Woven through generations: The Overstrom family and Corning’s 175-year legacy
From early 20th century gaffer to lab services and operation, this family has been a part of Corning’s impact throughout the decades.
Greg Overstrom (left) and Krista Powers (right) reflect on the legacy of the late Don Overstrom (middle) and Corning’s 175-year story.
Few companies can point to 175 years of continuous innovation. Fewer still can tell that story through one family whose connection to the company stretches across five generations and more than a century.
For the Overstrom family, Corning is part of the family story – a thread connecting immigration, craftsmanship, service, resilience, and opportunity from one generation to the next.
That story began in 1903, when Henning Overstrom came to Corning from Sweden to help launch the newly founded Steuben Glass Works. Hired as the first gaffer (a head glassblower), Henning brought glassmaking expertise that helped Frederick Carder establish the factory. He would spend 41 years with the company, and all six of his sons would follow him into Corning.
Greg Overstrom came to Corning after his service in the U.S. Navy.
Since then, more than 25 members of the Overstrom family have worked for the company. Their roles have reflected Corning’s own evolution – from hand-crafted glassmaking to advanced manufacturing, research, engineering, health services, and operations leadership.
One branch of the family includes Donald “Don” Overstrom, his son Greg, and Greg’s daughter, Krista Powers. Another leads to Julie Whitehouse, an operations supervisor and section leader in Corning Manufacturing Support. Together, their stories show how closely the history of one family can mirror the history of one company.
For decades, Don Overstrom was a familiar and beloved presence at Corning. An electrician by trade, he spent 38 years with the company before retiring in 1999. Even after retirement, he remained a well-known figure at Sullivan Park. Don passed away in 2024, but his legacy continues to shape both his family and the Corning community.
Don’s life reflected how deeply Corning is woven into the region. He often shared memories of rewiring parts of Market Street and the Main Plant after the devastating 1972 flood. He served as a union representative, worked in the trades, and helped build Sullivan Park in the early 1960s, then saw it expand dramatically in the 1990s.
He also carried family stories that reached back even further. Don’s mother, Julie, immigrated from Norway and worked both as a baker at the Knoll – the Houghton family’s private residence – and at Steuben Glass, where she signed the bottoms of glass pieces. Those connections, and Don’s own stories of growing up in Corning’s Northside neighborhood, became part of the family’s living history.
That sense of continuity shaped the next generation.
Don’s son, Greg Overstrom, now serves as senior manager, Lab Services & Engineering. His path to Corning began after service in the United States Navy Submarine Service during the Cold War. Because much of his training was classified, it was difficult to explain his qualifications to civilian employers.
“I was fortunate to interview here with veterans who were familiar with my military training,” Greg recalls. “They hired me and said, ‘You’ve got to finish your degree.’ They supported me through eight years of night school while I completed a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.”
More than three decades later, Greg still sees that support as part of what makes Corning special.
“We all bleed Corning blue,” he says. For the Overstrom family, that loyalty reflects the way Corning has invested in employees across generations.
Krista Powers believes Corning is a tight-knit community.
Greg’s daughter, Krista Powers, grew up with that same connection. While in college, she and her siblings held summer internships with Corning or the Corning Museum of Glass. In 2008, she spent a summer working with staff nurses at Sullivan Park.
After college, Krista began her nursing career in Binghamton but eventually felt called home.
“We came to the Corning Valley to settle here and start our family. To me, ‘Corning’ always meant ‘family,’” she says. “Growing up here in a close-knit community – that’s what we wanted for our kids.”
Today, Krista works as an occupational medical nurse, a role she says gives her the chance to combine one-on-one care, education, and connection to the Sullivan Park community.
“It’s afforded me the best of both worlds,” she says. “They’ve done well by my family, and I want to make sure my family does well for the company.”
Julie Whitehouse grew her career at Corning and continues the Overstrom story.
The Overstrom legacy also continues through Julie Whitehouse, another fifth-generation descendant of Henning. Julie is a 22-year Corning veteran, whose branch of the family includes Henning’s son, Elmer; grandson, Jerome; and daughter, Linda – each of whom worked for Corning in roles spanning glassmaking, skilled trades, and manufacturing support.
Linda met Julie’s father, Bruce Mourhess, Sr., on the factory floor at the Fallbrook plant. Bruce spent 34 years there before retiring on his 55th birthday. A union member and team leader, he was the kind of co-worker who brought in coffee for his crew and took pride in being first through the door and last to leave.
“My dad would share stories about always being the first in the door and the last to leave,” Julie says. “As a kid, I didn’t really get it. But that rigor meant a lot to him.”
Julie did not initially expect to join the family business. After earning a two-year degree from Corning Community College, she worked a series of temporary jobs before moving to Buffalo. But when a friend called about an opening back in Corning, she applied, got the job, and returned home.
Her career steadily grew from there. With encouragement from a mentor and support from Corning’s educational assistance program, Julie completed her degree while working full time and raising her young son. She was soon promoted to supervisor.
“I never saw myself as a supervisor,” Julie says. “Even when I started, I never saw how far I would come.”
Today, after 17 years at Sullivan Park and a transition into manufacturing, Julie helps keep a complex operation moving. She describes herself as the central hub of her team, connecting people, priorities, and production every day.
As Corning marks 175 years, the Overstrom family story stands as a reminder that the company’s history is not only about inventions and innovations. It is also about generations of people who built their lives alongside it.
For more than 120 years, the Overstrom family has grown with Corning — and helped shape it in return. And for this family, the legacy is still being written.
