Covington Board of Education recognizes General Films for legacy of community support

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COVINGTON – General Films was awarded the Ohio School Board Association’s Business Honor Roll at the Sept. 16 Covington Exempted Village Schools Board of Education meeting.

For 75 years, General Films has partnered with the community on education initiatives. The OSBA Business Honor Roll program recognizes just that – areas where businesses and schools are able to collaborate, ensuring that schools receive the support and real-world experience they need today while businesses are able to share the workforce skills student’s needs for tomorrow.

General Films Founder Roy J. Weikert began his education in a single room schoolhouse before eventually graduating from Covington High School. Following graduation, Weikert attended Columbia University in New York City and completed his Bachelor of Science degree at The Ohio State University in Columbus.

Weikert’s passion for learning was reflected not only in his formal education but also in his profession. A lifelong learner, it was Weikert’s insatiable curiosity and inventiveness that led to General Films. Prior to World War II, Weikert invented a manufacturing process that pioneered the company’s first product, a plastic protector for men’s hats.

Following service in the war – and along with his brother, Wayne – Weikert’s curiosity and energy turned to creating new products and building a manufacturing business. It was then that General Films was officially founded, making Weikert an industry icon and flexible film leader.

Today, General Films’ commitment to education and invention continues. Through the RJW Foundation, General Films presented Covington Exempted Village Schools with a gift that funded computers, plus a business education initiative. Later donations supported renovations and improvements to the school’s theatre.

It was Weikert’s nephew and current General Films CEO Tim Weikert who accepted the award.

“Covington continues to be the setting for our company and family’s story,” Tim Weikert said. “We are honored to help support a new generation of learners and innovators, who we hope will look to Roy and General Films as their inspiration.”

General Films CEO Tim Weikert accepted the Ohio School Board Association’s Business Honor Roll.
https://www.sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2020/11/web1_F18A1D8A981E4440A23169C2FC4DBFAB.jpgGeneral Films CEO Tim Weikert accepted the Ohio School Board Association’s Business Honor Roll. Courtesy photo

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