If the kidnapping put Tacoma in the spotlight, so did the trial that quickly followed which was held at the U.S. District Court downtown. It brought great responsibility, and he carried it out, said Keller. In Federal Way, the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center has been the site for dozens of championship swim and dive meets, Olympic Trials and other important events. Why is Pierce County food insecurity still so high? The company has century-long roots in Longview. He was 59. George Weyerhaeuser July 8, 1926 - June 11, 2022 Lakewood, Washington - George H. W. Weyerhaeuser Sr. 1926-2022 It is very challenging to write the summation of a long and deeply fulfilling life. On top of his nearly six decades with the timber firm, George Weyerhaeuser also found time to serve on boards at Boeing, Safeco, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the Rand Corporation, and Chevron, among others. After walking to a farmhouse where a family was sitting down to breakfast, George was reunited with his family. In 1979, the company launched NORPAC, a joint operation with Nippon Paper in Japan, based in Longview. He was president and chief executive officer of Weyerhaeuser Canada from June 1993 to May 1998. George Weyerhaeuser Sr., the fourth-generation timber family scion who ran one of Americas largest forestry firms and was briefly one of Americas most famous kidnapping victims, died Saturday, June 11, his family confirmed Monday. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. .css-16c7pto-SnippetSignInLink{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;}Sign In, Copyright 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning), Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy, Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American, Stockfish to Represent Weyerhaeuser at Upcoming Investor Conferences in March, Weyerhaeuser Company Announces 5.6% Dividend Increase. Wendy Weyerhaeuser died in 2014. Kidnappers held him for eight days and sent his father on several missions via hidden notes to accomplish tasks. Thats what attracted the 59-year-old author to the story. Environmental activists pressured the company to end or limit logging on some of its millions of acres of forest as a way to protect wildlife habitat. George quickly became a darling of the rampant and often salacious press of the era, Johnston said, while his father quickly became weary of the attention. 2023 Weyerhaeuser Company. The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to Tacomas Museum of Glass or to Charles Wright Academy, from which he and his sons graduated. One Friday in May 1935, 8-year-old George Weyerhaeuser was on his way home from school in Tacoma, Wash., when a stranger seized him, bundled him into a car and covered him with a blanket. Over that period, the Weyerhaeuser company became famous for a technology-driven high-yield forestry model that boosted output and transformed the industry, but which also earned the enmity of many environmentalists in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere. These changes included advances in sustainable, high-yield forestry and wood products research, expansion into overseas markets, and many other achievements. I mean, if you were born and raised in Tacoma, as I was, you knew about it.. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. There was the 1940 collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, captured on film, resulting in worldwide notoriety and the death of a three-legged Cocker Spaniel named Tubby. George was an extraordinary person and leader one of the most influential in the history of the industry, said Devin Stockfish, president and chief executive officer. The last member of the founding family to lead the company, Weyerhaeuser was named CEO in 1966 when he was 39. George Jr. died of a heart attack in 2013. He went on to say the Weyerhaeuser Company cut down the construction cost so the facility could be constructed within the limited budget available. Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com. George Weyerhaeuser Sr., attended the opening of Longview's Japanese Garden and the bridge to the island in 2003. New technology and automation allow snowmakers to combat warmer, wetter winters. In the late 1950s, George Weyerhaeuser Sr. entered the executive ranks at company headquarters in downtown Tacoma, as an assistant to the executive vice president, but quickly moved up. He left a tremendous legacy and will be greatly missed by everyone in the greater Weyerhaeuser family and community.". He basically said, Alls well that ends well.. (Weyerhaeuser) made such a difference for the city of Tacoma as a person, Baarsma said. In 1967, Weyerhaeuser rolled out its high-yield forestry strategy essentially, a continuous process of logging and regeneration that included replanting clear-cuts within a year of harvest; fertilizers and herbicides; thinning; and breeding more productive, faster-growing seedlings. Much of the success on the waterway and the Museum of Glass, for that matter, was the result of his singular efforts, he wrote. Guest Book sponsored by Mountain View Funeral Home - Tacoma, Dear David, But the ordeal wasnt over. We have lost a dedicated leader, said Don Meyer, president of the Port of Tacoma Commission. Under his leadership, Money Magazine identified Weyerhaeuser Company as one of the five best managed companies in the