Samuel Glenn “Red” Whaley died today, December 14, 2013, at the age of 82 after battling a lengthy illness. Whaley, a Korean War veteran, established Forney's first antique store in 1968 and helped put Forney on the map as the “Antique Capital of Texas.”
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Whaley and his son Richard Whaley owned and operated Little Red's Antiques and Big Red's Antiques on U.S. Highway 80 in Forney, Texas, after moving their antique operations from another Dallas suburb in 1968.
Richard told The Christian Science Monitor in a 1988 interview, “People in Forney, all 3,000 of them, thought we were crazy. They said Forney could never support an antique store that size because nobody in Forney liked antiques anyway.”
They were wrong. After the Whaleys built their stores, Clements Antiques, De Ridder, Jot 'Em Down Store, Tillman's, Stone's, Philbeck's, and more flocked to Forney to get their share of the antique gold rush. The companies mass imported antiques and reproductions from all over the world. Once the merchandise made it to Forney, it didn't stay long and was shipped back out all over the United States and the world.
Whaley was born October 20, 1931, in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in Irving, Texas, where he became an Eagle Scout and a volunteer fireman. He served in the Korean War as a military police officer and returned from the war to become a full-time firefighter for the Irving Fire Department. According to his obituary, he also served as one of the Irving Fire Department's first battalion chiefs.
Upon moving to Forney and continuing the antique business, Whaley ventured into real estate development in Kaufman County but his love and passion for the fire service never left him. Around 2003, Whaley donated a substantial sum of money to complete the construction of the District 6 Forney Fire Department Substation on Windy Lane in Forney, Texas.
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“There was no greater friend and supporter of the Forney Fire Department than Red Whaley in my opinion,” Forney Fire Department Chief Rick Townsend told inForney.com. “Red contributed the majority of the funding needed to build the fire station located at F.M. 741 and Windy Lane. Without his help, the volunteer firefighters would have gone into debt for many years to pay for it. Red was a person who helped many, many people but never sought recognition for doing so.”
A plaque on the substation reads: “The Forney Volunteer Fire Department dedicates this complex in honor of Glen “Red” Whaley and family, whose financial contributions and faithful support of the fire services made this building possible. -2003”
“Red Whaley created one of the first, modern-day sales tax drivers in Forney during the 1970's with his vision of antiques and antique reproduction dealers along U.S. Highway 80,” said Forney Mayor Darren Rozell. “Red also had a generous heart and shared his success to help many people in our community, most of it behind the scenes.” According to Rozell, for years Whaley would donate a $5 bill for every child on the Forney Lions Club Angel Tree.
The funeral services will be 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 17, 2013, at First Baptist Church Forney located at 1003 College Avenue, Forney, Texas 75126. In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate a monetary donation to the Forney Food Pantry, formerly known as the New Life Food Pantry, of Forney, Texas. Donations can be mailed to the food pantry to P.O. Box 2343, Forney, Texas 75126 or dropped off at their location at 222 Industrial Park, Forney, Texas 75126.
Richard told The Christian Science Monitor in a 1988 interview, “People in Forney, all 3,000 of them, thought we were crazy. They said Forney could never support an antique store that size because nobody in Forney liked antiques anyway.”
They were wrong. After the Whaleys built their stores, Clements Antiques, De Ridder, Jot 'Em Down Store, Tillman's, Stone's, Philbeck's, and more flocked to Forney to get their share of the antique gold rush. The companies mass imported antiques and reproductions from all over the world. Once the merchandise made it to Forney, it didn't stay long and was shipped back out all over the United States and the world.
Whaley was born October 20, 1931, in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in Irving, Texas, where he became an Eagle Scout and a volunteer fireman. He served in the Korean War as a military police officer and returned from the war to become a full-time firefighter for the Irving Fire Department. According to his obituary, he also served as one of the Irving Fire Department's first battalion chiefs.
Upon moving to Forney and continuing the antique business, Whaley ventured into real estate development in Kaufman County but his love and passion for the fire service never left him. Around 2003, Whaley donated a substantial sum of money to complete the construction of the District 6 Forney Fire Department Substation on Windy Lane in Forney, Texas.
“There was no greater friend and supporter of the Forney Fire Department than Red Whaley in my opinion,” Forney Fire Department Chief Rick Townsend told inForney.com. “Red contributed the majority of the funding needed to build the fire station located at F.M. 741 and Windy Lane. Without his help, the volunteer firefighters would have gone into debt for many years to pay for it. Red was a person who helped many, many people but never sought recognition for doing so.” A plaque on the substation reads: “The Forney Volunteer Fire Department dedicates this complex in honor of Glen “Red” Whaley and family, whose financial contributions and faithful support of the fire services made this building possible. -2003”
“Red Whaley created one of the first, modern-day sales tax drivers in Forney during the 1970's with his vision of antiques and antique reproduction dealers along U.S. Highway 80,” said Forney Mayor Darren Rozell. “Red also had a generous heart and shared his success to help many people in our community, most of it behind the scenes.” According to Rozell, for years Whaley would donate a $5 bill for every child on the Forney Lions Club Angel Tree.
The funeral services will be 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 17, 2013, at First Baptist Church Forney located at 1003 College Avenue, Forney, Texas 75126. In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate a monetary donation to the Forney Food Pantry, formerly known as the New Life Food Pantry, of Forney, Texas. Donations can be mailed to the food pantry to P.O. Box 2343, Forney, Texas 75126 or dropped off at their location at 222 Industrial Park, Forney, Texas 75126.