Working list of individuals tied to the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company—founders, family, officers named on this site, the documented 1920s–1930s rank-and-file, and a few closely linked figures from the timeline. It is not exhaustive; workforce, brokers, and minor shareholders still belong in the research queue (see Mystery § II). For firms and addresses, see Related Companies. For narrative context, see History and About.
Founders and merger (1899–1912)
| Name |
Role / connection |
| William Robert Hoffmann (also cited as William R. Hoffmann) |
Founded the San Antonio coffee business in 1899; died 1912 — Light death notice, 11 Jan 1912. 1923 San Antonio Light plant spread with portrait, 1905/1910 insets, and Burnett Street isometric: New home of a great institution. |
| W. E. Hayman |
Founder of Merchants Coffee; merged with Hoffmann’s firm in 1912 to form Hoffmann-Hayman; served as president in the early merged company; sold his interest to the Mengers in 1920; co-incorporator of Tucker Coffee in 1921; died 9 August 1924. Biographical gaps—see Mystery § II. |
Menger–Hoffmann family and hotel dynasty
| Name |
Role / connection |
| Wilhelmina “Minnie” Menger Hoffmann (later Mrs. William J. Schlosser, née Menger) |
Married William Hoffmann; vice president after the 1912 merger; central to bringing her brothers into the business. International Women’s Day post. 1923 Light vice-president / director clip (printed as Mrs. (Dr.) William J. Schlosser): page-60 profile. |
| William L. Menger |
Owner of the Menger Hotel; great-grandfather of the H&H Menger generation (through Catherine Menger’s line — see History). |
| Dr. Rudolph Menger |
Minnie’s father; San Antonio physician on East Commerce Street; marriage notice 1909. |
| Catherine Menger |
Wife of Dr. Rudolph; mother of Minnie and Gus P.; granddaughter of William L. Menger — the bridge between H&H and the Menger Hotel dynasty. |
| Gustav P. Menger (“Gus”) |
Minnie’s brother; secretary at the 1912 merger; president 1920–1960; Board Chairman thereafter; named “Dean of Southern Coffee Roasters” 1959; signed the 1972 warehouse sale as G. P. Menger. Press photo. 1923 Light president profile: Gus R. Menger clip. |
| Rose Lee Menger (née Crowther) |
Gus Menger’s first wife (married 1917); died Oct 1955 age 62; mother of Albert G. Menger and Mrs. John C. Burkholder. |
| Rudolph W. Menger |
Minnie’s brother; secretary–treasurer after Hayman’s 1920 exit; advertising manager 50+ years (1912–1962); R. W. Menger on company letterhead. 1923 Light on advertising: Believes in advertising H and H products. |
| Theodore J. Menger (“T. J.”) |
Treasurer on period Hoffmann-Hayman letterhead (see letterhead post); 1934 officer list matches that title. Profiled as credit manager in the 26 Aug 1923 San Antonio Light factory series (profile). Last survivor of the original H&H owners; died 30 March 1987 age 91. |
| L. B. Menger |
Custodian of accounts in 1923 (San Antonio Light employee feature—same page spread as the Joachum Morales profile). Accounts clip. |
| A. G. Menger |
Assistant secretary on the same letterhead masthead (1923 era). |
| Dr. William J. Schlosser |
Minnie’s later husband; appears with family in the very special tour factory photograph; died 1963 (timeline). |
| Albert G. Menger |
Son of Gus P. Menger; joined firm 1945; president from 4 May 1960. Appears with Gus in a c. 1948 cupping-table press photo from the UTSA San Antonio Light collection (post). |
| John C. Burkholder |
Gus Menger’s son-in-law; with firm from 1945; VP Sales from May 1960; 15 years on Board of Directors as of 1963. |
| Helen Hoffmann |
Daughter of W. R. Hoffmann and Minnie Menger; namesake of Texas Girl Coffee (1933 launch); 1912–1945. |
Synthesis page covering the family across all roles: Menger family.
Family (brief lives)
| Name |
Notes |
| William R. Hoffmann Jr. |
Son of William and Wilhelmina; born December 1910, died January 1911 (see timeline and Minnie post). |
| Name |
Role / connection |
| Charles R. Tips |
Three Rivers Glass executive across 25 years — sec-treas (1922) → general manager (1929) → president (1931, “Col.”) → Tips Glass Sales president (1936) → lead plaintiff in the 1946 $1.35M anti-trust suit against Hartford-Empire, Ball, and Owens-Illinois (voluntarily dismissed in Texas Nov 1947 to refile in U.S. District Court Indianapolis under Indiana’s 15-year SOL). Senior glass-side counterpart for the H&H Crystalvac supplier story 1932 onward. |
| Stanford P. Stevens |
Started Stevens Outdoor Advertising; family lore says he began by painting H&H billboards. Add company dates, address, and directory citations when found; research lead for now. |
Staff, sales, and plant roles (newspaper-documented)
Named in the 26 Aug 1923 San Antonio Light Hoffmann–Hayman factory series and related clips, plus the 10 Oct 1938 Express-News cafe-department feature—officers already listed above are omitted here unless the clip adds a different job title.
Officers, staff, and sales (1940s–1980s)
Documented from obituaries, press announcements, and the 1963 San Antonio Light business supplement.
| Name |
Role / connection |
| Charles H. Griswold |
Traffic manager for 26 years (c. 1913–c. 1940); native of Athens, Ohio; died Jan 1953 age 78. |
| Ben Barloco Sr. |
Retired salesman; died May 1969 age 68. |
| Kearney Joseph Kivlin |
Accountant; graduated St. Edward’s 1932; left when Continental Coffee bought out H&H — clearest statement of the acquisition in the primary record. |
How this list should grow
City directories, payroll fragments, union records, and labeled sales photos can add clerks, roasters, drivers, and agents—the social history of the plant, not only the officer line. When you have a primary source for someone new, add a canonical page under knowledge-base/people/<slug>.md with jekyll_filename: set; this page (and the navigation sidebar) will pick it up on the next projection.
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