Gary Comer
Encyclopedia
Gary Comer was the founder of mail order
clothing retailer Lands' End
.
in Chicago. After 10 years, having been an avid sailor from childhood, he began his own business supplying sailing equipment.
, Halperin's fellow sailor Richard Stearns
(with whom Halperin won a gold medal
in yachting at the 1963 Pan American Games
), and two of Stearns' employees founded Lands' End. They started it originally as a retailer of sailing supplies and equipment (based on a mail order equipment business begun a year earlier). Comer served as president through 1990 (including following Lands' End's registration as a public company), when he stepped down from active management. He remained a major shareholder until Lands' End was acquired by Sears in 2002.
, donating money to causes including children's health care, education and the study of global climate change. He opened the Gary Comer Youth Center which houses among other things Gary Comer College Prep - a campus of the Noble Network of Charter Schools.
Comer was a major contributor to the University of Chicago, providing more than $84 million in donations leading to the establishment and expansion of the Comer Children's Hospital at the University of Chicago
.
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
clothing retailer Lands' End
Lands' End
Lands' End is a clothing retailer based in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, that specializes in casual clothing, luggage, and home furnishings. The majority of Lands' End's business is conducted through mail order and Internet sales, but the company also runs more than a dozen retail operations, primarily in...
.
Early life
Born on the South Side of Chicago in the Grand Crossing neighborhood, Comer graduated from the Paul Revere Elementary School in 1942 and Hyde Park High School in 1946. He became a copywriter at Young & RubicamYoung & Rubicam
Y&R is a marketing and communications company specializing in advertising, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting.-History:...
in Chicago. After 10 years, having been an avid sailor from childhood, he began his own business supplying sailing equipment.
Lands' End
In the Spring of 1963 Comer and his close friend Robert HalperinRobert Halperin
Robert Sherman "Bob" Halperin , nicknamed "Buck", was an American competitive Star class sailor, and Olympic bronze medalist and Pan American Games gold medalist....
, Halperin's fellow sailor Richard Stearns
Richard Stearns (sailor)
Richard Stearns is an American competitive sailor and Olympic and Pan American Games medalist.In 1963, he won a gold medal along with Robert Halperin at the Pan American Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil, sailing Ninotchka....
(with whom Halperin won a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in yachting at the 1963 Pan American Games
1963 Pan American Games
The 4th Pan American Games were held from April 20 to May 5, 1963 in São Paulo, Brazil.- Medal count :To sort this table by nation, total medal count, or any other column, click on the icon next to the column title.Note...
), and two of Stearns' employees founded Lands' End. They started it originally as a retailer of sailing supplies and equipment (based on a mail order equipment business begun a year earlier). Comer served as president through 1990 (including following Lands' End's registration as a public company), when he stepped down from active management. He remained a major shareholder until Lands' End was acquired by Sears in 2002.
Philanthropy
Comer was a long-time philanthropistPhilanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, donating money to causes including children's health care, education and the study of global climate change. He opened the Gary Comer Youth Center which houses among other things Gary Comer College Prep - a campus of the Noble Network of Charter Schools.
Comer was a major contributor to the University of Chicago, providing more than $84 million in donations leading to the establishment and expansion of the Comer Children's Hospital at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.