Schowalter Foundation, Inc., a Mennonite philanthropic organization, was founded in 1954. Its chairman in 1957 was O. O. Miller, Akron, Pennsylvania, and its president and general manager H. J. Andres, Newton, Kansas. Its six trustees represent the General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM), Mennonite Church (MC), and Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Holdeman) (CGC) Mennonite branches, the three groups named in the will of J. A. Schowalter (1879-1953), which bequeathed most of his assets to the Foundation, the income from which is to be used for relief work, training of ministers and missionaries, and for the promotion of peace. The total appraised value of the estate was more than $1,157,000. Schowalter immigrated to America from Germany in 1883 and soon settled in Harvey County, Kansas, where he lived the rest of his life. He acquired his fortune through wheat farming, land investments, and oil. He was active in the General Conference Mennonite Church as a layman and contributed liberally to missions, relief, and church institutions. He served two terms in the Kansas state legislature (1934-1936 and 1936-1938).

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 480. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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