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Photo of Irving Schwartz |
Irving Schwartz was born in New York,
NY, Oct 15, 1895 the son of Samuel I. Schwartz and
Carrie Troutman. The Schwartz family moved to El Paso,
Texas in 1906 and joined other Schwartz family members
in the operation of the Popular Dry Goods Co. located in
downtown El Paso.
Schwartz graduated from El Paso High School in 1912 and
attended Columbia University. He left school when World War I
began where he served as a lieutenant in the Army's
314th Cavalry. After the war, Irving returned to El Paso to
continue working in the family business at the Popular
Dry Goods Co. |
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After many years
as one of the most popular bachelors in El Paso,
Irving married Soletta C. Manasse from Las
Cruces, New Mexico, May 10, 1934. They had four
children; Richard M, Irving T, Walter A, and
Salli M.
In 1961, after fifty years, Schwartz retired as
an executive at The Popular. He became a rancher
in the Silver City, NM area. He also served with
the Small Business Administration and the Bureau
of Indian Affairs in Washington, D. C.
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As
a civic leader, Irving Schwartz served as
president of the El Paso Public Library Board
for twenty five years. He received the Silver
Beaver Award for his contributions as a board
member of the Yucca Council of the Boy Scouts of
America. He also was a president and a Paul
Harris Fellow of the Rotary Club of El Paso, a
board member of Temple Mount Sinai, a member of
the Masonic Lodge, El Paso Scottish Rite Bodies,
the El Maida Shrine Temple, and the El Paso Polo
Association. The City of El Paso honored him
with the Conquistador Award, April 7, 1980.
Irving Schwartz was also an accomplished artist. His
etchings appeared at shows at the Philadelphia Etchers
Society and the Rosenberg Museum. The stained glass
windows at the Irving Schwartz Library, were his designs.
Schwartz passed away in El Paso Texas on April 18, 1989
at the age of 93.
The Irving Schwartz Library was dedicated on
September 15, 1991. Irving Schwartz was
instrumental in promoting passage of the library
bond that helped pay for this library and the
family donated the land under which the library
stands.
Laurel Indalecio |
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