George Hauck, the former owner of Schnitzelburg mainstay Hauck's Handy Store and the founder of the neighborhood's annual Dainty Contest has died. He was 100 years old.
Hauck was a neighborhood fixture. He took over Hauck's Handy Store from his mother in the late 1940s; the store was sold in 2019. In 2018, WFPL reporter Amina Elahi interviewed Hauck's daughter, Karen Hauck about the store's legacy and her family.
The World Championship Dainty Contest, which Hauck is credited with starting as a neighborhood tradition in the 1970s, is still played every year. This year, despite the pandemic, competitors still gathered (socially-distanced) to hit a wooden peg with a whittled-down broomstick for the 50th year.
Hauck turned 100 years old in May, and was honored with a parade outside St. Joseph's Home, where he lived. He was remembered Wednesday by neighborhood residents when his death was announced on a Facebook page.
Mayor Greg Fischer also shared his condolences in a tweet.
"I'm very sad to hear of the passing of George Hauck," Fischer wrote. "George loved his city and his neighborhood deeply and, over his 100 years, became a role model for countless people in working to make his community closer and better."
I'm very sad to hear of the passing of George Hauck. George loved his city and his neighborhood deeply and, over his 100 years, became a role model for countless people in working to make his community closer and better. pic.twitter.com/vl823IykiC
— Greg Fischer (@GregFischerLou) September 2, 2020