Alwin F. Franz*

Alwin Franz began working at the age of 10 when, after his father's death, he became the family breadwinner. He delivered newspapers in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. His working day started at 4 a.m. and continued long after school. The money that he earned supported his mother, three brothers, and two sisters.

Franz attended the University of Illinois for two years, but World War I interrupted his schooling. After his release from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant in 1919, the Otis Steel Company hired him as an open-hearth pitman. He became general superintendent at Wickwire Spencer Steel Company, which later merged with Colorado Fuel and Iron. Eventually, Franz became a vice president of that company, and he was named president in 1952. Under his dynamic leadership, Colorado Fuel and Iron expanded greatly.