U.S. May Gods loving kindness and comfort help you and your family through this very difficult time. The kidnappers drove George to a secluded woods and put him in a freshly dug pit where he was held in handcuffs. George Weyerhaeuser Sr. dies at 95 Great-grandson of the company's founder Frederick Weyerhaeuser, died on June 11. by Sarah Fox Wednesday, June 15, 2022 2:18pm Northwest George Weyerhaeuser Sr., former Weyerhaeuser Company CEO and president and great-grandson of the company's founder Frederick Weyerhaeuser, died June 11 at the age of 95. I think I actually managed to go to sleep part of the way, he said later in .css-1h1us5y-StyledLink{color:var(--interactive-text-color);-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-1h1us5y-StyledLink:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}an oral history. Stockfish went on to say that over his years of leadership in the company, he brought about transformational changes to the company. In the last 100 years no one has had more influence on the shaping of South King County than George Weyerhaeuser, said Peter von Reichbauer, a King County councilman who represents Federal Way. Moments later, the car sped off, and Weyerhaeuser hitched a ride back to Tacoma. Before Mahan was captured, the Waleys returned to Tacoma to face justice. In 1991, John Creighton took over as CEO. It was George Weyerhaeuser who unintentionally jolted them from obscurity. He also served as Board chairman through 1999. Susan Warner, the museums executive director, said he was one of the founding members of the museum, having worked on its board since 1999. In 1948, George Weyerhaeuser married Wendy Wagner, whose family had been in the timber business, and the couple had six children: Leilee, George Jr., Sue, Phyllis, David and Merrill. George Weyerhaeuser Sr., great-grandson of the companys founder Frederick Weyerhaeuser, died on June 11. George Weyerhaeuser was transported to a rental house in Spokane, while his parents John and Helen Weyerhaeuser worked to collect the ransom money on short notice, which was no small feat even for a family of considerable financial means. The kidnappers began stalking the family after reading an obituary for J.P. Weyerhaeuser Sr., planning to abduct George and hold him for ransom. Arrangements are still pending. It was his obituary, which detailed the family's timber wealth, that reportedly inspired the kidnapping plot by William Dainard, 33, Harmon Metz Waley, 23, and Margaret Eldora Thulin, 19. These videos are a trip back in time, $754.6 million Powerball winner identified as Washington woman. I don't know how you feel but I'm here to help in any way I can. The pandemic is supposed to be over. For a week, the police and federal agents searched for young George while his family assembled a ransom payment. He never searched for the spotlight.. After serving 28 years of his sentence, Harmon was hired by Weyerhaeuser at one of the companys plants in Oregon. NextMed said most of its customers are satisfied. George went to the Taft School in Watertown, CT for high school. We manage these timberlands on asustainablebasis in compliance with internationally recognized forestry standards. George Weyerhaeuser Sr., kidnapped as boy, passes away. The 425-acre campus in Federal Way blends nature with corporate offices, creating a one-of-a-kind location both inside and outside of the building. During his tenure, the company launched several major initiatives. News Corp is a global, diversified media and information services company focused on creating and distributing authoritative and engaging content and other products and services. Funeral arrangement under the care of Mountain View Funeral Home. He went on to say the Weyerhaeuser Company cut down the construction cost so the facility could be constructed within the limited budget available. His kidnappers were eventually caught and found guilty. George Weyerhaeuser, Child-Kidnapping Victim, Survived to Lead Forestry Giant - WSJ Print Edition Latin America U.S. What's News Podcast Central Banking Private Equity NBA Tennis Soccer Jason. He served in that position for three years. In May 1935, when George Weyerhaeuser was 8, his grandfather John P. Weyerhaeuser Sr. died. George Weyerhaeuser Sr., leaves legacy in Longview, on industry after death. George H. Weyerhaeuser Obituary. In a June 14 news release by the Weyerhaeuser Company one of Americas largest forestry firms founded by Weyerhaeusers great-grandfather the company addressed Weyerhaeusers passing. In 1935, 8-year-old Weyerhaeuser was kidnapped in Tacoma while walking home from school and held for $200,000 ransom. I wish I had the right words. I am sorry for your loss. Thank you for your interest in Weyerhaeuser and we 84 years ago: 9-year-old George Weyerhaeuser was kidnapped in Tacoma and held on $200,000 ransom By Natalie Guevara, SeattlePI Updated May 24, 2019 The Weyerhaeuser kidnappers - Timber scion. He will be missed but surely would pass on his hugs and comfort to all of us as we go forth in remembrance of one of the finest gentlemen "-on-the Lake"! Im the third director the museum has had. The company sold the mill in 2016 to One Rock Capital Partners, a private equity firm headquartered in New York. He didnt talk too much about it, Johnston added. Stockfish went on to say that over his years of leadership in the company, he brought about transformational changes to the company.