 30, 1958 Published: Page 22

“M. Lipsitz & Co, LTD.” M. Lipsitz & Co, LTD, www.mlipsitzco.com/.

“Horse Drawn Engine to Be Returned to Firemen.” The Waco News Tribune [Waco] Date Month Year Published: Page(s).

“Thelma To Wed Waco Man In The Near Future” The Waco News Tribune [Waco] September 24, 1952: Page 22.

“Bert Lipsitz and Daughter Return Home.” The Waco News Tribune [Waco] January 06, 1935: Page 14.

“Squeezed Sent to Mail.” Waco Tribune Herald [Waco] September, 1957: Page 12.

“Recycling Scrap Metal And Trash Resources” Waco Tribune Herald [Waco] April 02, 1974 : Page 34.

Baldwin, Helen ” The Personal Touch” The Waco News Tribune [Waco] February 24, 1957 Published: Page 25

“Scrap Iron and Steel Group Elects Lipsitz” Waco Tribune Herald [Waco] July 02, 1961 : Page 12.

“Recycling Scrap Metal And Trash Resources” Waco Tribune Herald [Waco] April 02, 1974 : Page 34.

(Elizabeth P. Stevenson remembers the character of Champe Fitzhugh, the insurance man. Source: Stevenson, Elizabeth P. and Stevenson, William interviewed by Beck, Rosalie and Robb, Allan P. May 18, 1987- May 26, 1987. Interview 3 pages 77-78. Baylor University Institute for Oral History.)

Founded in 1886 , Fitzhugh & Co. was one of the oldest insurance agencies in the state of Texas and would serve the Waco area for around 114 years, being passed down member to member of the family to which the company owes its name.

Fitzhugh & Co. was first started by Edward Everett Fitzhugh who was the only employee on the payroll for the beginning of the business’ life. The eldest Fitzhugh would turn to family early on as a source of employees for his company.  In addition to founding his business,  in 1898 Edward Fitzhugh met with 40 other insurance men from various cities in Texas to organize the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas, which is today one of the largest state associations of independent insurance agency professionals in the nation. The firm would grow and occupy varying locations throughout its early years but finally found a permanent home in the Amicable Life Building in 1911, becoming the first tenant to occupy space in the building, beating even Amicable Life in having an office in the building. From there, the firm would continue to grow, and with this growth came its development into a true family held business, with T. Champe Fitzhugh, Edward’s son, joining the business and eventually taking over the its management in 1919.

(Fitzhugh & Co. boast a long history with the Alico building. From being the first residents of the building and being the last non-Amicable Life Insurance members of the building to leave in 1983. Photographer: Gildersleeve in 1912, Courtesy of Alico Photo Gallery.)

During this time, one could find advertisements in Waco newspapers for E.E. Fitzhugh & Co. with the message “Strong Companies-Best Service.”  It was a bold claim for the company but one that seemed to hold up.  As described in a 1964 paper, T. Champe was the only insurance agent that had survived from 1919 up until then. Champe Fitzhugh was active in the community and the industry in which he operated, he became the third president of the IIAT his father had helped found, and even posted columns in newspapers for people with questions regarding insurance. The business showed it could adjust to the times by offering automobile insurance with the increasing amount of cars on the road.

(T. Champe Fitzhugh (center) ran Fitzhugh & Co. following his father’s death in 1919 and ran it until his son bought the firm in 1964. Accessed through Texas Collection cited below.)

Through the dual crises of the great depression and World War II, the firm continued to operate and serve the community. Eventually, T. Champe Fitzhugh’s son, Champe Fitzhugh Jr., returned home from fighting in World War II and became a partner in the firm. It would not take long for Champe Jr. to find himself the Chairman of the Board of the firm, thus continuing the family legacy of the business.

(The data sheet above provides information about Fitzhugh & Co. such as the building it resided in and tracing how it has been passed down. Accessed through Texas Collection cited below.)

The firm continued to serve the Waco area in the way it always had, with great service and competitive policies. They even provided services to Baylor University, presenting the university with insurance maps in the 1960’s. In the year 1983, the firm’s days of operating in the ALICO building had come to an end when American Amicable needed more space in the building for their own operations. It is worth noting however, that in addition to being the first firm in the building, it was the last one not related to American Amicable to leave the building following 73 years of business there. The firm relocated to 2201 Washington Avenue and would continue to service the Waco area with Champe Jr. running the company and emphasizing the value of service to the community by providing help to those who were in need. The company would focus on maintaining its clients, some of which had been with Fitzhugh for 50 years, by continuing to provide the personable service that had made Fitzhugh stand out from the beginning.

(These images are of the 1963 insurance map that Fitzhugh & Co. presented to Baylor. These maps were typically made to asses liabilities in order to help the insurance company and their client. Accessed through Texas Collection cited below.)

In the year 2000, with Champe Jr. at the age of 86, the company was sold to Gary Vanek, known for being COO of National Lloyds Insurance Company. This would bring an end to the family held business tradition stretching back 114 years. While all staff and Fitzhugh himself were allowed to stay on as part of the company, Fitzhugh would go on to form Fitzhugh Insurance & Bonds in 2003 before his death in 2009.

