George Schauer
Name: George Schauer
Birth Name: George Joseph Schauer
Hometown: Erie, Pennsylvania, USA
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Died: 1987-01-16 (Age:79)
Pro Boxer: Record
George Schauer was the younger brother of Ray Schauer.
George Joseph Schauer was born in Pittsburgh, PA on Thursday, December 5, 1907. His parents were Thaddeus Edward Schauer (April 1, 1875 - May 16, 1949) and Minnie Frances Graham Schauer (August 6, 1879 - November 2 1941). George was their fifth son. The family lived at 238 East Jefferson Street in Pittsburgh's Northside 2nd Ward.
In 1912, when George was four years old, the family moved to Erie, PA. Erie didn't have as many belching smokestacks as Pittsburgh and was considered a healthier place to live. George's father's occupation is listed in most records as a tinner, but his actual job was working as a roofer (tin and slate). He continued to do such work in Erie.
George's brothers, Herb and Ray, attended Erie public schools. In 1915 when George's mother became pregnant, she wanted to return to Pittsburgh to be with her mother to have the baby. The family returned to Pittsburgh in 1915 where George attend public schools. The baby, Lauretta was born in Pittsburgh on February 26, 1916. In 1916 George's brother Herbert began working for the Hirsch Co., a furniture store in Pittsburgh. He was eighteen. In 1917 George's brother Raymond began boxing and wrestling as a Pennsylvania amateur. He was seventeen. By the age of nineteen he had gone to the west coast to prepare to box professionally.
In early 1920 when George was twelve tragedy befell the family when his twenty-one year old brother, Herbert, succumbed to influenza on February 2, 1920. The brothers shared a bedroom. George had lifelong memories of Herb's illness and labored breathing. Following Herb's death, his casket was placed in the parlor and George was responsible for resupplying the ice under the casket. He heard the drip, drip, drip his entire life. At the end of February 1920, his brother Ray began his seven year professional boxing career with his first bouts in the Pittsburgh area.
In 1921 on a nice spring day while playing with friends on the playground of the Latimer School, George shinnied up the school flag pole. He was taken to the school principal's office. Known for administering corporal punishment the principal made some references reflecting anti-German sentiment as he began using a rubber hose on George. After a few seconds George grabbed the hose and began striking the principal. That led to immediate expulsion from school. Although just barely a teenager he began working for a furniture upholstery business, often picking up and delivering furniture. A house fire in 1922 changed everything. Forced to relocate, George moved with his parents' and six year old sister back to Erie.
By the mid-1920's George was working at Uniflow Manufacturing by day and beginning to box by night. Uniflow made water pumps. During a taped interview in the mid-1980's George was asked why he began to box. He replied with a chuckle, "to make money." In later years he related that he had seven professional bouts, winning six by knockout with one "newspaper decision" draw. When his mother learned about his "sport" and as he put it, "boxed his ears." She made it clear that one fighter in the family was enough.
He never boxed professionally again. One newspaper account exists documenting one of his knockout victories. From the Saturday, May 1, 1926, Erie-Dispatch Herald the following account was given of his bout on Friday, April 30, 1926.
Curtain-raiser, 4 rounder - Georgie Shauers, of Erie, won by a technical knockout in the third round over Mitchell Shade, of Niles, O. Weights, Shade, 112, Shauers, 112.
Referee, Jerry Cole; judges, John Miller and Joe Williams; timer, Mike Henry.
Georgie Shauers, said to be a brother of Ray Shauers, but announced from Erie, substituted for Paully Glendore in the first bout of the evening against Mitchell Shade, and earned a technical knockout in the third.
Shade is a willing mixer, a hard hitter for a novice, and did his best to force the going, but he was not in Shauers' class. Shade was wild with his left and right hooks, and for the most part Shauers was just wise enough to step inside.
