2018 Spring Newsletter

Schwartz Family contribute to Museum

at Citizens State Bank due to the patronage and friend ship of many people in the area. This contribution is a way to say ‘thank you’ to our friends and customers one more time.” The Schwartz family history in Miami County dates back to 1858, when Wilhelm Jacob Schwartz, a German immigrant known in America as William, arrived in Wea. He had immigrated to the United States in 1856 as an 18 year old with $3.50 in his pocket. He farmed in the Wea area and owned the Inter-State Mercantile Com pany in Louisburg for many years, while also serving as president of the Bank of Louisburg. He moved to Paola in about 1900 when he purchased the Paola Brick and Tile Company. Citizens State Bank was founded by William Schwartz and others in 1903. Citizens was the oldest surviving bank in Miami County when it was merged into Security Bank in 2017. Thomas Edward Schwartz, son of William, moved to Paola in 1910 with his wife Margaret Vohs Schwartz and their children. He was president of Citizens until 1946, navigating the bank through the many challenges of the Great Depression. L.M. Schwartz began working at Citizens in 1935 and served as president for nearly 50 years. He enjoyed a distinguished career as a banker and spent his lifetime championing Paola and Miami County. Among his many accomplishments, he was a co-founder of Lakemary Center in 1969 and he led the fight to save the proposed Hillsdale Lake project from funding cuts by the federal government in the late 1970’s. Nadine Schwartz moved to Osawatomie as a child when her father, William Henry Weber, founded the American State Bank in 1923. Her mother, Margaret Rohrer Weber, raised the children in Osawatomie and served as Chair man of the Board of American State for some years after her husband died suddenly in 1947. Nadine was known as a devoted wife and mother, and her life was joyful ly invested in her children and grandchildren. She had a thirst for knowledge and was also a committed advo cate for education and personal enrichment via travel and culture. She served as president of the Paola Free Library Board from 1979 to 1987, presiding over the first major expansion and renovation of the Library during that time.

Nadine & Lawrence Schwartz

The four living children of L.M. and Nadine Weber Schwartz have made a contribution to the Miami Coun ty Historical Museum in the approximate amount of $100,000. William T. Schwartz of Nashville, TN, Jan S. Peakes of Longboat Key, FL, David J. Schwartz of Prairie Village, KS, and Renee Schwartz Barlow of Louisville, KY, made this donation recently in honor of their late parents. L.M. “Mike” Schwartz, president of the former Citizens State Bank in Paola for many years, died in 2007, while his wife Nadine passed away in 1995. They were the parents of six children, including Lawrence M. Schwartz Jr, who passed away in 2004, and Richard G. Schwartz, who died in 2002. “The Museum is a very valuable resource to the Paola and Miami County communities and the Schwartz fam ily wants to help maintain and expand the Museum in the coming years. The history of Miami County is dis tinguished and must be preserved for the generations to come. With this gift we also want to honor the many people who have invested so much time over the years to make the Museum a resounding success,” said David Schwartz. He added, “The Schwartz family was successful

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