Husband Roscoe Taylor McCormick 1 2 3 4
Born: 10 Jan 1867 - Irwin, Westmoreland Co, PA 4
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Father: Eli McCormick (1820-1890/1892) 5 6 7
Mother: Sophia Kepple (1823-Aft 1918) 1 3
Marriage: 28 Oct 1890 4 8
Wife Anna May Ridinger 2 4 9
Born: 14 May 1869 or 14 Nov 1869 4 10
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Father: Stephen Ridinger, Jr. (1833-1903) 4 11 12
Mother: Catharine Mary Lauffer (1835-1931) 10 12
Children
General Notes: Husband - Roscoe Taylor McCormick
He was educated in the Irwin public schools, and in 1884 entered the University of Pittsburgh, from which institution he received the degree of Civil Engineer in the class of 1888, graduating with high-class standing. After graduation he was construction engineer on the Pittsburgh, Akron & Western Railway and on the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1889 he was chief engineer with the South Penn Oil Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From 1890 to 1902 was with Riter & Conley, Pittsburgh, steel fabricators, becoming engineer of the plate department. He was engaged on much important steel construction as designing and detailing engineer, notably the large oil refinery of the J. M. Guffey Petroleum Company built at Port Arthur, Texas, in 1901-02. In the latter year he entered the service of the Petroleum Iron Works Company, then a small boiler shop in Washington, Pennsylvania, becoming sales engineer and manager of the Pittsburgh office. In 1903 he was elected on the board of directors and later became general sales manager, holding that position when he retired in 1912. In 1906-07 he was on the building committee of three which managed and constructed the new plant on a forty acre site near Sharon, Pennsylvania. In 1907 he made an extended trip to the oil fields of Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, California, and old Mexico, visiting in that country the cities of Laredo, Monterey, Tampico, San Luis Potosi, Mexico D. F., Puebla, Cuernavaca, Vera Cruz, Aguas Calientes, Torreon, Chihuahua, and the surrounding districts. At that time he reported the oil prospects in the Tampico District as stupendous and recommended immediate development, predicting one of the largest oil fields in the world. His predictions came true with a vengeance inside a few short years. Upon leaving the Petroleum Iron Works Company (then grown into a million dollar corporation) in 1912, he returned to Irwin, the home of his aged mother, where he then resided. Later, upon repeated invitation, he became associated with The Knox Pressed and Welded Steel Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, manufacturers of patented water-cooled devices for open hearth steel furnaces and similar industries, and was sales manager and secretary of this successful company. In 1915, preferring a smaller company, he became a stockholder, director and secretary of McAleenan Brothers Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, manufacturers of steel plate construction. This company had large government contracts, including ship plates for the Emergency Fleet Corporation, and was substantially a 100 per cent. shop on war work of important character. In 1915 he became associated with L. S. Schmidt and W. W. Johnston in organizing the Schmidt-McCormick Company, a Pennsylvania corporation, which was developing a number of inventions of much importance to the metallurgical industry. He was a director, secretary and treasurer of the company.
He was a member of the Presbyterian church, a member of the session and treasurer of the building fund. He was a Progressive in politics, but never sought nor held public office. He was a member of the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania; the Irwin Board of Trade; the Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh; the Irwin Historical Society; the Bushy Run Battlefield Memorial Association, Greensburg; Egypt Exploration Fund, Boston National Association of Audubon Societies, New York; University Club, Pittsburgh; past president of Irwin Century Club; president of Irwin Civic League; president of Irwin Audubon Society; member of the Irwin Semi-Centennial Anniversary Committee, 1914; and the Neighborhood Playgrounds Association. He belonged to the Masonic fraternity, and was an ardent supporter of America and the Allies in the first World War. In the university he was one of the leaders of his class, helped reorganize the literary societies and promoted a college paper, "The Courant," becoming an associate editor on the first staff and editor-in-chief the succeeding year. He was made an honorary member of the Irving Literary Society, probably the only one ever elected by the society.