inventory · entities · updated 2026-07-25
John Finkbeiner
entity active p2
Appears in two distinct roles across the record: credited by a 1921 trade-press record with the original decision to site the factory at Three Rivers (over San Diego/LA alternatives), and separately as the factory manager who replaced H. L. Warrick when automation came online in 1925, bringing 25 years of glass experience.
Next action: None — the two-role discrepancy (1921 site-decision vs. 1925 plant-manager framing) is documented as an open question, not a gap to close.
personthree-rivers-glassfactory-manager
Why Track This
A named individual whose role in the founding story genuinely conflicts between sources — useful to track precisely because the conflict is unresolved.
Current State
1921-07-15 Texas Trade Review and Industrial Record credits Finkbeiner’s own site survey (rejecting San Diego and Los Angeles) for the Three Rivers decision. Tips’ own 1973 speech doesn’t mention him until 1925, when he replaces Warrick as plant manager. Michael David Smith’s 1989 book confirms the 1925 manager role and the “25 years of glass production experience” detail, but does not address the 1921 claim.
Next Action
None — flagged in three-rivers-glass-closure-timeline-dispute and charles-r-tips as an intentional open discrepancy.
Notes
Blog posts: “The earliest printed record of the glass factory” (1921-07-15) and “Automation comes online — and Warrick is out” (1925).