CM's Franz Stone dies aged 95

Franz T. Stone, the US industrialist who was president of Columbus McKinnon for more than 50 years, died on 1 September at his home on Buffalo, USA. He was 95.

Stone was just 27 when he took over the company from his father Julius in 1934 and was 79 when in 1985 he decided to sell his majority shareholding to the company management. In the years since, the company has grown significantly.

Stone was also a prominent patron of the arts: Studio Arena Theatre, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Buffalo Regional Arts Council and the Niagara Frontier Ballet company were among organisations to benefit from his time and money.