WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Frank Henry, chairman emeritus of the Martz Group motorcoach company and a noted philanthropist, has died at age 85.
Henry served as chairman of the Martz Group, a fifth-generation family-owned transportation company headquartered in Wilkes-Barre, for more 41 years and as chairman emeritus for another 13 years.
Frank Martz Sr. founded the Martz Group, which provides charters, sightseeing tours and line runs, in 1908. In the early years Martz provided transportation between small mining towns in Pennsylvania, mostly helping coal workers get to and from work.
Henry, Martz’s grandson, took over as chairman of the company in 1964. He grew the business and was active in all of the Martz Group’s companies: Gold Line, National Coach Works, First Class Coach and Martz Trailways.
The company now provides transportation services in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.
Henry became chairman emeritus in 2005 and his son Scott took over as chairman of the company.
Henry and Martz received two major awards from the United Motorcoach Association during Motorcoach Expo 2005.
They won the Safety Leader of the Year Award, the top safety honor in the over-the-road bus industry, and the Vision Award, which goes to an operator that has sound business practices and an excellent safety record and uses innovative approaches throughout its operation.
In accepting the Vision Award, Henry said he was proud to be surrounded at the Martz Group by people “you can be proud of.” He said that by picking employees who are smarter than you are, “you’ll come out on top.”
Henry was the longest-running active board member of the American Bus Association and was a former chairman.
Henry also had served as chairman of Trailways, the Pennsylvania Bus Association and Gray Line Worldwide.