H and H Coffee

Dedicated to the history of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co. est. 1899 in San Antonio, Texas.

Rudolph W. Menger (1892 – August 1985, age 93). Brother of Minnie Menger Schlosser and Gustav P. Menger. Married Charlotte Malone (d. 1935; see Charlotte Malone Menger). His 1892 birth year and the Malone marriage are recorded on the Tim Draves “Mary Menger Descendants” worksheet (rev. 7 July 2016), transcribed in the Draves 19 June 2026 scans. Son of Dr. Rudolph Menger (city physician, San Antonio 1890s) and Catherine Barbara Menger (born in the Menger Hotel — daughter of William A. Menger, the hotel’s founder). His paternal grandfather was Simon Menger, founder of the Menger Soap Factory. The two Menger forebears were not related.

Role at Hoffmann-Hayman

Secretary and Treasurer as of August 1921 → Secretary-Treasurer (1923) → Secretary (1934) → Executive Vice President (1960 leadership transition). Also held the company’s advertising portfolio for more than 50 years — from roughly 1912 through his retirement in 1962 — a tenure that spanned every major campaign from the H and H Blend era through the Flav-O-Tainer wartime campaign to the Master Chef Instant launch.

The 1923 company profile quotes him: “Our success is due to our ability to properly sell the proper quality products and to back him with effective advertising and sales-helps.” He was described as having “the figures” — the most informed person on company growth and progress.

The 1934 anniversary article credits “the direction of G. P. Menger, R. W. Menger, and T. J. Menger” for the company’s growth over 30 years.

Personal interests (family memory)

Nancy Draves (2015): R. W. and his coffee-company brothers hunted (consuming what they killed); collected Native American projectile points with careful provenance notes; early digs off Bulverde Road; R. W. was a Texas Archeological Society member. Their father Dr. Rudolph Menger was writing a natural-history book on Mitchell Lake observations. Treat as family oral history until primary documents surface.

Nancy and Tim Draves added detail in the 12 June 2026 session (Rec12 / 02:00–13:12, 35:30–40:24): R. W. was a 25-year member of the Texas Archaeological Society (he held the certificate) and had a deep respect for and knowledge of Native Americans. He and his brothers worked as methodical amateur archaeologists — they recorded the depth/level of each projectile-point find, dug on the land of hunting friends, and the collection was later assessed by the Society. A photograph of the brothers digging survives (Ted present; possibly Gus and Louis), and the arrow points were/are held in part by the Witte Museum. R. W. taught his grandchildren to look for points (walking riverbeds) and told them Native American stories — the Leda/”Lita” Anderlidge anecdote, the children seated cross-legged on the floor. The point collection was later hand-catalogued in drawings by Nancy’s father (a Belcher — landscape architect / agronomist / forester, not a Menger by surname), who also painted a watercolor of the digging photograph.

Two further traits from the same session: R. W. held a fresh-air belief — he kept the windows open year-round for health and kept the house cold (Rec12 / 23:54–25:34). In character he was reserved, letting his more outgoing brother Theodore J. “Ted” Menger (the treasurer/bookkeeper) take the lead (Rec11 / 23:57–25:46).

Family

Married Charlotte Malone in 1925 (per Gus Menger’s “Great Oaks from Little Acorns Grow” narrative, read aloud by Nancy Draves on 28 May 2026). Charlotte was previously divorced with three sons; she was working downtown when Rudolph “frequented the office she worked in… for sales purposes” and they later married.

She died 1935 or 1936 — sources disagree: the 1985 obituary and the family genealogy worksheet say 1935; Nancy Draves’s 30 May 2026 email says 1936. See Charlotte Malone Menger § Death year discrepancy.

Children with Charlotte:

  • Charlotte (Belcher) (1927–c.201[?]) — m. William Belcher (1928–2014); Nancy Draves’s mother; inherited 301 Primera after Rudolph’s 1985 death
  • Steve / Stephen G. Menger — survived Rudolph’s August 1985 death (1985 obituary); also named in his uncle Ted’s 1987 Express-News feature as a nephew living in Canyon Lake; otherwise undocumented in the KB. The 1985 obituary form “Steve G.” and the 1987 feature form “Stephen G.” are almost certainly the same person.
  • John Menger — date unknown; suffered a long illness and died at 301 Primera before Rudolph; named by Nancy Draves in her 30 May 2026 email but otherwise undocumented in the KB

Plus three stepsons — Charlotte’s sons from her first marriage, surname not Menger, raised in 301 Primera by Charlotte’s mother (“Great Grandma Malone”) after Charlotte’s death; per Nancy, all three “got older and moved away.”

Resolved open question (2026-05-30): prior versions of this page and the Nancy Draves page asked which of R. W.’s two known children was Nancy’s parent — Charlotte (Belcher) or Steve G. Menger. Nancy’s 30 May 2026 email confirms the Charlotte (Belcher) line definitively. Steve G. / Stephen G. is therefore Nancy’s maternal uncle, not her parent. John Menger (a third son, predeceasing Rudolph) is a previously-undocumented uncle on the same maternal line.

Survivors at his August 1985 death (per the obituary): daughter Charlotte Belcher; son Steve G. Menger; brother Theodore J. Menger; four granddaughters and four great-grandchildren.

After Charlotte’s death — 301 Primera

Rudolph never let Charlotte’s spirit pass. He kept all her paintings on the walls of 301 Primera and talked as if her death had been recent for the remaining 49 years of his life. While Charlotte was living, R. W. supported her painting practically: per the 12 June 2026 session (Rec12 / 27:00–27:54), he drove Charlotte, her painting instructor, and his daughter (Nancy’s mother) out to find bluebonnet-painting spots — for example around the Stubing Ranch. Charlotte’s mother (“Great Grandma Malone”) moved into 301 Primera after her daughter’s death to care for the children — Great Grandma Malone later died in the house as well. Years afterward, his brother Theodore J. Menger moved in and lived with him at Primera through Rudolph’s later years.

The house carries two documented family-attested presences — Great Grandma Malone (witnessed by Nancy Draves as a ~10-year-old, c. 1957) and Rudolph himself (his daughter Charlotte Belcher smelling his pipe / cigar smoke in the house after his death). Full account on 301 Primera.

See also