One of the great pleasures of writing about the Irish and Irish-Americans is meeting those one might not necessarily cross paths with otherwise. The latest has been an affable and genial man who immediately puts you at ease with enjoyable conversation and his pleasant demeanor. I’m speaking about William E. (Bill) Conway, our 2013 Mayo Person of the Year. Bill is Chairman of the Board (Emeritus) of Fairmount Minerals, Ltd., an industrial minerals company headquartered in Chardon, Ohio. Prior to entering the industrial minerals business he was Executive Vice President of Picklands Mather & Co.; Executive Vice President, Administration, Diamond Shamrock Corp.; Group Vice President, Capital Goods, of the Midland-Ross Corporation. Bill’s father, Timothy J. (TJ) Conway, born in Cleveland in 1892, was the youngest child born to Daniel Conway (Westport, Co. Mayo) and Bridget O’Malley (Rossinrubble, Co. Mayo). Bridget came ahead to the U.S. and Daniel followed. Daniel died in Grace Hospital, Detroit in 1914 from an industrial accident. Bridget passed on in 1935 in Los Angeles, where she is buried. TJ was the only one of his siblings not born in Westport, Co. Mayo, Ireland. TJ was an enormous influence in Bill’s life; he calls himself Son of TJ. “Dad was an avid reader, self-taught, who insisted on us getting the best possible education,” Bill said. “That’s not a bad philosophy to have. TJ did not go beyond the eighth grade yet had a great commitment to education. We actually moved from the St. Patrick’s Parish (Bridge Ave.) to Shaker Heights to be near University School. My education was my inheritance.” Conway claims the experience of being in the middle of a family of 13 (Mary, Robert F., John L., Timothy, Jr., Richard D., William Edward, James Stewart, Gerald Anthony, Thomas, Peter T., Neal, Peggy and the late Dan), and having had to take responsibility in the family, was instrumental in his development. Bill says WWII produced two family casualties... “My brother Dan and then ultimately my mother. Having four surviving sons in the service during wartime, high blood pressure and having given birth to thirteen children ultimately took its toll.” Dan, the oldest, was a pilot instructor who was killed in a training accident in Texas. “My dad was working very, very hard at that time. He had taken over as President of Fisher Foods. My mother Margaret had children to take care of and a lot of worries. So she relied on me to be her backup.” A graduate of University School, Bill received a Bachelor of Science degree from Yale University. The former Team Captain said “I intended to be a chemical engineer, but laboratory conflicted with football. Football won out.” He also completed the Executive Program at the University of California, Berkley. In addition to his business and civic accomplishments Conway has been honored with the Dively Entrepreneurship Award from Harvard Business School Club of Northeastern Ohio and Master Entrepreneur of the Year in Northeast Ohio, to mention but a few Recently Bill was honored by Cleveland State University with an Honorary Doctorate Degree and was inducted into the Inside Business – Business Hall of Fame. He and his wife Mary raised sons Peter, Cleveland; Bill, Santa Fe, NM and Kiawah Island, SC; Jane Barber, Breckenridge, CO. and Anne Juster, Cleveland. They are grandparents to Kati and Susannah Conway, Justin and Willa Conway, Nick, Cody and Todd Barber and Julia, Grace and Hal Juster. And Timi the Cat!” They enjoy spending time with their growing family and traveling the world. Bill is proud to be receiving this honor to further develop the relationship between the County of Mayo and Northeast Ohio for generations to come.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Sep 2013 16:37:52 +0000
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