Helen Galland
Encyclopedia
Helen Galland was an American
retail executive and businesswoman who served as president of Bonwit Teller
from 1980 to 1983. The New York Times described her as "one of the few women of her time to run a fashion-oriented retailer".
She was also the first woman to serve on the board of the Whitman Corporation.
. She earned a degree in psychology from Hunter College
.
, she took a position at Lord & Taylor
. After five years, she went to Bonwit Teller as a millinery buyer. When she left Bonwit Teller
in 1975 to become President of Wamsutta Trucraft Home Fashions, she had risen to senior vice president and general merchandise manager. She returned to Bonwit Teller five years later in 1980 as President/CEO. Galland presided from 1980 to 1983, a time when the company's brand had undergone a decline. The company was acquired in 1979 by Allied Stores Corporation, which closed Bonwit-Tellers flagship
store on Fifth Avenue. Galland oversaw the opening of a new Bonwit store, a third the size, in the Trump Tower
.
She eventually left Bonwit Teller again to form her own eponymous marketing/consulting firm, Helen Galland Associates. Bonwit Teller and all its remaining stores closed for good in 1990.
and the Fashion Institute of Technology
as well as several charities.
She had a son, David Frishberg, of Arlington, Virginia, two daughters, Susan Frishberg of Putney, Vermont
, and Judy Schoenig of Jackson, New Jersey, and two stepchildren, all of whom survive her.
David Frishberg said of his mother: "She was the kind of woman who could follow you into a revolving door and come out in front of you."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
retail executive and businesswoman who served as president of Bonwit Teller
Bonwit Teller
Bonwit Teller was a department store in New York City founded by Paul Bonwit in 1895 at Sixth Avenue and 18th Street. In 1897 Edmund D. Teller was admitted to the partnership and the store moved to 23rd Street, East of Sixth Avenue...
from 1980 to 1983. The New York Times described her as "one of the few women of her time to run a fashion-oriented retailer".
She was also the first woman to serve on the board of the Whitman Corporation.
Early life
Galland was born in Brooklyn, New York, an only child, and grew up in Washington Heights, ManhattanWashington Heights, Manhattan
Washington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the...
. She earned a degree in psychology from Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
.
Career
In 1945, while taking graduate classes in retailing at New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, she took a position at Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
. After five years, she went to Bonwit Teller as a millinery buyer. When she left Bonwit Teller
Bonwit Teller
Bonwit Teller was a department store in New York City founded by Paul Bonwit in 1895 at Sixth Avenue and 18th Street. In 1897 Edmund D. Teller was admitted to the partnership and the store moved to 23rd Street, East of Sixth Avenue...
in 1975 to become President of Wamsutta Trucraft Home Fashions, she had risen to senior vice president and general merchandise manager. She returned to Bonwit Teller five years later in 1980 as President/CEO. Galland presided from 1980 to 1983, a time when the company's brand had undergone a decline. The company was acquired in 1979 by Allied Stores Corporation, which closed Bonwit-Tellers flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
store on Fifth Avenue. Galland oversaw the opening of a new Bonwit store, a third the size, in the Trump Tower
Trump Tower
Trump Tower or Trump Towers may refer to one of several skyscrapers owned and operated by Donald Trump:Trump Tower* Trump Towers * Trump Towers * Trump Tower * Trump Tower...
.
She eventually left Bonwit Teller again to form her own eponymous marketing/consulting firm, Helen Galland Associates. Bonwit Teller and all its remaining stores closed for good in 1990.
Affiliations
She served on the boards of Hunter CollegeHunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
and the Fashion Institute of Technology
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology, generally known as FIT, is a State University of New York college of art, business, design, and technology connected to the fashion industry, with an urban campus located on West 27th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of...
as well as several charities.
Family
Helen Galland's first husband, Samuel Frishberg, a lawyer, died in 1964. She married Frederick E. Loewus, a handbag manufacturer, in 1967; he died in 2006.She had a son, David Frishberg, of Arlington, Virginia, two daughters, Susan Frishberg of Putney, Vermont
Putney, Vermont
Putney is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,634 at the 2000 census.On December 26, 1753 Col.Josiah Willard led a proprietors' petition for a Putney charter which was issued by Governor Benning Wentworth of the New Hampshire Grants under King George II of England...
, and Judy Schoenig of Jackson, New Jersey, and two stepchildren, all of whom survive her.
David Frishberg said of his mother: "She was the kind of woman who could follow you into a revolving door and come out in front of you."