The sons: Dirk and Coen Stork
C.T. Stork dies
After the takeover of power, 'grandfather' as the personnel called him, continued to travel by train from Oldenzaal to Hengelo every day, though he no longer took the first train at six o'clock. In spring 1895 his health deteriorated and he felt himself becoming 'nervous'.
Despite this he continued to go to the factory until in the same year he became unwell during a board meeting and died on 19 July. "I had many ideals and they have all become reality! I am a happy person", he wrote in his diary.
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Son Dirk Stork continued his fathers social initiatives
Under son Dirk W. Stork, born on 4 April 1855, the Hengelo engineering works made great progress from the end of the last century onwards. With his practical technical ingenuity, he was able to introduce a string of new products to the factory. Dirk Stork also possessed great qualities as a social entrepreneur. In 1897, for instance, on the sale of the thousandth steam engine, the personnel were granted three days holiday a year and a fund was set up for trips to Germany and Belgium. A special support fund, fed by employer and employee contributions, provided assistance with unexpected personal expenses, such as dentures. From 1906 workers were given Saturday afternoons off in the summer and from 1914 throughout the year. He achieved other successes, the effects of which continue to this day. In 1898, for instance, he created the Association of Dutch Employers. He was also active in the banking world.
Among other things Dirk was one of the founding fathers of the General Centre for Commercial Banks, taking a seat on the supervisory board, and helping pave the way for the establishment in 1927 of the Nederlandsche Middenstands Bank (NMB, which, together with the Postbank and Nationale Nederlanden was absorbed into the ING Bank in 1992). Finally, out of a mixture of self interest and patriotism, Dirk and his brother Coen Stork were prominent in 1918 in the establishment of the Kon. Nederlandsche Hoogovens en Staalfabrieken (blast furnaces and steel mills), in which they invested a quarter of a million guilders. After an eventful life with many ups and downs, Dirk Stork took to his sickbed in 1928 and passed away on 15 February of that year, almost as contented as his father.
His youngest brother Coen took over the helm and was faced with the difficult task of piloting the company through the depression years. On 18 July 1934 he suffered a fatal heart attack during a board meeting. His death marked an end to the dominant and striking family influence on the management of the engineering works.
The Garden Village
The crowning glory of the Stork brothers' social work was the 'Het Lansink' model workers' garden village in Hengelo in 1914. The garden village, named after a local farm, was financed by Stork and like-minded colleagues from local factories. The idea came from Coen Stork II, the youngest son of Charles Theodoor. In preparation, he had taken a look at model workers' homes in England and Germany.
Model workers' garden village 'Het Lansink' in Hengelo
The project was designed by his friend and architect Karel Muller. Characteristic of what was and still is regarded as the classic example of a successful workers' district was the variation in houses, no more than six to a terraced block. The homes had dormer windows and Dutch and stepped gables. The intention was for everyone to feel at home in them, from unskilled labourer to senior official. Some half of the occupants were employed by the engineering works. Stork provided trees, shrubs and small gardens. The streets were up to thirteen metres wide. In the centre was the C.T. Stork square, named after father: a public garden with oak trees, surrounded by a hotel and a shopping arcade. The only thing missing was a pub, because, just like the temperance advocate Alfons Ariëns, Stork preached that: "Your greatest enemy is the genever bottle".