GENERAL PRODUCTS CORPORATION'S FIRST FORTY-FIVE YEARS


	George Howland, an early Nineteenth Century New England Quaker 
with interests in the whaling industry out of New Bedford; Milan F. 
Pratt, Inventor of Certo, a pectin derivative used in the making of jams 
and jellies; and Alex S. Hecht, early Twentieth Century immigrant from 
Germany.  Even for those with a strong inclination for "predestination", 
the crossing of the paths of such a dissimilar trio (even though in the 
case of Howland it was belated) was unlikely.
	Their paths did cross, though, at the time that General Products 
Corporation was founded in the Year 1932 in Union Springs, New York.  In 
that year, Alex S. Hecht, together with Fred E. Allen, purchased an old 
limestone mill building from its owner, Milan F. Pratt. The old mill 
building had been built in 1837 by George Howland, the whaling merchant.
	But, since this is the story of General Products Corporation, it 
must also be about Alex S. Hecht; and his story begins in Hungary in the 
year of his birth, 1881.  In his teens he left Hungary and went to 
Germany where he worked for two firms which are still in existence; 
namely, A. G. Siemans (an electrical firm similar to General Electric in 
the United States) and the Robert Bosch Company, a manufacturer, at that 
time, of magnetos and magneto ignition systems.  The knowledge gained 
from working for these two companies served Alex Hecht in good stead 
when he migrated to the United States at the turn of the century.  For a 
time he worked at various jobs, but as with so many immigrants in those 
days, America offered many opportunities for the entrepreneur; and so in 
1908 Alexander Hecht started in business for himself. He founded Hecht's 
Magneto Exchange in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.  
Basically, this was a repair business for magnetos that were then being 
used in the incipient automobile industry.  As the automobile industry 
grew, so did Alex Hecht's "After-Market" repair business.  And without 
knowing it, Alex Hecht became the "Father" of the "After-Market" 
Ignition Repair Industry. It was not too long after the start of this 
business that Hecht not only provided the repair labor for the magnetos, 
but also started to have molds built for the production of various parts 
used in the repairing of the magnetos.  These parts were usually made of 
hard rubber; and while Hecht owned the molds for these parts, he never 
actually manufactured the parts himself. He “contracted-out” the molds 
with different firms who did the actual manufacturing.   
	Gradually, the cars changed from magneto to battery powered; and 
this broadened the line of parts.  It also caused the eventual change in 
name of the company from the Guaranteed Magneto Parts Company (an 
outgrowth of Hecht's Magneto Exchange) to Guaranteed Parts Company.  
This occurred in 1919.
	In 1920 the Guaranteed Parts Company (still located in New York 
City) set up a national distribution system for the sale of ignition 
parts.  At this time Hecht introduced the concept of marketing ignition 
parts through the use of so-called metal "Merchandiser" cabinets for 
stocking a wide variety of parts in order to service all the different 
makes of cars in existence at that time.
	It was in the Year 1931 that Guaranteed Parts Company had its mold 
contracted out to a firm in Auburn, N.Y. by the name of Allen and Hill.  
Allen and Hill was a partnership; and they decided to go out of business 
at that time. Fred Allen, who lived in Union Springs, N. Y., sold Hecht 
on the idea of going into the manufacturing business with him.  In 1932 
they purchased the old Mill building in Union Springs and founded the 
General Products Corporation.  This corporation started with four 
presses on the second floor of the old mill building and had 10 
employees of whom 9 worked in the factory and one, Elizabeth Falvey, who 
worked in the office.  The office, incidentally, was a small, separate 
brick building that had formerly been used as a private home and is now 
the Personnel Department building.  
	Among the first employees around that time were Fred Walts, Tool 
Room Manager; John Stowell, Press Room Foreman; Anthony Buttaro, Press 
Fixer; Ken Wheeler, Pressman and a native of Union Springs.  It is 
interesting to note that many years later, after the death of Tony 
Buttaro, who early was promoted to Press Room Foreman, his son, Mario, 