For over a century, Fitzhugh & Co. served businesses and individuals in Waco by providing insurance policies and great customer service. The company reflects a changing Waco as the Fitzhugh’s helped found and lead one of the largest organizations in Texas for insurance agents, showing how in the early twentieth century Waco was poised to be one of the most commercially active cities in the state. And it’s tradition of passing down the family business reflects the spirit of tradition that is alive and well in Waco. Standing for 114 years, Fitzhugh & Co. served Waco faithfully and serves as a time capsule for the changing city.

Sources:

“IIAT Honors Fitzhugh for 60 Years of State Conference Attendance.” Insurance Journal, 23 July 2006, www.insurancejournal.com/magazines/mag-features/2006/07/24/152206.htm.

Parten, Constance. “Fitzhugh & Co. Agency Sells to Former National Lloyds COO.” Insurance Journal, 3 Sept. 2002, www.insurancejournal.com/magazines/mag-features/2000/06/05/22649.htm.

Business History Data Sheet, Waco Tribune Herald articles- Waco, Texas-Business & Industry Fitzhugh & Co., The Texas Collection Baylor University

Photograph of T. Champe Fitzhugh:

Photograph File People: Fernandez-Flanders, Box 147, Folder: Fitzhugh, The Texas Collection Baylor University

Map:

Map of Baylor University area [cartographic material] : Waco, Texas / Fitzhugh & Co., Cubby 7 – 48 Baylor and Waco/Urban Renewal Maps, The Texas Collection, Baylor University

Newspaper References:

The Waco News-Tribune (Waco, Texas), 25 November 1962, Tuesday, Page 23. Accessed with newspapers.com

The Waco News-Tribune (Waco, Texas), 28 April 1920, Tuesday, Page 12. Accessed with newspapers.com

(This is a view of what the M&M Mars plant in Waco looked like during the 1980s.)

The M&M Mars company was created back in the 1920s by a man named Frank Mars when he opened up a small confectioner’s store in Seattle. After that store failed, he moved to Minneapolis and began making the Milky Way bar. The creation and sale of the Milky Way bar spurred their business to become popular and led to the creation of many other operations in different cities. A task force was instructed to be in search for a plant west of the Mississippi to go with existing facilities. North Texas was chosen for its freight connections after the task force studied business trends. From there, they decided to expand to Waco because of its water situation, sewer capabilities, the site availability, an available labor force, and the real interest expressed by the town fathers. However, the main reason M&M Mars created a plant in Waco was for the people. The people in Waco take pride in their work and have extreme commitment and dedication to everything they put their minds to.

(Here we have Forrest E. Mars, the founder of M&M Mars, and Howard A. Mitchell, in charge of the Waco plant, breaking ground where the Waco plant is to be built.)

The company first broke ground for the new plant in 1973 and was destined to become the largest candy making facility in the worldwide Mars organization. After the opening of the factory, one ideal that helped the company to become successful was that they took the approach that its employees are not lazy, dishonest, or should be treated like children. This is unique for the Waco plant because other companies start with the premise that its employees are dishonest and you need to watch them, but not Mars. The M&M Mars in Waco is majorly based on a team concept and believes that everyone wins or loses together. All workers are seen on the same level and are treated equally. No one has a reserved parking spot, everyone shares the locker room, and there aren’t private offices to make communication a whole lot easier.

(This is a glimpse into the lives of workers in the M&M Mars Waco plant. They have an open work area that easily allows for workers to talk to one another and work together.)

Just as the company believes all employees have a common stake and interest in the company, M&M Mars looks out for the interests of the local economy. The local plant uses Waco firms for all maintenance and upkeep chores. Waco Mars is highly invested in the community. Likewise, they have a stake in a healthy local economy, so they try to incorporate and make use of as many local services as possible.

The Waco M&M Mars plant was the top site for candy corporation expansion in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1977, the company planned to double their Starburst production because the candy had become so popular. They also decided to enlarge their locker room for the employees since they increased employment in the factory. Waco Mars expanded their plant to add a Starburst wrapping room because in 1981, the Waco plant was the only producer of Starburst Fruit Chews, which was the number one non-chocolate candy in the country. Throughout these years, M&M Mars spent one million dollars in expanding the Waco plant to produce Skittles, Twix bars, and more Starburst Fruit Chews. Skittles proved to be a major success for the M&M Mars Waco plant because they surpassed Starburst Fruit Chews in terms of popularity. They were also able to generate a large percentage of the firm’s Snickers bars sold in the United States. The Waco plant exclusively manufactured Skittles, Starburst Fruit Chews, and Twix during this time, generating a large revenue that they fed back into the expansion of the company. The M&M Mars plant in Waco was able to get itself into a healthy cycle of producing large quantities of candy, generating a high revenue, and putting their revenue toward expanding the company for more production.

(Left: A couple of the candies that the Waco plant produces are shown above, some of which are exclusive to the Waco plant. Right: Here are some of the workers preparing the Twix candy to be shipped from the plant.)

