Harold
Abraham Etling was born on September 28, 1900 in
Marshallville, Ohio to Abraham Etling and Adda Cecelia Etling [McIntire]. Harold was raised on the homestead that was
built in 1863, built by his grandfather William Etling. Harold attended school at the local #7 school
house at the corner of Coal Bank Road and Warwick Road in Marshallville, about
one mile north of the Homestead. Harold
was the youngest of nine siblings (two passed at a young age).
Harold went to work for his older
brother Birtus Etling as a salesman at Etling Lumber in Barberton Ohio. By this time Birtus had become very
successful in several lines of business in the Barberton area, and was
responsible for the construction of thousands of homes in the fast growing
Barberton area.
September 5th, 1928 Harold
married Hannah Mildred Roberts [born October 3, 1904] in Barberton, Ohio. The pair and had one daughter, Patricia
Etling. Harold and Mildred separated
after several years.
Amid the Great Depression, Harold set
out to start a business with an innovative idea that came to him while working
for his brother Birtus. Harold had
devised the first storm window, an interchangeable window system in which an
individual could change a window from a pane of glass in the winter and severe
weather to a screen in warmer weather.
With a capital investment of only $2,000, Harold started production in a
small one room assembly plant. At the
conclusion of WWII the business began to take off as homes in the east and
Midwest (ideal weather for an interchangeable window) US were constructed at a
previously unmatched pace.
September 5th, 1942 Harold
Etling married Betty Jean Newton in Kentucky; the pair remained united for 43
years until Harold passed away at the age of 85. The couple had four children over a seven
year span.
The business continued to experience
rapid growth through the 40’s and 50’s along with the construction boom. The business, originally named Etling Window
Company became Weather-Seal, Inc. The
company stayed an industry leader and innovator and rapidly moved beyond the
one room assembly plant. At one time
there were five manufacturing plants in Ohio and Michigan.
During the growth of Weather-Seal,
Harold purchased the family farm on Coal Bank road in Marshallville on which he
was raised. Extensive work was done to
the property and the home which was originally a bungalow built in 1863. Over the year’s barns, garages, a guest
house, office and even a small lake and pond were constructed on the main
property.
Wayne Knolls Farm was created at this
time. The farm was fully functioning and
early on produce was grown and sold, as time went on Wayne Knolls converted
from a produce based farm to a livestock farm focused on raising Black Aberdeen
Angus. Many champion Angus were raised
on the farm, the most well know was “Shorty”, a 1950 pound Angus which was a
Supreme Champion [national recognition].
There would often be Angus auctions and BBQ’s at the homestead which
were attended by people not only from Ohio but by people (generally associated
with the Angus Association) throughout the Midwest.
During the 1960’s Weather-Seal continued
to grow. By this time Harold had over 15
patents, and Weather-Seal Inc. was credited with an additional 20 plus
patents. Thirty four years after
starting Weather-Seal Harold made the decision to retire as President/
CEO. A deal was struck with
Georgia-Pacific Corp. in 1968 and Harold stepped down.
Harold had retired from Weather-Seal in
1968 but the innovations and growth continued.
Over time Harold had continued to purchase property in the Marshallville
area, some of the property was previously owned by other Etling family members
who had settled in the same area as Harold’s grandfather, William Etling. At the height of his property ownership
Harold owned over 1,000 acres, much of which had been leased to local farmers,
many of which grew and harvested grain corn for their livestock.
By the 1970’s Harold was a well
respected throughout the Midwest as an Angus rancher. It was during this time he had a cut of meat
that did not met his expectations. He
believed there had to be a way to insure people could experience a great
steak. After meeting with several
prominent members of the Angus Association it was agreed there should be a way
to certify a good cut of beef. Harold
had become one of the founding fathers of Certified Angus Beef. Certified Angus Beef has seen rapid growth in
recent years and is internationally recognized. Certified Angus Beef is located in Wooster;
the brand was established in 1978.
On February 7, 1985 Harold passed away
after a short illness. Harold was laid
to rest in St. Michael’s Cemetery, Southeast of Marshallville, Ohio.
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