History

Alexander Robertson Schell moved to Plano in 1921. He married Irene Schimelpfenig, the youngest child of Fred and L.E.R. Schimelpfenig. In 1922, they were blessed with a son, A.R. Schell, III.

Mr. Schell is remembered by family and friends as gregarious. He continuously met and greeted the people with whom he came in contact through his insurance company and his many civic clubs and associations.

Mr. Schell contributed to the community and North Texas throughout his life. He was Plano’s longest serving mayor of 16 years (1932-1948) and one of the founding/charter members of the North Texas Municipal Water District, the entity that supplies Plano and other area communities with fresh water, sewer and solid waste services. He served among the water district’s first presidents and was Plano’s sole representative on that board until his death in 1964. He is succeeded by his son, A.R. Schell, III, who has served on the water district board since 1964.

In 1951, Mr. Schell was the first recipient of the Plano Citizen of the Year award. He was the founding charter member and one of the first presidents of the Plano Chamber of Commerce, Plano Rotary Club, Collin County Association of Realtors and Plano’s American Legion - Harding Blaine Post. He was a member of Plano’s Masonic Lodge and Scottish Rite and founded in 1930 the A.R. Schell Insurance Agency, Inc., which is in its 77th year of operation. Mr. Schell is also the namesake of a public park.

His legacy continues through his family, and his impact on the community lives on.