The Waco plant was able to earn many awards for their plant production. They earned the 9002 quality certification, making the plant the first confectionary manufacturing plant in the world, and the only finished-goods plant in the United States. This award is based on inspecting what the plant does and how well it does it. The M&M Mars in Waco surpassed their expectations with their cleanliness and attention to detail. They also received the Lloyds Register of Quality Assurance certificate which was an ante into the game. This award was important for the Waco plant because quality has become something that is mandatory, not that is desired.

M&M Mars expanded their candy production to include the Hispanic market. They launched a new M&M candy called Dulce de Leche-Caramel Chocolate Candies. The release of these candies began in Miami, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Antonio and McAllen-Brownsville, five predominately Hispanic markets, to get a feel of how the candy will be received. The varieties they sold were designed to have Hispanic tastebuds in mind. After the candy exploded in the five Hispanic regions, M&M Mars had a nationwide rollout of the candy.

The Waco plant experienced a fire in 2017 near the loading docks. It was caused by a malfunction in one of the refrigerated trailers and the wind spread the fire to five other trailers. The fire was contained to the loading docks and had no reports of injuries. The plant was evacuated, but the employees were able to re-enter the building after a couple hours. The fire produced smoke that made it hard for drivers to see through on nearby roadways. The town was encouraged to avoid the intersection of Mars Drive and Texas Central Parkway along with Imperial Drive due to the smoke for that day. There was no internal damage to the Waco plant and it was able to continue their production of candy.

M&M Mars in Waco has been one of the pride and joys of the people in the working community. It is a staple for how everyone working should be treated and is also a model for how a business should be run.

(Left: According to the Waco Tribune-Herald on June 25, 2007, the M&M Mars in Waco sought to use landfill gas for power. They transitioned to using methane to power the plant, even if it took longer to produce. Doing this has helped the environment since methane is the worst greenhouse gas. Right: According to Austin American-Statesman on August 3, 1997, the waste that the Waco plant produced was too rich with organic materials that it couldn’t be sent directly to a treatment facility. A solution the Waco plant found was to try an experimental vertical flow reed bed that helps filter out solids from the wastewater.)

(Billy Joe Southwell recalls his experience working at the M&M Mars plant in Waco. ~ Source Southwell, Billy Joe, Interviewed by Robert Gamboa, April 28, 2014 in Waco, TX. Baylor University Institute for Oral History, Waco, TX.)

Works Cited:

Bennett, John, “Photo of M&M Mars groundbreaking,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 27, 1976. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

“Plant Manager Relates View Toward Workers,” Waco Tribune-Herald, May 18, 1977. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Darden, Bob, “Waco Was Top Site for Candy Corporation Expansion.” Waco Tribune-Herald, July 23, 1980. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

O’Grady, Eileen, “Inustry in Waco M&M/Mars Plant Employees Have Tastiest Jobs in Town,” Waco Tribune-Herald, January 11, 1981. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

“Celebrates A Decade Of Progress In Waco During Texas’ Sesquicentennial Year,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 27, 1986. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Nelson, Alan, “M&M Mars to spend $1 million expanding Waco operations,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 8, 1987. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Nelson, Alan, “Skittles spell success for M&M-Mars,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 9, 1987. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

“M&M/MARS Expansion –  A Vote of Confidence for Waco,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 26, 1987. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Nelson, Alan, “M&M-Mars plant chief oversaw steady growth,” Waco Tribune-Herald, January 22, 1989. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Copeland, Mike, “Prestigious award a sweet success for M&M Mars plant,” and “MARS Facility takes prestigious honor,” Waco Tribute-Herald, November 20, 1994. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Black, Richard C., “Waco plant finds alternative to dumping waste,” Austin American-Statesman, August 3, 1997. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Corzo, Cynthia, “M&M candies target Hispanic population,” Valley Morning Star, July 11, 2001. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Bond, Pamela, “Mars plant seeks to use landfill gas for power,” Waco Tribune-Herald, June 25, 2007. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Hoppa, Kristin, “Industrial fire affects Mars Chocolate facility,” Waco Tribune-Herald, May 2, 2017.

Bill C. Foster, also known by many of his closer acquaintances as Bill Jr. (or just Junior), was most notably known as the owner, editor, and publisher of the Waco Citizen. The Citizen, while centered in Waco, serviced cities all throughout central Texas and became a central part of the world of local Texas media. A sharp businessman, Foster was always buying other local papers to grow his own business, included the Moody Courier (later known as the Suburban Courier), the Mexia News, Fairfield Recorder, The Clifton Recorder, The Meridian Tribune, and the Valley Mills Progress. His news empire soon became known as the “News Center of Central Texas”. 

