The impact upon East Texas of the activity of Mr. Arthur Temple (1920-2006) may not be obvious but it is pervasive, lasting and benevolent. Probably the most significant of his vision and endeavors was his successful management of Southern Pine Lumber Company. This company was founded by Arthur's grandfather, T.L.L. Temple, at Diboll in 1894 and mills were later built at Pineland.
After the deaths of T.L.L. Temple and Arthur Temple Sr. in 1951, Arthur was elected president and served in various managerial positions until he retired when he was chairman of the board in 1991. Under Arthur's guidance, the company became a public corporation with its shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange and merged with Time Inc.
Photo courtesy of The History Center |
Arthur Temple posed in front of the Southern Pine Lumber Company mill for this whimsical photo, dubbed the 'Smoking Hat,' in 1963, but Temple personified energy. After the death of his father in 1951, Temple rose to president and chief executive officer and embarked on a rapid course of plant expansion and modernization.
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Lufkin Daily News file photo |
Arthur Temple remained active even in retirement, shown at the dedication of the Salvation Army Adult Day Center in the 1990s. Temple died in April 2006 at age 86.
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In 1984, Time Inc. consolidated the company with some other properties it had acquired and spun off the resulting corporation as Temple-Inland Inc., the successor corporation to Southern Pine Lumber Company.
Diboll and Pineland were typical sawmill company towns in 1951. The business success enabled Arthur to improve and modernize the plants in Diboll and Pineland, and Arthur encouraged the people of Diboll to incorporate and take over the operation of the city. A primary concern of Arthur was the welfare of the company employees, as well as the citizens of Diboll, Pineland and East Texas. He installed health and retirement plans and instituted stock options for the benefit of company employees.
Arthur was always thinking about how to make things better for people. He truly was a visionary.
In 1962, Georgia T. Munz, daughter of T.L.L. Temple, with Arthur and his cousin W. Temple Webber Sr. formed the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, a non-profit, charitable private foundation, primarily to benefit people in East Texas. Upon her death, Mrs. Munz left to the foundation the bulk of her estate consisting of stock of Temple-Inland Inc. and Time Inc. The term of the foundation is perpetual and its gifts to charitable organizations will continue indefinitely.
During its existence, the foundation has made grants to organizations in the categories listed, mostly in East Texas, of at least the amounts shown: arts, culture and humanities, $7 million; city/county libraries, $25 million; community and social services, $47 million; conservation/environmental, $13 million; education at all levels, $65 million and health care, $119 million.
Probably the greatest impact made by Arthur upon East Texas and its citizens was modernizing and expanding the Southern Pine Lumber Company into Temple-Inland Inc., a Fortune 500 corporation. It literally assured the prosperity of the people of Diboll and Pineland, and economically benefited the residents throughout all of East Texas.
Probably of equal importance to citizens of East Texas is the operation of the T.L.L. Temple Foundation as above mentioned. It is obvious that such grants have and will continue to significantly enhance the quality of life of people in East Texas.
Ward Burke is a retired attorney whose career in Angelina County spanned half a century. In addition to handling legal issues for some of Angelina County's leading industries, Burke also spent time as a public servant, having served as district attorney for Angelina County. The federal courthouse building in downtown Lufkin is named for him.
