M. Andre Garr

GARR Garr, M. Andre, 80, passed away Tuesday November 12, 2002. An industrial engineer and management consultant, and much loved husband, father, friend and true gentleman. Founder and President of Garr Industries, he grew the business from his home basement into the leading retail industry management consulting firm in the U.S. and Canada. Born January 18, 1922 in Jackson, GA. He graduated from The Citadel in 1943 with a B.S. Degree in Physics. A veteran of World War II, he served as a Captain in the U.S. Army in the South Pacific. In 1948 he received his M.S. in Business and Engineering Administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also did post graduate work at Harvard University. He was an assistant professor at the University of Georgia (Savannah Division) and also taught at Tufts University. He was the first Staff Industrial Engineer for the Ford Motor Company's Atlanta assembly plant. He served as Chief Engineer with the U. S. Army Ordinance Corps' Atlanta General Depot and as consultant to the Office of the Chief of Ordinance for all installations throughout the U.S. As operating executive with Rich's Department Store in Atlanta, GA he was responsible for all distribution, warehousing, manufacturing, and repair operations. His application of scientific methods resulted in previously unheard of savings and efficiencies. He was very active in management and engineering professional associations, including having been the National Director of the Society for Advancement of Management. He was also a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, Consulting Engineers Council and the National Retail Merchants Association. An entrepreneur before it was en vogue, he quit Rich's and started Garr and Associates with only one client and 6 months of work, he grew the business from his home basement into the leading retail industry management consulting firm in the U.S. and Canada. His belief in himself and in his ability to succeed was unfailing and inspired others to believe in themselves. He and his longtime business partner and close friend Ed Hennefeld eventually sold the firm 1983 to Touche Ross and Co. Garr Industries became the foundation for Touche Ross and Co.'s retail management consulting. His career and his life were characterized by an unquestioned integrity and unflinching commitment to innovation and ingenuity. He was a man who embodied a genuine respect for all he met and was a true southern gentleman in the best sense of the phrase. His life was a testament to the power of positive thinking, as evidenced by his trademark response to "how are you?" Fandamntastic he would exclaim. One of his great joys was good friends, good food and good stories. A family tradition he reluctantly relished in was the singing of "The Preacher Went Out 'A Hunting", an old folk tune passed down from his father. A true labor of love was the rescue and restoration of Windsor Plantation in Georgetown, SC. His usual attention to detail resulted in a restoration that surpassed even the home's past glory. The home was featured in several books and magazines. To all his projects, he always brought a unique touch that solved a complicated problem in an elegant and simple fashion---an engineer to the core. He also spent many winter months in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, FL and was a frequent worshipper at St. Marks Episcopal Church in Ft. Lauderdale. A longtime Episcopalian, he served on the vestry of Holy Innocents Episcopal Church in Atlanta, GA for several years. He was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pawleys Island, SC. He and his wife were constant companions and friends for 30 years, sharing a unique bond re-enforcing their faith as Christians. He and Ed Hennefeld shared Psalm 15 as values to try and live by. No other verse captures the sense of who he was quite as well: "O Lord, who may abide in Thy tent'..He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart...." He is survived by his wife Eileen; 5 children: son M. Andy Garr, III and his wife Pam of St. Pete Beach, FL; daughter Sally Garr Brodhead and her husband Charles of Alexandria, VA; and son Michael Garr of New York City, NY; daughter Teddi Waxelbaum Dial and her husband Sam of Franklin, TN; son Tom Waxelbaum and his wife Cheryl of Atlanta, GA and six grandchildren Andrew, Allison, and Samuel Dial and Marlee, Teal, and Hannah Waxelbaum; sister Olivette Smith and her husband Charles of Pawleys Island, SC; nephews Bill Pridgen and his wife Dee of Charleston, SC and Roy Pridgen and his wife Paula of Myrtle Beach, SC and Evelyn Pridgen, wife of deceased nephew Carl C. Pridgen; and niece Maureen Hamilton and her husband Dee of Pawleys Island, SC. A memorial service was held on Thursday, November 14, 2002 at 2pm in Belmont Church located at 68 Music Square East in Nashville, TN. Donations in his memory way be made to "Teach My People" Ministry, P.O. Box 2081, Pawleys Island, SC 29585. MARSHALL-DONNELLY-COMBS (615) 327-1111.