Willie Stephen Foster (known as W.S. or Bill Sr.) opened up the Waco Citizen in 1946 at 319 Franklin Avenue, Waco.  However, he didn’t just start it from scratch. He purchased the Texas Citizen, another smalltime paper, in order to start off his new business with a solid customer base. While Bill Sr. may have been the founder of the Citizen, he wasn’t always the best at managing it. According to his own son, Bill Sr. was “a journalist, reporter, Linotype operator, lawyer, politician, legislator, landlord/ Would give you the shirt off his back. Wasn’t the best businessman”. Bill Jr. saw that his father was a jack-of-all-trades, good at everything, but not really a master in any one area. Bill Jr., on the other hand, knew that he wanted to excel at something, and as he grew older, he had his eyes on the Citizen. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

 W.S. Bill Foster holding his infant son, Bill C. Foster, accompanied by an unidentified young lady.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Growing up tinkering with the printing machines in his dad’s garage, visiting his dad’s office, and taking pictures of local buildings, Bill Jr. was practically bred for the paper business. His mother, Vera Chadwick Foster, also had roots in the news industry, having worked for the Waco Press. By the ninth grade, Bill Jr. had started working at the Citizen, beginning a career in the newsprint business that would last almost three quarters of a century. He attended Tech High School in Waco before enrolling as a student at Baylor University, just like his father before him. After graduating and working for his father for an unknown amount of time, Bill Jr. Gained control of the Citizen and began his long tenure as a local newsprint mogul. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Foster’s secondary education was at Waco Technical High School, which renamed as University High School in 1954.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Although Waco may seem on the surface to be just a quite Texas town, there were many high-profile stories that he covered during his time at the Citizen that eventually garnered national attention. Some of his most famous included the Waco Tornado of 1953, the discovery of the Waco Mammoth Site in 1978, and the Waco Siege at the Branch-Davidian compound in 1993. As an avid traveler and lover of world events, he also helped to connect the public of Waco with the rest of the world, reporting on President Reagan’s visit to Baylor in 1988 and the speeches that Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush gave at Crawford H.S. in 2001. In his autobiography, Press Pass Gets You in the Door, he dives even further into these events and many others. Foster was also a longtime member of the Texas Press Association, the Texas Community Newspapers, and the National Newspaper Association. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Bill Foster Covers the speeches of President George W. Bush and President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Crawford, Tx. at Crawford High School. President Bush announces he will visit Russia to discuss important issues with President Putin, but jokes that he will only visit when Russia had some warmer weather.

_________________________________________________________________________________

In public life, Bill Jr. was heavily involved with the local community, running local beauty pageants such as the Miss Waco and Teen Miss America competitions. He was heavily invested in the local Lion’s Club chapter, having been the Public Relations Chairman for 10+ years. Additionally, as a devout Methodist, he researched and documented the history of his own personal church, the First United Methodist Church of Waco. This church was founded in 1850, making it the oldest institution in Waco. Mr. Foster was also a member of the group of local businessmen and politicians that came together to found Celebrate Waco. This event was a showcase of local businesses such as the Texas Hall of Fame, the Texas Rangers Museum, and the Dr. Pepper Museum. Foster even moved his Miss Waco Beauty Pageant to the convention center to grow the repertoire of events during the event. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Bill Foster in Moody, Texas

_________________________________________________________________________________

Bill Jr.’s personal life was simple, and, according to him, mostly happy. He married Camelia Rentz in 1953, having two children, named Cheryl and Jennifer. Camelia began to work for the Citizen after their marriage and was heavily involved in the community as well. Unfortunately, Camelia died on May 5, 1990 due to a major heart attack while taking care of Bill Jr.’s sick brother Brady, which was doubly unexpected due to her only being 55 years old at the time. Bill Jr. eventually remarried, wedding Ellen Foster on May 14, 1993.  

_________________________________________________________________________________

The inscription reads: “THE W.S. FOSTER FAMILY got together for another Christmas picture. It was the same Merry Christmas wish in 1935 as in 1978, showing an increase in sizes and ages. Mother Vera Foster is on left, on down the line, Barbra Dell Sutter, Brady McCall Foster, Bill C., Beverly Jean Hannon and the old man, W.S. Foster.”

_________________________________________________________________________________

Bill Jr. constantly struggled with getting in the black, with failed ventures in multiple Texas cities, such as his struggles in south Texas when his father was in charge and in Victoria during his own ownership. He also struggled at home in Waco. He sold and repurchased the Citizen multiple times, always feeling well about each deal until the other party did something he felt was wrong, at that point buying it back. He repurchased the Citizen for the final time in 1976, when he would finally get his feet under him and do extremely well for the next 30+ years. Due to increasingly stronger competition from local papers such as the Waco Tribune and the Baylor Lariat, as well as a decrease in the physical newsprint market overall with the onset of online ads, Bill Foster Jr. sold the Waco Citizen for the third and final time to TexRay Media in January of 2013. TexRay found the market just as saturated as Foster had, and they were soon forced out of the market as well. On November 22, 2018, the Waco Citizen’s online website was shut down, marking the end of the legacy of a local media giant. 

