Sophie plug

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Sophie Stecker (born August 28, 1864 in Schmallenberg ; † November 19, 1957 there ) was a German entrepreneur.

Life

Sophie Connector's knitwear factory

The father was a trained slater, who was also active in other professions and was also fond of art. The mother came from an old Schmallenberg farming and bourgeois family. Immediately after leaving school, she began to work on one of the hand knitting machines in the Schmallenberg textile industry .

In 1883 she finally set up her own, initially still small business. For many years she was not only the owner, but also sold her products herself. With the increasing demand, the production capacity of the old hand knitting machines was insufficient. Connector bought its first motorized machines in 1909 and the conversion was completed in 1913. The First World War and the post-war period caused some difficulties, but did not damage the plant. In 1927, production was consequently switched to the manufacture of baby linen and toddler clothing. Her 70th birthday in 1933 coincided with the 50th anniversary of her company. At the end of the Second World War in April 1945, the factory was completely destroyed in the last acts of war. Connector did not give up and rebuilt it.

It has made a significant contribution to making Schmallenberg a textile industrial city. She was shaped by social sentiments and active charity. On her 90th birthday, she received the honorary citizenship of the city of Schmallenberg. She received the Federal Cross of Merit (1953) and the papal order Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice .

literature

  • F. Jürgens: Sophie Stecker. A pioneer in the Sauerland textile industry . In: De Suerlänner 1961 p. 13
  • Connector - Fifty years of the Sophie connector Schmallenberg knitwear factory 1883-1933 . Cologne, 1933.