Lawrence J. Plym
June 28, 1906-March 12, 1993
Niles Daily Star, Saturday, March 13, 1993, page 1, col. 8, microfilm Niles District Library
Niles' benefactor Lawrence Plym dies
Niles--Niles philanthropist Lawrence J. Plym, who was president of The Kawneer Co. in Niles and a former president and publisher of the Niles Daily Star, passed away Friday afternoon.
Plym died at 2:45 p.m. in Delray Beach, Fla.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles.
A complete obituary will publish Monday in the Niles Daily Star.
Niles Daily Star, Monday, March 15, 1993, page 1, col. 1-8, microfilm Niles District Library
A Niles era ends: L.J. Plym dies at 86
NILES--Niles' benefactor, Lawrence J. Plym 86, died Friday at about 2:45 p.m in Delray Beach, Fla., after a six-month illness.
Plym, of 1660 Signal Point Drive, Niles, made his winter home in Delray Beach.
A memorial service for Plym is planned for Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Delray Beach Presbyterian Church.
Memorial services will be held in Niles on Tuesday, March 23, at 11:30 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church.
Plym, a manufacturing executive, newspaper publisher and philanthropist, was born in Kansas City, Mo., on July 28, 1906, to Francis J. and Jane Barber Plym.
Francis J. Plym, as an architect, moved his family to Niles in December 1906.
Lawrence attended Niles High School, Lake Forest Academy and the University of Illinois before earning his degree from Babson College in 1929.
His father, Francis J., was a 1897 graduate of the University of Illinois, where he earned a degree in architecture. The elder Plym established the Plym Travelling Fellowship in Architecture at the University of Illinois.
His grandfather, H.O. Barber, was a member of the first class of the University of Illinois.
On Nov. 28, 1933, in South Bend, Ind., he married Mary P. Lippincott, a native of Flint. She preceded him in death on Aug. 31, 1981.
Plym is survived by three children, Sarah Plym Campbell of Niles, John Eric Plym of Vero Beach, Fla., and Andrew Joseph Plym of Niles; nine grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and a sister, Marion Troup of California.
Plym held the presidency of many companies, including the Kawneer Co. of Niles from 1940 to 1962, which is now merged with Amax Inc.; The Plym Company; Niles Broadcasting Co.; and the Star Publishing Co., which at one time published the Niles Daily Star.
Plym was a vice president of Amax Inc. of Greenwich, Conn., until his retirement in 1979.
He also held many board positions, including service on the First National Bank of Southwestern Michigan for a number of years.
A trustee of Lake Forest Academy, Plym is a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity and was active in numerous clubs in the city of Chicago, including the Chicago Club, Glen View club, and the Old Elm Club.
Plym was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Niles.
In 1957, Plym built the Delray Beach Yacht Club in Florida. In 1963, he built the Signal Point Club in Niles. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Pickwick Club in Niles.
Plym was known for his commitment to philanthropy in education. He established the Plym Distinguished Professorship in Architecture in 1983 at the University of Illinois, including two traveling fellowships.
He also established Plym Foundation Scholarships at Niles High School.
Augustana, Babson, Bethany and Hillsdale Colleges, along with the University of Notre Dame, were recipients of his gifts.
In Florida, Plym was a member of the Gulf Stream Golf Club, the Country Club of Florida and the Gulf Stream Bath and Tennis Club, all of Delray Beach.
In 1983, Plym was awarded the Babson Medal for Distinguished Leadership, Bason College.
In 1989, Plym received an honorary doctorate in business administration from Hillsdale College.
Plym was honored by Fernwood Botanic Garden, a non-profit community education facility in September 1992, when he established the Lawrence J. Plym Endowment for Education.
Plym purchased Fernwood in 1964. His wife, Mary, served as Fernwood's chairman of the board until her death in August 1981.
Her vision was to establish the property known in Buchanan as Fernwood as a nature and garden preserve.
With Mrs. Plym's leadership, Fernwood was opened to the community in the spring of 1965. Today, more than 1,200 are members at Fernwood and its annual visitation tops 10,000.
Also in 1992, he received the Swedish government's Order of the Polar Star. Plym was a member of the board of directors of the Swedish Council of America for 15 years and the council's Royal Round Table. At Augustana College, Plym established an endowment in support of Swedish American history studies through the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center. The award was presented by Lave Johnson, the Swedish Consul General, on behalf of King Carl IV of Sweden.
Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles is in charge of arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to Pawating Hospital in Niles; Niles Community Library and Fernwood's L.J. Plym Endowment for Education.