Laura Lu Scherer Copenhaver

Laura Lu Scherer Copenhaver, author, Lutheran lay leader, and businesswoman, attended Marion Female College and later taught there for many years. From a young age, she wrote poetry, fiction, and pageants for the United Lutheran Church in America. She advocated missionary efforts to meet the spiritual and physical needs of the people of Appalachia and promoted cooperative strategies for improving the region's agricultural economy. She began textile production in her home, Rosemont, putting many local women to work making rugs, canopies, and other items. Rosemont Industries, later incorporated as Laura Copenhaver Industries, became internationally known for its products.