Bill C. Foster’s legacy is one of a man who fought injustice where he could, using his local media outlet to make Waco and the surrounding cities a better place. Where Bill Sr. had struggled in both business and his personal life (having once become briefly involved with the Ku Klux Klan chapter in Brady, Texas), Bill Jr. made strides towards equality. He fought against corrupt city councilmen, crooked businessmen, and greedy IRS officials (to the point of even bringing a retaliatory audit on himself). His first wife, Camelia, was just as passionate about similar issues, waging her own personal war against the Waco District Attorney’s Office and the FBI agents who did nothing to stop them; in fact, Bill Jr. believed that the stress caused from this never-ending fight might have caused her premature heart attack. However, Foster wasn’t only an aggressor; he also helped shed light on the issues surrounding the town, covering charity events, fundraisers, and local church events. He even gave the city’s minority populations a voice, running a Hispanic tabloid in his paper every other week, because, in his own words, the paper was “getting good business” and the tabloid was run by “real nice people”.

_________________________________________________________________________________

A man who pulled no punched in his newspapers, Bill C. Foster was infamous for picking fights with the wrong crowd, attacking anyone who he felt like had done him or the community wrong. As such, he was very used angry letters by the end of his career. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Audio Files:

Bill C. Foster talks about his family history in Waco and an unfortunate memory from his dad’s business.

Foster also was a fun-loving man. In this excerpt, he talks about printing papers for the NoZe Brothers, a prankster organization at Baylor.

Works Cited:

Bill Foster Papers Collection, Accession number 1070, Box Number 1, Folder Name “Scrapbook”, The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Bill Foster Papers Collection, Accession number 3935, Box Number 1, Folder Name “Loose-leaf Documents”, The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Bill Foster Papers Collection, Accession number 3935, Box Number 1, Folder Name “Preface”, The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Bill Foster Papers Collection, Accession number 3935, Box Number 1, Folder Name “My Book “, The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Bill Foster Papers Collection, Accession number 3935, Box Number 1, Folder Name “White House”, The Texas Collection, Baylor University

Bill Foster Papers Collection, Accession number 3935, Box Number 1, Folder Name “History”, The Texas Collection, Baylor University

Bill Foster Papers Collection, Accession number 3935, Box Number 1, Folder Name “Moody, Texas Pictures”, The Texas Collection, Baylor University

Foster, Bill C. Press Pass Gets You in the Door: Including Waco History. Sarah Book Publishing, 2015.

Bill Foster Papers Collection, Accession number 3935, Box Number 1, Folder Name “The Waco Citizen Newspaper”, The Texas Collection, Baylor

Foster, Willie S. Waco Citizen, 18 Apr. 1957, pp. 1,2,5,6

Sloan, Stephen. “Bill C. Foster Oral History Memoir Interview Number 1.”

Tom Padgitt Inc.

by Thomas Klinger

Forest Edwin and Edna Lee Sedwick Goodman Family photographic collection, #3944, Tom Padgitt, 1870, Box 1, The Texas Collection, Baylor University
Photo of company founder Tom Padgitt dated 1870

Perhaps no other business can claim to have as large and long-lasting a role in Waco as Tom Padgitts and its owners have had over its many decades of business. The business and especially its owners have exerted this influence quietly, diligently and with dignity. They concerned themselves not just with the success of their own business but with the success of Waco itself. Tom Padgitt was the founder and namesake for the business which carries his name to this day and he first arrived in Texas when his family came to Houston from Gallatin, Tennessee. It was in Houston that Tom Badgitt learned the saddlery trade from an uncle and would help make saddles for the Confederate Army during the Civil War. In 1867 Tom Padgitt would start his own saddlery company in Bryan, Texas when he was just 21 years old. He chose Bryan because at the time it was the terminus for the Houston and Central Texas Railroad, Padgitt and the business which bore his name would follow the railroad’s construction as it moved through different towns before finally settling in Waco in 1874 for the rest of his life. The first location of Tom Padgitts Company in Waco would be a small shop on Bridge Street known at the time as Rat Row. The business would not stay there however as Tom Padgitt’s business would grow over the decades into one of the largest saddle companies in America. By 1880 the company had moved into wholesale distribution and in 1883 the company moved from Rat Row to a location on Austin Avenue between Fourth and Fifth Street before finally constructing in 1890 a large building on Franklin Avenue and Fifth Street. In 1922 his operation would occupy two building on four floors and a basement in the Franklin Avenue location. Padgitt’s company would grow so large and recognized for its quality that during World War One the company was chosen by the French and British governments to fill out large orders for their militaries, selling 130,000 dollars worth of leatherwork to the French in 1914 and 50,000 bridles to the British in 1915. Eventually for eighteen months during World War One the Tom Padgitt Company would set aside all private work to fulfill the military orders for the British and American governments.

World War One would also help change the course of the Tom Padgitt Company when Tom Padgitt’s oldest son, Captain Ross Padgitt, died in San Mateo, California in an automobile accident while on duty for the military. With Ross Padgitt’s death Clint Padgitt, as Tom Padgitts second oldest son, would now be heir to the Tom Padgitt company. Though the automobile obviously reduced the need for saddlery, Tom Padgitt’s quality work and business connections ensured that it remained profitable in 1924 employing 110 people in its factory on Franklin Avenue and Fifth Street with a further 8 employees constantly traveling the country as salesmen. The company was not just nationally recognized but did business supplying foreign countries with saddlery especially in Latin America. Padgitts worked with the United Fruit Company supplying bridles and other leatherwork for use on its plantations in Latin America through its operating house in New Orleans.

