The Valley Citizen (Valley View, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania), of 25 May 1967, reported the following story accompanied by several photographs of the re-opening of the Valley View Enterprises plant in that community, months after a disastrous fire which destroyed the old factory.
Photo Caption:
Taking a coffee break with the boss, these gals show the pleasure of being back at work with Valley View Enterprises. Elwood Koppenhaver, plant manager is flanked by Roberta Keim, on the left, Gertrude Klouser, Hazel Richards and Jennie Hepler. In the rear are Eva Reed, Irene Bixler, and Paula Williard (partially hidden).
It’s Great To Be Back At Work
Elwood Koppenhaver, manager of the Valley View Enterprises plant, is flanked by a cheerful group of gals, whose expressions indicate the satisfaction of being back at work.
However, on November 15, 1966, it was a different story. The facial expressions were sad and tearful as 105 employees watched the old Valley View Enterprises plant burn to the ground. Fear gave way to cheer when the manager announced the plant would be rebuilt… bigger than ever.
The announcement came before the fire was quenched, but that’s the type of person the late Oscar Stutzman was. The die was cast and Oscar, recuperating from recent hospitalization, tackled the task of rebuilding from the ground up.
In his customary complete dedication to a job, he extracted progress from promises, but over-extended himself and succumbed to a heart ailment on December 31, 1966.
Out of the gloom accompanying the loss of Mr. Stutzman, came his chief lieutenant, Elwood Koppenhaver. Fortunately, this man was imbued with the same drive and objectives, and the rebuilding job proceeded without interruption. Mr. Koppenhaver’s ability was rewarded with a promotion to plant manager, and on February 6, 1967, approximately 2 1/2 months from the day of the fire, Elwood had Valley View Enterprises back in limited operation. A week later he was in full operation, and now employs a force of 110 people.
The new building, designed and engineered by S. J. Capeline Associates of New York, contains 18,000 square feet of work and office space. The work of Bowman Brothers, Russell Dietrich and crew, Arthur Hauck, William Dunkelberger, and State Service Supply, created a modern masterpiece of pleasant working conditions. A bright, cheerful interior finish, and new modern equipment combine to make Valley View Enterprises one of the most attractive garment industry buildings in the region.
The plant employs an electric heating system, one of the first industrial installations of its kind in the area.
Note: The picture story appeared in Section 2, Page 1 of the newspaper. Individual pictures are presented in the series of blog posts entitled Valley View Enterprises Re-Opens.
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For other blog posts related to this industry, see Valley View Enterprises.
Special thanks to Jerry Umholtz of Valley View for a collection of news articles and pictures related to the fire, rebuilding, and re-opening of this plant. His grandmother was one of those who worked at the plant and his father was across the street waiting for the school bus when the fire broke out.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.