Edward Frost Dunbar is one of the aggressive businessmen of Pike County whose activities are directed along industrial lines with substantial results for his company and the city of Troy.  As president and manager of the Troy Veneer & Crate Company, he is best known to the business world, but he has numerous other interests, for he is a man who has always believed in supporting local industries and building up home enterprises.

In matters of civic import, he is always to be found at the forefront of progress, and there are few men who do as much as he for the general advancement of his home community and its people.

The birth of Edward Frost Dunbar occurred at Saint Joseph, Michigan, on April 4, 1882, and he is the son of William S. Dunbar.  He attended the public schools of Saint Joseph and graduated from high school in 1901.  In that year, he, with his father, moved to Glenwood, Alabama, and during the winter months, he was engaged in assisting his father in operating a peach orchard.  Following his father’s death in 1904, Edward Frost Dunbar handled this business entirely by himself until 1906.  In this year he disposed of these holdings and came to Troy, Alabama, and commenced working as a general laborer in a plant of the Michigan & Alabama Fruit Package Company.

It was not long, however, before his ability received recognition, and within a month, he was promoted to office work and the following year, when this company was reorganized under the present name of the Troy Veneer & Crate Company, Mr. Dunbar was made secretary and treasurer.  In 1919, Mr. Dunbar was further honored by election to the presidency of the company, and at the same time, he was made its general manager.  The plant and offices are on North Three Notch Street, just outside the city limits of Troy.  This company is one of the largest of its kind in Alabama and is incorporated under the laws of this State.  The business of the company is the manufacture of fruit and vegetable packages, and the company has an outlet in a large part of the United States, as well as foreign countries.

Mr. Dunbar is a very active member of the Missionary Baptist Church of Troy, serving as a member of the church’s Board of Deacons.  He is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Alabama Baptist Orphanage at Troy and is chairman of the Board of Education of the Troy Public Schools.  He is a member of the Troy Rotary Club.

On September 17, 1912, Mr. Dunbar married Miss Mabel Wright, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas R. Wright, in Troy, Alabama.  Mrs. Dunbar graduated from Troy State Normal School and was a teacher in the public schools of Alabama for three years before her marriage.  The children of Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar are as follows:  Alice Dunbar, Tom Dunbar, Dolly Dunbar, and Donal Dunbar.

These articles can be found in previous editions of The Troy Messenger.  Stay tuned for more.  Dianne Smith is the President of the Pike County Historical, Genealogical, and Preservation Society.