George John Schaumburg

George John Schaumburg, 98, of Beaumont, died Wednesday, February 20, 2008 at Harbor Hospice House in Beaumont. Born in Reading, Pennsylvania on April 30, 1909, Mr. Schaumburg graduated from Lehigh University at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 1931. As a student he was student chapter president of the Lehigh Valley Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers; member of the student council; member of Tau Beta Pi, honorary engineering fraternity; Cadet Colonel of ROTC; and graduated with highest military honors. In 1931 he began work for the Texas Company in Port Arthur, Texas. In 1932 he married Dorothy O. Broussard of Abbeville, Louisiana. They were happily married almost fifty-five years until her death November 30, 1986. In 1937 Mr. Schaumburg established the firm George J. Schaumburg, Consulting Engineers which practiced civil, mechanical, structural, architectural, and railroad engineering for private, municipal, and industrial clients. After his retirement in 1973 the firm was reorganized as Schaumburg & Polk, Inc., Consulting Engineers. During his career as a consulting engineer he made many contributions to the growth of Beaumont and the surrounding communities of Southeast Texas. As an Army Reserve Officer Mr. Schaumburg served as Commanding Officer for the Civilian Conservation Corps at Tyrrell Park in Beaumont. During World War II he served as executive officer and acting Corps Engineer of the XIX Army Corps. He personally supervised the preparation of the Normandy invasion engineer plans for the XIX Corps, First United States Army including the planning of engineer supply for the support of over 200,000 troops. After landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day plus Four, he planned and organized the construction of bridges and the conversion of country roads into six 800 mile military highways extending from Omaha Beach, through Belgium and Holland, to Elbe River in Germany. Mr. Schaumburg retired from active duty in 1945 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm decorations. Mr. Schaumburg served as City Engineer and City Planning Engineer for the city of Beaumont for almost two years following his military service in 1945. In 1947 he resumed his consulting engineering practice which provided civil engineering services in the Southeast Texas area. These services included planning, designing, and construction supervision for municipal and private water, sanitary sewerage, and storm drainage distribution systems, water wells, water storage tanks, water and sewage treatment plants, subdivision developments, topographical and property surveys, streets, railroads, and port wharves and warehouses. Mr. Schaumburg was a Fellow and Life Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, a past President of the Southeast Branch of the Texas Section, and was actively engaged in organizing the Student Chapter of the Southeast Branch at Lamar University, Beaumont Texas. He was active on various committees of the Texas Section including the committee charged with updating the ASCE Texas Section Standard Forms of Agreement between Owner and Contractor. Mr. Schaumburg was a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, past chairman and member of the Consulting Engineers Section of the Texas Society Professional Engineers, American Society of Military Engineers, member of Rotary Club of Beaumont and after fifty years of service was made a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, charter member and elder of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Beaumont Country Club, and a founding director of Gateway National Bank of Beaumont now a branch of Capitol One. He was a member of the Trinity-Neches Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Executive Board Member of the Community Chest (now the United Way) serving as Budget and Admissions Committee Chairman and Vice President. Mr. Schaumburg has been listed in Who's Who in the South and Southwest, Who's Who in Engineering, Men of Achievement in Texas and The Texas Gulf Coast: its History and Development. His parents, Conrad Schaumburg and Augusta Boldt; brother, Paul Schaumburg; and sister, Margaret Yoder preceded him in death. He is survived by his son, George John Schaumburg, Jr. and his wife Ann of Beaumont; and grandson, George John Schaumburg, III of Galveston. A graveside service will be 3:30 p.m. Friday, February 22, 2008 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park under the direction of Broussard's, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. A gathering of family and friends will be from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. prior to the service Friday at the Mortuary. Complete and updated information may be viewed at www.broussardsmortuary.com.