Obituary, Tribune Chronicle. Submitted By Rickard K. Fleischer.
Thorn Pendleton, long time owner of Warren Tool Corp. died at 10:20 PM Thursday at TMH following an illness of several years. He was 77.
Mr. Pendleton, of 275 North Rd. N.E. was retired as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Warren Tool Corp. The company includes Warren Tool Corp., the Quincy Foundry, and KAL Equipment Corp.
He was born in June 24, 1907, in Youngstown, the son of Austin Campbell Pendleton I and Winifred Thorn Pendleton, into a family that helped settle Warren in it’s early days.
He grew up in a landmark house, the old Austin house on Leavittsburg Road.
In 1932, Mr. Pendleton and his brother-in-law bought the former Warren Tool & Forge Co. on Griswold St. in Warren, a company struggling through the Great Depression. Mr. Pendlelton got the company through hard times and nurtured it into a premiere supplier of hand tools.
During World War II, the company made armor-piercing shells. He received a special civilian award for supplying the shells, which were credited with helping the Allies win in Africa.
Following the war, Mr. Pendleton shifted production back to tools and he expanded the company in to Warren Tool Group.
Eighteen months ago, Warren Tool Corp. was reported to have about 500 employees in eight plants. It produces hand tools, electronic machines, and castings.
The Pendleton family also is an owner in South Park Corp. the corporation that owns the Sears Building in the Eastwood Mall and is renovating the former Strouss department store building and several other buildings in downtown Warren.
Mr. Pendleton well known for giving his time and money to the Warren area community.
He was a member of the board of Trumbull Memorial Hospital and Taylor-Winfield Co. and was emeritus director of the board of the Second National Bank of Warren.
Mr. Pendleton was a member if Central Christian Church, where he served as an elder and trustee at different times. He chaired the capital improvements drive for the church and wrote the history of the church, which was published in celebration of it’s 175th anniversary.
His great-great grandfather Alexander Campbell, was a founder of the church.
Mr. Pendleton was particularly interested in the artistic renaissance of Warren. He was an active patron from the start of the Trumbull New Theatre and also of the Warren Chamber Orchestra and the Trumbull Art Guild.
He served on the board of trustees of Hiram College for many years and was the board’s chairman for six years. During his tenure as chairman a large scale endowment drive was completed and the Weekend College at the college was created. Hiram’s development of weekend classes has become a model for other colleges and universities across the nation.
Mr. Pendleton was also active in development work at his alma mater, Williams College, in Massachusetts, where he graduated with a liberal arts degree. He also was vice chairman of the board of John Cabot College in Rome, Italy.
Mr. Pendleton was a member of many civic and social organizations, including The Buckeye Club and Trumbull Country Club, the Union Club of Cleveland and the University Club and Williams Clubs of New York. He was on the advisory committee of Blossom Music Center and recently accepted a place on a committee leading a drive to retire the debt of the Cleveland Playhouse.
He also was a patron of the Northeastern Ohio Opera Association and the National Council of the Metropolitan Opera.Several years ago, he was named outstanding businessman in the Mahoning Valley by Youngstown State University, after delivering the Wean lectures in business administration.
Mr. Pendleton is survived by his wife, the former Francis Manchester, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, whom he married in 1938; two sons Austin Campbell, of New York City, who is an actor and director in professional theater; H. Alexander, of Warren, who is chief executive officer of Warren Tool Corp. ; and a daughter, Margaret Pendleton Flint, of Lincoln, Mass., who with her husband runs a land development and landscaping company, Matlock.
He is also survived
By five grandchildren and a sister, Mrs. Virginia Wright of Boca Grande, Fla. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the church. There will be no calling hours.