became Press Room Foreman, while his other son, Steve, also worked in 
the Press Room.  Orra Rich was the Maintenance Foreman and was the first 
factory employee.  He was proud of the fact that his clock card carried 
the number "One."  Upon his retirement, he was succeeded by Clarence 
Holmes who died while at his work in 1963.
	In 1934 the partnership between Alex Hecht and Fred Allen was 
dissolved and Hecht assumed full ownership of General Products 
Corporation.  1934 was also a year of consequence for General Products 
Corporation in that they expanded their line to the manufacture of 
ignition coils, in addition to the manufacture of molded plastic 
ignition replacement parts.  Harry Eisner was brought from Boston, 
Massachusetts, to head up the Coil Department.
	In 1953 General Products further expanded their line of 
manufactured products with the production of ignition condensers.  1935 
also saw Marco Hecht, son of Alex Hecht, joining the Sales Division of 
the Guaranteed Parts Company which was still located at this time in the 
borough of Manhattan in the City of New York.   
	1939 was an eventful year in the life of the companies with the 
removal of Guaranteed Parts Company from New York City to Seneca Falls, 
N.Y. and the death of Alex Hecht.  At the time of Alex Hecht's death, 
there were three relatively small companies in existence, all under the 
ownership of Fanny Hecht, his widow.  These three companies were General 
Products Corporation in Union Springs, N. Y., Guaranteed Parts Co., 
Inc., in Seneca Falls, N.Y., and Guaranteed Parts Limited in Toronto, 
Canada.  After the death of Alex Hecht, Marco Hecht became President of 
the companies.
	1942 saw a curtailment of civilian production due to World War II 
at which time General Products became a Sub-Contractor for Bendix 
Aviation Corporation, providing for them various magneto ignition 
components (this time for airplanes) as well as making materiel for 
other customers.  At this time, also, the Ocram Corporation was founded 
and located at Seneca Falls, New York, where they produced audible 
communication systems for the Navy as a sub- contractor to the Marine 
Division of Bendix Aviation Corporation.  Shortly after its founding, 
Alexander (Scotty) Villiers of Union Springs became the General Manager 
of Ocram Corporation.
	1943 was an important year in the history of General Products in 
that the first of several plant additions was made.  A new Press Room 
was added, and the office was enlarged.
	In 1945 Donovan L. Webb joined General Products as Purchasing 
Agent; and in 1947 Edward G. Hoey came to General Products Corporation 
as Office Manager, replacing Lydia Patterson on her retirement.  1947 
(two years after the end of World War II) saw the promotion of Alex 
Villiers to the position of General Manager of Guaranteed Parts Company 
which, by then, was a well-established national and inter-national sales 
and warehousing organization, purchasing its products from the General 
Products Corporation, the Ocram Corporation and various other suppliers 
throughout the United States.  1947 also marked the death of Fanny Hecht 
at which time, Marco Hecht assumed the proprietorship of the companies. 
	In 1950 Edward G. Hoey was named General Manager of General 
Products Corporation.  In 1951 John T. Friedlander, its current Vice-
President and Manager, joined the Guaranteed Parts Company as a 
salesman.
	1955 was the year that Henry Curry joined the staff of General 
Products as Chief Engineer of the Condenser Department, coming from New 
Bedford, the home of the builder of the General Products mill building 
some 120 years before. 
	1956 was momentous in that a second, and major, addition to the 
General Products Corporation physical plant was made.  This second 
addition was dedicated in May of 1957, a year which saw Henry Curry 
promoted to the position of Division Manager.  1957 also will be 
remembered for the founding of another new company by Marco Hecht.  This 
company was called RanDco., Inc. and its purpose was strictly Research 
and Development.
	By 1958 General Products was producing parts for the first 
nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus.
	1962 was a memorable year in the history of all the companies 
(with the exception of Guaranteed Parts Limited) as this was the year 
that Marco Hecht sold the companies to a relatively unknown company at 