The Waco News-Tribune 25, May 1924. The large factory of Tom Padgitts located on Franklin Avenue and Fifth street in 1924

Photograph File Waco: Businesses; Tom Padgitt Company-Waco Businesses; Restaurants:Dairy Queen, Box 265,01,Waco Businesses: Tom Padgitt Company The Texas Collection, Baylor University
Photo on the right is of the orignal location of Tom Padgitts on “Rat Row”, photo on the left is of a large function held by Tom Padgitts company with some affiliation with Baylor University as can be seen by on the drum.

Tom Padgitt would also participate in helping to develop Waco beyond his business success. He would be the first director of the First National Bank of Waco and its oldest depositor and was succeeded by his son Clint as director. Several blocks of land in Waco that Tom owned would become known as Padgitt’s Park as he opened it to the public for entertainment and civic events. In the 1890s Tom Padgitt would give Padgitts Park to Waco in order that the Texas Cotton Palace, an iconic landmark, could be built on it this included supplying water to the Cotton Palace from Padgitt’s artisanal wells. Padgitt would also in 1890s use the newly discovered artisanal wells to create a natatorium and what is credited as the first indoor pool in Waco. Padgitt would also help create the first fire department in Waco and served as its first assistant chief in 1873, in 1883 Tom would pay for Waco’s first fire alarm system out of his own pocket because of opposition from the town council. The town council would be so pleased with the system though that they reimbursed him less than a year later. Tom Padgitt would also start a tradition for the Padgitt Company owners by being an avid sportsman, having an enthusiasm for racing horse buggies.

At the age of 79, in 1926, Tom Padgitt would pass away after being ill for some months and the business would pass on to his son Clint Padgitt. Clint Padgitt would immediately expand his fathers business by adding luggage, sporting goods and other toys for sale, and by 1937 the majority of business would be from his wholesale and retail trade in these items though the company still offered leather goods and saddlery. The business would thrive and become recognized throughout Central Texas for its products and service. Perhaps one of the reasons Clint Padgitt decided to go into the sporting goods business was his own great love of sports. Clint would generously fund and support not just the Baylor football program but also many local tennis, golf and bowling events. Clint’s support for the Baylor football program would help it win its first Southwestern Conference Title in 1922 and again in 1924 when he came to head an association in 1920 to help boost the football program. Clint Padgitt’s generosity would extend beyond sports as he would give money and support for the improvement and development of parks and civic buildings in Waco and support for his alma maters Waco High School and Baylor University. Clint Padgitt would also help preserve the history of Waco by donating valuable items to the Baylor Texas Collection.

Photograph file People: Padgett-Park, Box207, Padgitt, Texas Collection, Baylor University
Clint Padgitt standing in front front of Tom Padgitt Co. store with luggage displayed in window.

The Waco News Tribune 5 November 1924, Clint Padgitt crowned as King of the Cotton Palace

In 1945 Clint Padgitt would pass away at the age of 61. Tom Padgitts Company would pass on to his widow Mrs. Camilla Padgitt and Wilton Lanning Senior who ran the business as co-owners with Wilton Lanning Sr. as active manager. In 1948 Camilla Padgitt would fall sick and remain in hospital until her death in 1954 and ownership passed fully to Wilton Lanning. Wilton Lanning Sr. was a banker at the First National Bank of Waco and like Clint Padgitt a sporting enthusiast, which perhaps explains his interest in running Tom Padgitts. Wilton Lanning, Sr would bring in his son Wilton Lanning, Jr to work both in Tom Padgitts and at various banks around Waco. Both Wilton Lannings were graduates of Waco High School and Baylor University. It was under the leadership of the Lannings and especially Wilton Lanning Junior that Tom Padgitts would move into becoming a wholesale and retail photography and audio-visual business dropping entirely saddlery, sporting goods and luggage.

In 1953 a catastrophic tornado would rip through downtown Waco and destroy many historic buildings and businesses. One of the buildings destroyed would be Old Tom Padgitts on Franklin Avenue and Fifth Street. Tom Padgitts as a company would survive this catastrophic event for Waco because Wilton Lanning Sr had moved operations to a new location on 9^th and Austin Avenue around 1950. The business under Wilton Lanning Jr. experienced success and would expand to become the largest audio-visual center in Central Texas, expanding its store on South 13^th Street several times as well as opening up a branch store at 101 Lake Air East in 1973 with the two stores combined employing 30 people.

