Orville Schupp Biography

Orville Schupp did a little bit of everything in his lifetime. Like many of the legendary craftsmen before him, Orville was active in the development of not only the Distillery, but the surrounding community as well. 

After obtaining his electrical engineering degree from Purdue University in 1931, Orville embarked on an early career of electrical inspection, design and construction. It wasn’t until his arrival as a maintenance engineer at George T. Stagg Co. in 1939 that Orville got his start in distilling. Orville became the protégé of Col. Albert Blanton, who headed the Distillery. He eventually was promoted to supervising engineer, then plant manager when Col. Blanton retired. During his tenure as plant manager, the Distillery was the area’s second largest employer after the state government. 

Orville left his position at the Distillery in 1957 to work as an area manager and eventual president of Schenley Distillers Inc., the owners of the Distillery at the time. Responsible for both domestic and international operations for Schenley, Orville led operations for Ancient Age, Old Stag, Dewar’s Scotch and I.W. Bernheim brands, among others. 

Orville returned to Frankfort in 1970 and took on a new venture of real estate development. He was instrumental in securing land for Juniper Hill Park, Frankfort’s largest recreational complex complete with a golf course, tennis courts, Olympic swimming pool, and recreational areas. Orville was also a founding member and first president of the Frankfort Country Club.