George Hurst Memorial Speech by Michael Magnus

On September 24th, 2022, friends and family gathered in a crowded room to celebrate the life of leatherworker George Hurst. There was much laughter and tears as stories were shared at Greenwood Chapel that afternoon. I (Michael Magnus) was humbled to be among the few whom the family asked to speak about George's life. Here is the speech that was shared.

"Fun fact: I may not be alive if it weren’t for George Hurst. 

A brief history lesson, if you’ll allow me. In the early 60s, my grandfather, Werner Magnus, had the Cleveland Craft company. Starting in Ohio, they opened 5 locations, with one of them being in New York City. 

In 1961, Tandy acquired Cleveland Craft Company in support of their New York operations, including a young, ambitious Tandy manager on 14th Street named George Hurst. 

When his company was purchased, my grandfather moved his family to Fort Worth, Texas, where my father eventually met my mother, and I, much later, was conceived. 

It may seem like George is a footnote in that story, but I assure you, in his lifetime, he influenced more decisions than we will ever know. And he did so without fanfare or expectation. We don’t often think about how the little decisions we make impact the timeline. Some folks call it the Butterfly Effect. I think it’s more appropriate to refer to it as the George Hurst Effect. 

Throughout his 89 years of life, it's no exaggeration to say that he’s impacted millions of people. 

Aaron Heizer shared, “Folks don't realize, but George Hurst is the reason Maker's Leather Supply exists.  He used to have a store in Ft Worth (Hidecrafter Leather), which was just what we are... a place to get quality tools and leathers and a crew that could show you how to use them. George has been a mentor and an idol to me since I first met him over 20 years ago.”

Tobin Tucker shared, “I met George at the first leather guild meeting I attended. He offered to help me, a total stranger, with any question I may have. He’s the main reason I kept coming to guild meetings, and here I am many, many years later, still enjoying leather work.” 

Lendi Williams shared, “6 months after my dad started teaching me leatherwork, he suddenly passed. George stepped right in and became a mentor to me. Over the years, he felt more like a grandpa. I will cherish every single memory, critique, and praise he gave.”

These are three of literally thousands of testimonials that went out online as folks shared stories, memories, and praise for the impact George had on their lives… many of who he had never even met. 

People around the world know, and will continue to know, George’s face, voice, and hands from his numerous leatherworking tutorials on YouTube; however, for him, it was always just another tool to teach. 

George loved teaching. 

Early in his career, teaching was a sales tool that made him one of the most profitable managers in the Tandy Leather Company during their heyday of success. He actively taught classes with VA hospitals and colleges and at schools. 

His success as a Tandy manager was spurred by his love of sharing his passion for the craft. He innovated teaching through video first at Tandy with reel to reels, then at Hide Crafter through VHS/DVD, and then again with Tandy through his numerous tutorial videos online, some of which have millions of views. 

His teaching is his legacy, as many of those that are the teachers of today learned from George and share their stories of him like trophies.

George loved sharing stories. 

And they were never short. And sometimes, you’d heard them before, but you’d never interrupt him, even if there were things you needed to get done. 

It was impossible not to get invested in his dramatizations. He had a definitive twinkle when he smiled, and his laugh was contagious, even if you didn’t totally understand why you were laughing. George made people happy, just by being around him.

Although he shared his life with all of us, those he was closest with were unquestionably his family.

George loved his family. 

If you went into his office, he’d keep you there with tales of history. If he came into your office, you knew it was because of Annalee. Maybe she had landed a new part or was in a new advertising campaign, but whatever it was, it was urgent, and everyone needed to know. We’ve never met before this week, but I feel like I’ve known Annalee for going on a decade because of how proud he was and the stories he’d share about your adventures in New York, as he lived vicariously through them. 

He also often spoke of Keven, and gleefully shared stories about entrepreneurial soup endeavors and hockey, and just how proud he was of him as a businessman, but more importantly, how proud he was of him as a father. 

And Jane. If you want to know the secrets of the leather industry, you’d ask Jane Hurst. Behind every great man is a greater woman. For George’s larger-than-life persona, that says a lot. You were always there to support him… and generously not correct the details of his stories. Most of the time.

It’s interesting. There are many I’ve met today who are the elaborate cast of characters from the stories about his family and a lifetime of friends. It’s good to put faces with names, although I wish it were for a better reason. 

No. 

Actually. 

I can’t think of a better reason for us to be together. For friends and family to remember George. To celebrate his life. And to recognize how much that life continues to live on through all of us. 

Thank you, George."

This video, Remembering George Hurst, was produced by Michael Magnus for the Hursts and includes interviews from both the Lone Star Leather Guild and George's memorial reception at Angelo's BBQ, as well as pictures shared by his family and footage from an interview project Hurst and Magnus collaborated on together while working at Tandy Leather.