He would often rise early and walk the grounds at the Seven Springs Mountain Resort. There was not a bolt out of place that he didn't know how to fix.
Herman K. Dupré, considered the “father of snowmaking,” was in tune and concerned about the personal lives of each employee who worked at the resort. And he was always willing to work and help when needed. He appeared to be just an employee to some guests as he floated around the resort in Somerset County — sporting flannel shirts, Dockers pants and work boots.
But he was a husband and father — and also notably remembered as the pioneer who made it possible for ski resorts everywhere to have the white, fluffy, engineered snow that often helps make skiing possible.
The 87-year-old former co-owner of Seven Springs died Saturday, and his death left many reflecting on his inspirational personality and innovative tendencies. He died peacefully in his home at the resort, according to family.
“Herman was a visionary leader in many ways … in the resort and snow-making industries ... a loving husband to Sis, his wife of 63 years, and an inspirational father to his nine daughters,” the resort wrote in a Facebook post over the weekend. He was a “guide to many he encountered.”
“Together with the rest of the Dupré family, they forged a welcoming and important place for many in these Laurel Mountains,” the resort said in the statement.
Seven Springs — located about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh in the Laurel Highlands — was opened to the public in 1937 by Mr. Dupré’s parents, German immigrants Adolph and Helen Kress Dupré. Herman built a double-chair lift for the resort and is credited with building the first snow-making system in 1960. After experimenting with a variety of hoses and nozzles, Mr. Dupré applied for his first snow-making patent in 1973. He owned at least 34 such patents.
He transformed the fishing and hunting camp into a favorite destination for Pittsburgh and mid-Atlantic sports enthusiasts. From acres of raw land, he imagined a self-contained municipality that could provide a year-round family resort experience, an obituary stated.
Where others saw piles of rocks and forest, Mr. Dupré saw beautiful buildings.
The Western Pennsylvania Ski Council said in a statement Monday that Mr. Dupré’s life and legacy “will continue to positively impact” fans and participants of winter sports and activities. His life fostered not only outdoor winter activity enjoyment, but lasting friendships and memories in the ski industry everywhere, the council’s president John Matisko said.
“Herman’s entrepreneurship, leadership, dedication and joie de vivre brought countless benefits to the ski club members in the WPSC, their family and friends,” Mr. Matisko said.
Mr. Dupré entered Saint Vincent College in Latrobe in 1949 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry four years later.
He received an honorary doctorate from the school in the early 2000s. He and and his wife received a Presidential Medal of Honor from the school in 2008. One of the largest buildings on campus was also named the “Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion” in 2011 in a $40-million dollar construction project, according to Archabbot Douglas Nowicki, chancellor of the school.
“I've known the Duprés for many, many years,” said Archabbot Nowicki, 75. “He was known as a gifted young man. He was the perfect person for business that deals with hospitality, and he was a very gracious and accessible person. He was humble, but very wise. All of his daughters are very gifted and talented. Sis and Herman were wonderful parents and raised a wonderful family.”
Saint Vincent College President, Rev. Paul R. Taylor, said Mr. Dupré was not only a mentor, but a dear friend.
“He always wanted to make good things even better, as evidenced by his love for science and critical thinking,” Rev. Taylor said in a statement. “The impact of his work and his friendship will continue to impact our students and our community, and for that we are ever-grateful.” He also offered prayers to the family.
After graduating from the Coast Guard Academy, Mr. Dupré served in the Coast Guard in Alaska from 1953 until 1955, and then returned to Pennsylvania. He met his lifelong love, Mary “Sis” McSwigan, while she was a summer camp counselor, and they married in 1957. Their 63-year journey together brought them nine daughters: Denise, Laura, Rosi, Anni, Jan, Heidi, Gretl, Michele, and Renee. They, in turn, introduced 29 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren into the Dupré clan.
His evolving snow-making improvements took him from ground-based tripod snowguns to towers up to 40 feet high that propelled water molecules into the air with plenty of "hang time" for the maximum formation of snow crystals.
A man like Mr. Dupré is encountered only once in a lifetime, according to former president and CEO of Seven Springs Scott Bender, who held the position from 2000 until 2008.
“He was extremely bright, yet practical and down-to-earth, always thinking of ways to improve any part of the operation at Seven Springs on a daily basis,” Mr. Bender said. “He left this world and Western Pennsylvania a better place, and isn't that something we all hope we can do?”
Although the Dupré family sold Seven Springs to the Nutting family in 2006, Herman and Sis and other family members continued to live at the resort.
The Pittsburgh Ski Club’s history ties back to Mr. Dupré’s father and parallels his efforts in promoting growth of the sport, according to the club’s president Marlene Czarnecki. Mr. Dupré was not only a “ski industry mogul and pioneer in Pennsylvania and the world,” but he was also a “good friend” to members and others in the area, she said.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Archabbot Nowicki said Mr. Dupré’s big heart, compassion and hard work are what set him apart.
“You could be the president of the United States, or you could be the person taking carts off the lot,” Mr. Nowicki said. “But he treated everyone with the same dignity and respect.”
Lacretia Wimbley: lwimbley@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1510 or on Twitter @Wimbleyjourno.
First Published: April 27, 2020, 11:49 a.m.
Updated: April 27, 2020, 12:17 p.m.
