Lannom, George Sharp Jr. 1885-1953

LANNOM, CHAPPELL, KILLAUGH, KAVANAUGH

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 3/13/2010 at 09:30:47

Grinnell Herald-Register (Grinnell, Iowa) Feb. 16, 1953

G.S. LANNOM, 68, DIES SUNDAY IN PUERTO RICO; NOTED INDUSTRIALIST

George Sharp Lannom, Jr., prominent Grinnell industrialist since coming to Grinnell in 1923, died suddenly Sun. afternoon in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, where a branch factory of the Lannom Manufacturing company is located. It is presumed that his death was sudden, as he had suffered from a heart condition for a number of years. He would have been 68 years old next Sunday, Feb. 22.

Mr. Lannom, accompanied by Mrs. Lannom and his son Sharp III had arrived in Puerto Rico on Feb. 6. Sharp left the party arriving in Grinnell Sunday to be greeted by the sad news of his father's death. Mr. Lannom had been in his usual health when Sharp left him.

Funeral arrangements are indefinite pending word from Mrs. Lanom as to time of arrival here.

FAR FLUNG INTERESTS

Mr. Lannom was never one to talk freely about his activities and probably few people in Grinnell were aware of the wide range of his interests, which centered in the baseball and glove industries.

In addition to the two factories here, the glove factory and the shoe factory, these interests also included the Puerto Rico plant, where baseballs are sewed; two factories in Tennessee, one in Tullahoma, baseballs and tannery; and one in Lynchburg, gloves; a glove factory in Gloversville, N.Y., and a baseball plant in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

TYPICALLY AMERICAN

Mr. Lannom had had an interesting and typically American career in business. He was born Feb. 22, 1885, in Humboldt, Tenn., the son of George Sharp and Narcissa Chappell Lannom, and was educated in the Humboldt schools, the Brannan Hughes preparatory school and Bethel college in Russellville, Ky., where he graduated in 1903.

RODE THE RANGE

After leaving college Mr. Lannom rode range for a cousin on a cattle ranch in the Osage Nation territory, now Oklahoma for a year, and was never weary of telling about his experiences as a cowboy. Later he was a traveling salesman for various concerns, chiefly harness and saddlery and in 1912 he got his start in the manufacturing business by organizing the Lannom Manufacturing company in Tullahoma, Tenn., where he operated a small tannery and installed machinery for the manufacture of horse collars.

COMES TO GRINNELL

In 1919, seeing the opportunities in baseballs, he reconverted the factory for a complete line of athletic goods and in 1923 consolidated with the Morrison-Ricker Manufacturing company of Grinnell, moving the equipment for the manufacture of all lines except baseballs to Grinnell. The Morrison-Ricker plant had been for many years a successful manufacturer of gloves, and is said to be the oldest glove factory in continuous operation in the United States.

ABILITIES RECOGNIZED

Mr. Lannom's abilities were widely known in manufacturing circles. He was a member and past president of the Athletic Institute and member of the Athletic Goods Manufacturing association; an honorary life member, organizer and first president of the Rotary club in Tullahoma; and served with distinction on the Grinnell school board and was a high ranking Mason, having served as chairman of the Ways and Means committee of the Grand Lodge in Tennessee. He was a member of the Poweshiek club.

While his business interests demanded and received his close attention and he was away much of the time, he was always genial and approachable and always had a special interest in the young men who started their business careers and grew up under his sympathetic direction.

Of late years he has taken great interest in the development and improvement of his farm northwest of town, which constituted his major activity outside of his office.

On April 18, 1907, Mr. Lannom was united in marriage at Trenton, Tenn., with Martha Louise Killaugh and to them were born two children, Martha Narcissa, now Mrs. Charles Parish of Tullahoma and Sharp, III of Grinnell. Mrs. Lannom died after the family moved to Grinnell and in 1944 he married Mrs. Edith Kavanaugh, who survives him. There are also six grandchildren.

Mr. Lannom was a friendly man, a good companion, and business man of vision and far ( ?? ) interests and a specialist (??) his own particular field (??) sports equipment. While his outside interests prevented him from entering extensively in the life of the community, he was a postivie and forceful influence on all whom his (??) touched during his years of residence here.