John Sephus Mack
Encyclopedia
John Sephus Mack was president of the G. C. Murphy Company
, a prominent variety-store chain during the early 20th century.
Mack was the son of a farmer and educated in the public schools of Indiana County, Pennsylvania
and at a business college in Johnstown. "Seph" Mack began his career as a stock room clerk at McCrory Stores
in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
, which was owned by his cousin, J. G. McCory. By 1908, Mack had become general manager.
In 1911, he and another employee, Walter C. Shaw, resigned from McCrory and purchased G.C. Murphy Co., McKeesport, Pennsylvania, which owned about a dozen “five and dime
” stores near Pittsburgh
but which had begun to fail after the premature death of its founder in 1909. Mack became president and chairman of the board in 1912, and after some years of struggle turned the failing company around. The Murphy Company improved its position during the Great Depression
, and from 1929 to 1934, sales increased from $15.7 million to $28 million. By 1934, there were 181 Murphy Co. stores in eleven states and Washington, D.C. At one point, Murphy Company was the third-largest variety-store chain in the country.
Employee benefits included free life insurance, two weeks paid vacation, and Christmas bonuses of up to $15 in gold. Only a few Murphy stores were organized by unions, "partially because of intense antiunion campaigns mounted by management, but, more importantly, because many of G. C. Murphy's twenty-three thousand employees didn't feel the need for protection from a company they viewed as benevolent and even generous."
Mack enjoyed maintaining and enlarging his family farm, Old Home Manor, and frequently spent his weekends tending show horses and Black Angus cattle. But he that to make money in a community meant to "serve its community." Mack shortly became a philanthropist and community booster. He donated the Ralph Gibson McGill Library to Westminster College
, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania
. He bought local homes in disrepair, fixed them, and rented them out. He set up a fund for the upkeep of the local cemetery, established a trust fund to care for indigent hospital patients, and gave the hospital $115,000 to build a maternity wing in memory of his parents. He also stocked some of his own 1700 acres (6.9 km²) with deer and buffalo. J. S. Mack Community Park in Indiana, Pennsylvania
, the central gathering place of the town, continues to operate with funds from the J. S. Mack Foundation.
A devout Presbyterian who decorated the main assembly room of the Murphy Company with Bible verses, Mack first met Bob Jones, Sr.
, founder of Bob Jones College (now Bob Jones University
) while serving on the organizing committee for a 1927 revival campaign in McKeesport. Mack was impressed with Jones and told him that he planned to put his “shoulder to the wheel and help you in a big way." Shortly before his death, Mack went so far as to tell Jones to "construct your buildings and send me the bill." Bob Jones College awarded Mack an honorary degree and named the library in his honor. A women’s residence hall in Greenville, South Carolina
is named for his wife.
Although Mack was only 60 in 1940, his health gave way, and he died after a stroke on September 27. Four colleges sent their choirs, and Bob Jones preached the funeral.
G. C. Murphy
G.C. Murphy is a defunct chain of five and dime or variety stores in the United States.- Origins of chain :The chain was founded in 1906 in the Pittsburgh suburb of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, by George Clinton Murphy. Murphy had gotten his start in retail as a manager of a McCrory's store in 1896...
, a prominent variety-store chain during the early 20th century.
Mack was the son of a farmer and educated in the public schools of Indiana County, Pennsylvania
Indiana County, Pennsylvania
-Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 58,077 registered voters in Indiana County .* Democratic: 26,653 * Republican: 24,159 * Other Parties: 7,265 -County commissioners:*Rodney Ruddock, Chairman, Republican...
and at a business college in Johnstown. "Seph" Mack began his career as a stock room clerk at McCrory Stores
McCrory Stores
J.G. McCrory's or McCrory Stores was a chain of five and dime stores in the United States based in York, Pennsylvania. The stores typically sold shoes, clothing, housewares, fabrics, penny candy, toys, cosmetics, and often included a lunch counter or snack bar...
in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
, which was owned by his cousin, J. G. McCory. By 1908, Mack had become general manager.
In 1911, he and another employee, Walter C. Shaw, resigned from McCrory and purchased G.C. Murphy Co., McKeesport, Pennsylvania, which owned about a dozen “five and dime
Five and Dime
Five and Dime is a cartoon short by Walter Lantz which features Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. It is the 74th Oswald short produced by Lantz and the 125th overall. It also is among the number of shorts that feature Oswald in his fully clothed appearance....
” stores near Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
but which had begun to fail after the premature death of its founder in 1909. Mack became president and chairman of the board in 1912, and after some years of struggle turned the failing company around. The Murphy Company improved its position during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and from 1929 to 1934, sales increased from $15.7 million to $28 million. By 1934, there were 181 Murphy Co. stores in eleven states and Washington, D.C. At one point, Murphy Company was the third-largest variety-store chain in the country.
Employee benefits included free life insurance, two weeks paid vacation, and Christmas bonuses of up to $15 in gold. Only a few Murphy stores were organized by unions, "partially because of intense antiunion campaigns mounted by management, but, more importantly, because many of G. C. Murphy's twenty-three thousand employees didn't feel the need for protection from a company they viewed as benevolent and even generous."
Mack enjoyed maintaining and enlarging his family farm, Old Home Manor, and frequently spent his weekends tending show horses and Black Angus cattle. But he that to make money in a community meant to "serve its community." Mack shortly became a philanthropist and community booster. He donated the Ralph Gibson McGill Library to Westminster College
Westminster College, Pennsylvania
Westminster College is a liberal arts college located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1852, it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church...
, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania
New Wilmington, Pennsylvania
New Wilmington is a borough in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, first platted in 1824 and established as a borough on April 9, 1873. The population was 2,452 at the 2000 census...
. He bought local homes in disrepair, fixed them, and rented them out. He set up a fund for the upkeep of the local cemetery, established a trust fund to care for indigent hospital patients, and gave the hospital $115,000 to build a maternity wing in memory of his parents. He also stocked some of his own 1700 acres (6.9 km²) with deer and buffalo. J. S. Mack Community Park in Indiana, Pennsylvania
Indiana, Pennsylvania
Indiana is a borough in and the county seat of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,895 at the 2000 census.The borough and the region as a whole promotes itself as the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World" because the national Christmas Tree Grower's Association was...
, the central gathering place of the town, continues to operate with funds from the J. S. Mack Foundation.
A devout Presbyterian who decorated the main assembly room of the Murphy Company with Bible verses, Mack first met Bob Jones, Sr.
Bob Jones, Sr.
Robert Reynolds Jones, Sr. was an American evangelist, pioneer religious broadcaster and the founder and first president of Bob Jones University.-Early years:...
, founder of Bob Jones College (now Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University is a private, for-profit, non-denominational Protestant university in Greenville, South Carolina.The university was founded in 1927 by Bob Jones, Sr. , an evangelist and contemporary of Billy Sunday...
) while serving on the organizing committee for a 1927 revival campaign in McKeesport. Mack was impressed with Jones and told him that he planned to put his “shoulder to the wheel and help you in a big way." Shortly before his death, Mack went so far as to tell Jones to "construct your buildings and send me the bill." Bob Jones College awarded Mack an honorary degree and named the library in his honor. A women’s residence hall in Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
is named for his wife.
Although Mack was only 60 in 1940, his health gave way, and he died after a stroke on September 27. Four colleges sent their choirs, and Bob Jones preached the funeral.