|
Sol Schechter, philanthropist, businessman, dies
Generosity was legendary in community
|
By Lee Raynor, Editor
Posted: 1:45 AM EST Wednesday December 07, 2005
|
If it was Tuesday night , Sol Schechter and his wife Pearl usually could be found at Pizza Villa.
“He really liked to go there for their spaghetti special,” said Agnes Ho, director of the Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library and a long-time friend of the couple.
Schechter, 89, died Tuesday.
He was best known for his philanthropy in the town where he had made his home since 1941. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Schechter and the former Pearl Fuchs moved here and set down deep roots.
He opened a shirt factory soon after arriving in Kinston, although he would leave the business in his wife's hands while he served for almost three years in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. The small factory would grow and eventually become Hampton Industries, one of the area's major manufacturers. Schechter was president of Hampton until 1994.
A member of Temple Israel, scarcely any benevolent agency went untouched by Schechter's generosity. The auditorium at the library bears his name and he supported the library generously.
“He was a long-time library user,” Ho said. “When he got out of the hospital, the first thing Pearl did was take him to the library. He said, 'Agnes – I'm here!' “
Former Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce President Jim Godfrey remembers that Schechter received the chamber's prestigious Citizen of the Year Award in 1971.
Schechter was a major champion of the chamber as well as United Way, Boy and Girl Scouts, Kinston Community Health Center, Lenoir Memorial Hospital, Lenoir County Mental Health board, the Salvation Army, Lenoir Community College and many other organizations in the area.
The Schechters were married for 64 years. Ho remembers how he attended programs in the auditorium that bears his name, always picking up a couple of extra cookies before he left. “I promised Pearl I would bring her a cookie,” Schechter, smiling,would tell Ho.
“He was such a gentleman, and so polite,” she said. “He would do anything for you. He had the community in his heart. We will miss him, but.we were very fortunate to have them live here.”
Visitation will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. tonight at Edwards Funeral Home, 702 N. Queen St. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at Temple Israel, 1109 W. Vernon Ave.
| |
|
|
Print this page