Wilton Lanning Jr. would continue the tradition of civic engagement that the owners of Tom Padgitts had always shown. Wilton Lanning Jr. would serve in leading roles on a variety of business and community associations over his life such as the Rotary Club, YMCA, Texas Audio-Visual Dealers Association, Central Texas Professional Photographers Association, Waco Convention and Tourism Advisory Board, and the Waco Chamber of Commerce. Wilton Lanning Jr. would also become president of the Dr. Pepper Museum and Free Enterprise Institute and is seen as the man responsible for its creation helping to raise the money from the Waco Motel and Hotel Association and the Dr. Pepper Corporation itself. This effort was done not just to raise money from tourist attractions but also because of Wilton Lanning’s love of history and Dr. Pepper, Wilton having had a large collection of Dr. Pepper memorabilia which was displayed on CNN in 1985. Lanning Jr would also help Baylor Texas Collection and Waco Heritage and History collect rare historical photos from Central Texans in 1984. Lanning and Tom Padgitt’s Inc. would also help in designing classroom and lecture halls including the Baylor Science Building. In 2005 Wilton Lanning would sell Tom Padgitts and it still operates today on 5054 Franklin Avenue. Wilton Lanning Jr. passed away in Janurary of 2018.

Tom Padgitts and its owners were extremely active in creating and renewing Waco over its decades of operation not just by creating and transforming their businesses over the years to remain successful and profitable but by participating and driving forward projects that would help Waco as a community. Though lured by the profits promised from a railroad once Tom Padgitts put down roots in Waco it stayed there through sometimes difficult circumstances surviving wars, depression, and changing economic landscapes.

Sources:

Waco Tribune Herald 11 July 1937 pg 22, pg 23

Waco Tribune Herald 28 june 1936

Waco News Tribune 10 March 1927 pg 6

Waco News Tribune 25 May 1924 pg 1, pg 53, pg 29

Waco News Tribune 5 May 1924

Waco News Tribune 21 Dec 1924

The Eagle (Bryan Texas) 20 Oct 1926 pg1

Waco News Tribune 29 Jan 1922

Waco News Tribune 25 March 1923 pg 23

The Austin American 31 Oct 1914 pg 3

The Houston Post 14 August 1918 pg 3

The Miami News 12 July 1915 pg4

Waco News Tribune 19 Feb 1947 pg 9

Waco News Tribune 5 Feb 1954 pg 27

Corsicanan Daily Sun 14 August 1963 pg 13

The Waco Citizen 27 Feb 1969 pg 30

The Waco Citizen 13 Nov 1984 pg 4

Waco Tribune Herald 3 Nov 1969 pg 14

The Waco Citizen 22 April 1986 pg 2

Waco Tribune Herald 12 Dec 1973 pg 10.

The Waco Citizen 4 Dec 1969 pg 14.

Waco News Tribune 1 March 1973 pg 22.

The Waco Citizen 15 Dec 1989 pg 3.

The Waco Citizen 17 Jan 1989 pg 3.

The Waco Citizen 10 May 1985 pg 1.

The Waco Citizen 14 March 1986 pg 1.

Ibid 15 April 1983 pg 2.

Ibid 1 March 1988 pg. 15

Ibid 19 Dec 1980 pg 14

Ibid 17 Nov 1989 pg 1.

Ibid 9 September 1988 pg 31

Waco Tribune Herald 5 July 1953 pg 41.

Waco Morning News 26 April 1894 pg 4

https://www.wacotrib.com/obituaries/lanning-jr-wilton/article_5f50c63a-3289-5bbc-9106-656484c61164.html

1st sound clip: Interviewer Sielaff, Steven, Title: Oral Memoirs of Wilton Lanning Jr, (Series 3) Interview date: August 12th 2012 in Waco Texas

2nd sound clip: Interviewer Stingley, Jim, Title: Oral Memoirs of Wilton Lanning Jr. (Series 4) Interview date April 11, 2014 in Waco Texas

Waco_Tribune_Herald_Sun__May_19__1957_-1v9r2be

(Ambold’s advertisement from the Waco Tribune Herald. May 19, 1957)

The beginnings of Ambold”s Lock and Key had little to do with lock or keys. In 1872 H.E. Ambold began a general store to serve the many needs of Waco’s citizens. Ambold’s primarily sold sewing machines and outdoor products. Mr. Ambold was well known in Waco for being knowledgeable in guns and fun accessories. He sold everything from hunting rifles to pistols advertised for self-defense. According to the Waco Citizen newspaper, Mr. Ambold was the man to see regarding fishing rods and fishing tackle. Ambold’s sold other outdoor products for the sportsmen like decoys and clothing, and was liked for selling merchandise that was out of season along with the in season products. Along with the sewing machines and outdoor products, Ambold’s was a first line seller in razors and shaving brushes for barbers. They claimed to have scissors of every variety and sewing machines of every make. Although Mr. Ambold would make a key for you, the predominant focus of the shop was general repairs with attention to sewing machines, outdoor needs, and barber materials. Waco likely took notice when H.E. Ambold died in 1905 as he was familiar to everyone in town. Today, Ambold’s is one of Waco’s oldest businesses.

