GLASS PIONEER - HOWARD RODEFER

"Howard H. Rodefer had a life time love affair with the glass industry.

"This plant was originally known as The National Glass Manufacturing Company from 1870 until 1877, when it was purchased by three brothers from Shadyside who were Albert, John, and Thornton Rodefer.  They operated the factory as Rodefer Brothers until 1898 when Thornton, Howard's grandfather, became the sole owner.  Upon his death in 1910, his son C. M. Rodefer assumed ownership.  And so began the enduring interest and training for young Howard.

"The products of The Rodefer Glass Co. - becoming in 1953 the Rodefer-Gleason Glass Company - through its 105 years of existence have mainly specialized items either hand-blown or hand-pressed for other manufacturers.  This contrasts to the tableware items produced at the neighboring factories of Imperial or Fostoria.  In the early years (1890-1910) opal glass blanks were sent to Meriden, Connecticut where C. F. Monroe's factory decorated the beautiful Wavecrest, Nakura, and Kelva vases, plaques, and boxes which are now treasured by antique collectors.  The shades of the Handel lamp were made on 21st Street as were the globes in the railroad lanterns.  The unusual curved panes of an Aztec Indian found in the Pan-American Building of Washington, D. C. were made at the plant.  Upon the advent of the American Automobile Industry, large flat head lamp covers were sent to Bausch and Lomb in Rochester, New York and fancy round gearshift knobs to the Ford Motor Company in Michigan.

"In dental offices across the country, the opal cuspidor, cement mixing tray, and liners in the cabinet drawers were manufactured at the plant...  Rodefer Opal Glass could resist stains from continuous water flushing so was preferred by most dental manufacturers.

"After the merger with Gleason in 1953, the product became lighting oriented with the production of huge glass globes used in street and airport lighting.  These were made for General Electric, Westinghouse, and Emerson."

front row, from left C. D. Keyser, J. Royce Brown, Dr. I. N. Bealle, Mr. and Mrs. C. Wells Rodefer, Lucy Rodefer, Mrs. Albert Rodefer, James M. Weeks, Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Lancaster, Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Rodefer, Mr. and Mrs. Carl R. Harmon, Mrs. Virginia (Rodefer) Harris, Mary Belle Rodefer, Howard Rodefer, Lucy Elizabeth Harmon, Elizabeth Rodefer, Charles W. Rodefer, John Harris, Charles Harris, Carl L. Dorer, John T. Flynn, W. A. B. Dalzell, unknown.

In chair on veranda, Mrs. Carrie Etzel.

Left to Right in head line Mr. Adams, Wheeling; J. Morris DuBois, St. Clair Archer, James Robinson, unknown, John Sweig, Harry S. McGregor, Al Sherlock, Charles Timberlake, Max Duga, Goodno Wassmann, Charles C. Dickens, Theodore Butler, Ross Logan, Mayor Floyd Conwell, Charles W. Dickens, Harry Herzberg, Donald A. Ward, William C. Carnahan, Albert C. Quinlin, Doctor A. C. Beethan, the Rev. Benjamin Leach, Christian Church; J. V. Nelson, George Heil, E. J. Lewis, Mort Wyrick, the Rev. William H. Mitchell, Methodist; John McGraw, Henry Cowen, J. Ross Greenlee, Moses Duga, Bert Muhleman, Howard Snedeker, Bert Hopkins, Chester Sedgwick, the Rev. Boyd McClearly, Presbyterian; Andrew Kern, D. W. Cooper, Kenneth D. Cooper, William McGraw, Harry Neff, George T. Robinson, J. Ralph Boyd, Henry P. Rodewig, Don Ward, Frank Mellott, George O. Robinson, James W. Stewart, Sylvan Blum, Clifford Belt, John W. Jones, Frank Jones, Sam Crow, William Siddall, Homer C. Althar, Zip Adams.

For additional information on Rodefer Brothers or the National Glass Factory, go to
http://glassian.org/Prism/NationalGlass.