Shade was reeling on the ropes and ready to be battered down when referee Jerry Cole called a halt and gave the bout to Shauers. Mitchell was still dazed when he reeled to his corner and wondered what it was all about.
In 1928 George began 43 years of service working for the General Electric plant. At first they manufactured refrigerators, but later shifted entirely to making locomotives. The Great Depression began in 1929, and George was one of the fortunate Americans who was able to keep his job during those troubled times. He became the major source of financial support for his parents.
George married Edith Hopkins on April 16, 1938 at Erie's Gospel Tabernacle on East 11th Street. The Church of God where they had attended at that time did not observe the practice of exchanging wedding rings during a marriage ceremony. They changed wedding venues for that reason which led to a lifetime of attendance and service with The Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA).
On October 7, 1941, a son, George H., was born to George and Edith. Just before his birth George's mother, Minnie, began a six week illness that resulted in a failed operation and her death on November 2, 1941. The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on Sunday, December 7, 1941, the "day that will live in infamy," led shortly to gas rationing which ended the egg route business. That morning George was tinkering with a radio in their basement at 1225 Priestley when it suddenly began working. The first thing he heard was the news that the American base in Pearl Harbor had been bombed. George, who had been too young for service in World War I, was too old for service in World War II, but served the war effort by joining the forces converting the General Electric plant to war time production. The young family lived within walking distance of the plant in Lawrence Park, PA.
A cottage on the highest hill in Erie overlooking the city and Lake Erie was altered to become their permanent home. Shortly after their second child, Joseph H., was born on January 19, 1946, and the family moved five miles to 1752 East 43rd Street in Erie, PA.
George enjoyed the 3/4 of an acre by planting fruit trees, evergreen trees, starting a garden, and had his own little vineyard. In time the city brought water and sewer lines to the neighborhood. Starting in 1948, the family made several trips to visit relatives in southern California. The first trip was made several months before George's father, Thaddeus, passed away in San Bernardino on May 16, 1949. The Erie GE always shut down for maintenance during the summer, enabling George to maintain a perfect GE attendance record for 43 years.
Over time George and Edith became active members of the Lawrence Park C&MA. He served as a trustee, elder, and elder emeritus. When the church doors were open for services, the Schauer family was in attendance.
As George was nearing retirement in October 1969 GE workers staged a nationwide 104 day strike. Choosing not to be a strike breaker George chose to accept employment in a North East, PA vineyard trimming the vines and replanting grapevine shoots, a necessary annual task to maintain that the plants remain fruit bearing. After working as a leader die setter for years in a deafening environment, becoming hearing impaired, he enjoyed the outdoor quiet and solitude of working alone, even when the weather turned brutally cold along Lake Erie.
In early 1971 George took early retirement, officially, with the loss of the 104 days, being credited for 42 years. He began learning about antiques, especially glassware, and became a garage/estate sale regular. His buys found there way to his sister's antique shop in California either by mail or personal delivery. At least once a year George and Edith would pack their covered pickup truck with his finds and used the commissions from his sister's retail sales of the items to pay for their round trips.
On one of the family's early trips to Colton, George visited and was interviewed at the Redlands General Electric plant for a possible transfer there from the Erie plant. It was a turning point in life, and he and Edith decided that "life on the hill" in Erie was best for their family. Given that they were able to make so many later trips to California, they enjoyed the best of both worlds.
At the age of 75 in 1983 George fell out of a tree and landed on his back. He and Edith decided to keep what happened quiet. It took weeks for the stiffness and soreness to leave his body. George thought that since he had no broken bones, medical attention was not needed. Later he joked that had the fall been fatal people would not be inclined to lament, "poor George, he died so young."
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas in 1986, George's health rapidly deteriorated. Congestive heart failure began taking its toll on his strength and vitality. The C&MA funeral service and outdoor graveside burial at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Millcreek Township occurred three days after George's death following his massive heart attack at their "home on the hill" on Friday, January 16, 1987.