Sometime between his death and the early 1920’s, Red and Willie Nix took over the Ambold business name. With the transition in owner, came a transition of a business model. While Red and Willie kept many of the same aspects, Ambold’s sold other items. In the 30’s Ambold’s began advertising lawnmowers and lawnmower sharpening. They would sell rotary lawnmowers that would eventually need sharpening sometime after the sale. Ambold’s no longer sold sewing machines as changes in manufacturing technology made them less important for the average person’s home. Red and Willie still sold and repaired guns as well as locks and keys. Along with the old and new of products being sold, Ambold’s kept its general repair status intact. They claimed “If it can be repaired we can do it.” By the 1930’s, Ambold’s had sold thousands of locks, guns, and lawnmowers.

By the 1950’s-70s Red and Willie moved Ambold’s focus again. Probably due to changes in technology and their capabilities, Ambold’s no longer focused on lawnmowers and sharpening lawnmower blades. While they would still sharpen the blades for you, Ambold’s advertised their bicycles the most. They became an official dealer of Raleigh Bicycles. Ambold’s advertised it’s good selection as they sold bikes with tire sizes from 20 inches to 28 inches. They even sold bicycles speeds (gears) from 3 to ten. Continuing the idea of repairing what they sold, Ambold’s offered to service the bicycle after they sold it. They probably serviced the bicycle correctly as they claimed they had over 40 years of bicycle service. Along with the bicycles, Ambold’s remained a general repair shop, fixing what Waco would bring them. They kept selling locks and keys as well, but the focus was still not there yet.

From the beginning, Ambold’s was active in the Waco community. H.E. Ambold was well known in the community and was said to offer fair prices. Willie was known for the same thing. in the 1960’s a young boy recounted how Willie Nix allowed him to purchase a bike with installments because the young boy did not have enough money to make the complete purchase. One newspaper from 1930 mentions that they offered bicycle tire and other bicycle accessories to the winner of a YMCA contest. Red and Willie also helped local police. They would change locks in houses and businesses once the police took over the premises. A writer for the Waco Citizen in 1975 recounts Ambold’s service in police and state raids on business that did not pay their taxes. The writer tells that Red or Willie would ride with or behind the police, and once they cleared out the defaulting owners one of them would change all the locks in the business and hand the keys to the representative in the state. Today, Ambold’s is only a locksmith. They do not offer sales in guns or bicycles. They also do far less advertising in newspapers. Before the 1980’s they did most of their advertising in the local newspapers, but today they rely on their website and word of mouth.

(Willie Nix behind the cash register at Ambold’s Repair Shop. Texas Collection Box 259 Folder 6-8)

Waco_Tribune_Herald_Fri__Dec_14__1973_-2mm78es

(Image of Willie Nix changing the locks in a defaulting business for the police. Waco Tribune Herald December 14. 1973)

Waco_Tribune_Herald_Sun__Jun_28__1936_-2cqvnaa

(Image of Ambold’s advertisement in the Waco Tribune Herald on June 28, 1936)

NPR’s Planet Money podcast covers a wide range of topical and historical events in American business history. One interesting phenomena they researched was why and when CEO pay exploded within the United States. Before the 1990’s, CEO pay increased at a steady rate as did other pay for the average worker in a company. In the 1992 the average pay exploded. Between 1992 the average pay for a CEO went from $4 million to $19 million in 1996. The main reasons were tax codes being altered and an accounting rule that helped companies maneuver through the tax code.

(Image of Mark Hurd. CEO of Oracle Corporation and a member of the Baylor Board of Regents)

One major cause of the explosion of CEO pay was Business, State, and Society. In 1992 while Bill Clinton was campaigning to become governor he called out the tax system that was rewarding CEO’s for laying off thousands of workers during a recession. He championed the call to change the tax system that did not incentivize expanding CEO pay and moving manufacturing overseas. Within the next few years congress felt the same and changed the tax code that put a limit at $1 million in deductibles for CEO pay. This deductible formerly allowed companies to pay their CEO’s whatever they felt and then deduct that pay from the companies overall earning, thus lowering their taxes. The tax code, however, let companies go around the rule if they clearly showed they payed CEO’s based on performance.

Changing the tax code created both unacknowledged assumptions and unintended consequences. The huge increase in pay may was certainly an unintended consequence. The tax code was trying to prevent CEO’s from being grossly over payed compared to the average worker in the company, but it had the opposite affect. The cause is tied into the unacknowledged assumption. Companies began paying their CEO’s in stock options. Each year their options would increase in their pay package. While this payment method did incentivize CEO’s to actually better the company and not sit back and collect a paycheck, it also hurt the stockholders and the company. Companies did this due to an accounting rule that was not accounted for. The rule allowed companies to not report the options given to CEO’s, so people thought stock options were free. Unfortunately, they did not assume and realize that for every stock created to pay the CEO, the other stocks went down in value and so did the company. Someone ends up paying for it.

In 2000 when the .com bubble burst and shareholders noticed what was happening, companies realized how vastly over payed their CEO’s were being payed. The accounting rule regarding options changed, and CEO pay started to decrease. in 2014 the average pay for a CEO was $12 million. Although still very high, it is much less than what it was before, and it stopped the continuation of the massive increase.