that time, Gulf & Western Industries.
	At various times Marco Hecht had been approached by different 
companies who wanted to merge with General Products. One of the 
conditions of sale stipulated by Hecht with respect to General Products, 
however, was that it remain in operation and at its present location.  
Gulf & Western agreed to this.  Another reason why he decided on merging 
with Gulf & Western, rather than with some other company, was the fact 
that he was impressed by the integrity and ability of the people with 
whom negotiations were conducted; namely, Charles Bluhdorn and David 
Judelson.
	In October of 1962 William Holzhauer became Office Manager.  
Within the 1977 past month he has been promoted to the office of 
Controller of General Products.  He assumed this position upon the 
calling of Thomas Thomas to the Gulf  + Western Industries corporate 
office from his work as Controller at General.
	In 1963 the General Manager of General Products Corporation, 
Edward G. Hoey, died.  It was then that Henry Curry was promoted from 
Division Manager to Assistant General Manager.  1963 was also noteworthy 
for the third addition in the expansion of the physical plant of the 
General Products Corporation; and shortly thereafter, in 1964, Henry 
Curry became Vice-President and General Manager of General Products.
	In January of 1964 Edward Gurry became Director of Sales for 
General Products.  Gery Klem came to the company in September of 1966 to 
be Manager of Purchasing.  October, 1967 saw Willis Rieman entering the 
Engineering Department.
	1968 was significant with the retirement of Scotty Villiers as 
Vice-President and General Manager of Guaranteed Parts Company, after 
nearly thirty years of loyal service in various of the companies. In 
January of 1968 John Beck was made Factory Manager of General Products.
	1969 was a year that brought national and international 
recognition to Union Springs when Gulf + Western ran an advertisement in 
Time Magazine and other publications featuring General Products and 
Union Springs, and with a large picture of our handsome mayor, Earl Fox.
	In June, 1974, Marco Hecht retired as President of the various 
companies, September, 1974, saw Robert McMahon join the Company; and in 
1976 Jerry Gleasman assumed the role filled by the retiring Ben London, 
Materials Manager.
	While this recounting largely covers products and buildings, the 
most important ingredient is, of course, the people involved.  Mention 
should be made of Ralph Hinton, former Controller, Any China, Head of 
Manufacturing Engineering; Harvey Hall, Quality Control Manager; John 
Zink, Assistant Purchasing Agent; Manuel Rogers, Molding Division 
Manager; Carl Mears, Manager of Special Products; Earl Delanoy, Head of 
the Shipping Department,; William Petkoff, Maintenance Foreman.
	While the numbers of people can be easily stated, it is more 
difficult, if not impossible, to define that evanescent quality of the 
character of the people who make up the heart of a corporation.  It was 
people such as these who enabled General Products in the 1950's to 
become a supplier of parts to the Original Equipment Car manufacturers 
in addition to supplying parts for the "After-Market."  And it was this 
quality of character that also enabled General Products to earn Gulf + 
Western’s Highest Achievcment Award and the Flag of Excellence.
	When Alex Hecht started General Products in 1932, the company had 
approximately ten employees.  at the time of Marco Hecht's retirement in 
1974 the number had rise to 692.  This accounts for General Products 
only.  Taking into consideration all the companies, the amount of 
employment at the time of Marco Hecht's retirement was close to one 
thousand people.  None of this could have been accomplished without the 
Loyalty and Dedication of countless numbers of people throughout the 
years, a few of whom have been mentioned here.

- MARCO HECHT -


Delivered April 27, 1977, 
at a Meeting of the 
Frontenac Historical Society
Union Springs, N. Y, 

Update - Summer 1997.

Gulf + Western Industries continued the ownership of General Products 
Corporation  and Guaranteed Parts Company for a time until it sold them 
to the Wickes Company which, in turn, later sold out to TRW.  Although 
General Products had been a profitable division for the company, it was 
closed in 1997 and at this writing the buildings stand idle.