Clifford Grodd
Encyclopedia
Clifford Grodd was an American
clothier who served as president and chief executive of the Paul Stuart
men's and women's clothing retailer.
Grodd was born on April 27, 1924, in New Haven, Connecticut
. He was a tail gunner
with the United States Army Air Corps
during World War II
. After being shot down while flying on a mission over Hungary
, he was captured and placed in a prison camp from which he made nine escape attempts, but was not liberated from the camp until near the war's end.
After completing his military service, he finished his undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut
, graduating in 1948 with a degree in marketing. He worked at G. Fox & Co.
's flagship store in Hartford, Connecticut
, where he was employed as assistant manager of the sportswear department as part of that company's executive training program.
He was hired by Paul Stuart
in 1951 by his father-in-law Ralph Ostrove who had founded the clothing store
in 1938. Grodd bought the store from Ostrove, who wanted to retire due to his failing health. Grodd was named as president and chief executive of the company in 1955, and transformed the company from being a discount store, establishing its own brands, to one that was worn by individuals including Fred Astaire
, Mel Brooks
, Cary Grant
, Paul Newman
and Frank Sinatra
. He expanded the firm into Japan through a licensing deal with Mitsui
, and also opened locations in Chicago
and Seoul
, South Korea
. He remained as CEO until his death, arriving at the company's store in New York City each day after an early-morning workout. In the years before his death, Grodd had expanded the company's line to include the Phineas Cole label aimed at younger clientele, offered in the company's own stores and its 100 licensed locations worldwide.
Grodd died of cancer at age 86 on May 25, 2010 at his home in Manhattan. He was survived by his wife, the former Barbara Ostrove, as well as by two sons and two grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
clothier who served as president and chief executive of the Paul Stuart
Paul Stuart
Paul Stuart is a men's and women's clothing store in the United States. Founded in 1938 in New York City, New York, USA, by haberdasher Ralph Ostrove, who named the company after his son Paul Stuart Ostrove...
men's and women's clothing retailer.
Grodd was born on April 27, 1924, in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. He was a tail gunner
Tail gunner
A tail gunner or rear gunner is a crewman on a military aircraft who functions as a gunner defending against enemy fighter attacks from the rear, or "tail", of the plane. The tail gunner operates a flexible machine gun emplacement on either the top or tail end of the aircraft with a generally...
with the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After being shot down while flying on a mission over Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, he was captured and placed in a prison camp from which he made nine escape attempts, but was not liberated from the camp until near the war's end.
After completing his military service, he finished his undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
, graduating in 1948 with a degree in marketing. He worked at G. Fox & Co.
G. Fox & Co.
G. Fox & Co. was a large department store that originated in Hartford, Connecticut. The store was also the largest privately held department store in the nation when it was sold in 1965 to the May Department Stores Company. In 1992 May Department stores phased out the G. Fox & Co. name converting...
's flagship store in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, where he was employed as assistant manager of the sportswear department as part of that company's executive training program.
He was hired by Paul Stuart
Paul Stuart
Paul Stuart is a men's and women's clothing store in the United States. Founded in 1938 in New York City, New York, USA, by haberdasher Ralph Ostrove, who named the company after his son Paul Stuart Ostrove...
in 1951 by his father-in-law Ralph Ostrove who had founded the clothing store
Boutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
in 1938. Grodd bought the store from Ostrove, who wanted to retire due to his failing health. Grodd was named as president and chief executive of the company in 1955, and transformed the company from being a discount store, establishing its own brands, to one that was worn by individuals including Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
, Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
, Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
, Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
and Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
. He expanded the firm into Japan through a licensing deal with Mitsui
Mitsui
is one of the largest corporate conglomerates in Japan and one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world.-History:Founded by Mitsui Takatoshi , who was the fourth son of a shopkeeper in Matsusaka, in what is now today's Mie prefecture...
, and also opened locations in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. He remained as CEO until his death, arriving at the company's store in New York City each day after an early-morning workout. In the years before his death, Grodd had expanded the company's line to include the Phineas Cole label aimed at younger clientele, offered in the company's own stores and its 100 licensed locations worldwide.
Grodd died of cancer at age 86 on May 25, 2010 at his home in Manhattan. He was survived by his wife, the former Barbara Ostrove, as well as by two sons and two grandchildren.