Thomas Paul Hart, co-founder, Hart's Mfg.
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, April 6, 2009
COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. — Thomas Paul Hart, co-founder of former furniture manufacturer Hart's Mfg. Co., has died. He was 95.
Hart was a master welder during World War II before he and his wife, Ethel, along with his brother Fred Hart founded Hart's Mfg. Co. in 1945. The company initially made kitchen and china cabinets and later expanded the line to include promotionally priced bedroom furniture.
At its height, Hart's Mfg. employed 500 people in two locations. The Harts were among the first manufacturers in the Collierville area to hire women and blacks, a rarity in a small Southern town during those days, said Hart's granddaughter Sherri H. Beutelschies.
Hart's sons and grandsons eventually joined the company, which was in business until 2005. Thomas Hart retired in the early 1980s.
He is survived by four sons, 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to the Christian Church Building Fund or Marty Hart Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, 1900 Union Ave., Memphis, Tenn. 38104.
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