The Arnold and Moberly Family Genealogy

Obituary in Daily News Record and WWD - 1984 William Arnold dies at 59 in Boston. Daily News Record; 9/5/1984 NEW YORK -- William P. Arnold, who combined professional effectiveness with personal warmth, died in Boston Tuesday after a 15-year bout with cancer. Arnold, 59, stepped down as chairman and chief executive officer of Associated Dry Goods Corp. on June 11 because of his health problems. He became chairman of ADG's executive committee, and was in his office almost every day until his condition worsened last week. He died at 1:30 a.m. in New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston. A memorial service will be conducted Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel at 1076 Madison Avenue, here. Arnold's remains will be cremated. Arnold was respected for his business acumen, appreciated for his warmth and generosity, even feared on occasion for his toughness. Although his success as a retailer was evident from the figures that were generated by ADG during his tenure as chairman, the depth of feeling that so many retailers--both inside and outside of ADG--and suppliers had for Arnold became more and more apparent as his health worsened and he was forced to abandon ADG's CEO post. Josheph Johnson, who succeeded arnold as chairman of ADG, said, "One of the great rewards of my life has been the privilege of knowing and working with Bill Arnold. We have lost a great leader and a true friend." Frank Arnone, president of Carter Hawley Hale's market services division, said, "He was always there when I needed him. As well as being an outstanding professional, he was a humanitarian. He had a lot of people skill, and he had great inner strength that enabled him to fight the disease for such a long period." Summer Feldberg, chairman of Zayre Corp. and Arnold's successor as chairman of the National Retail Merchants Association, noted that, despite his long illness, "he had the courage to stay active, stay involved and stay interested." Joseph Brooks, chairman of ADG's Lord & Taylor division, stated, "No one was more courageous--unbelievable, unbelievable." Arnold's highly personable, energetic approach to retailing was passed on to his children. In addition to his widow, Barbara, he is survived by a daughter, Lee Arnold Brewer, a vice-president and merchandise manager at Saks Fifth Avenue, New York, and a son, Stephen, divisional merchandise manager of men's wear at Joske's, San Antonio. After becoming CEO of ADG in 1979, Arnold moved quickly, consolidating and even selling off marginal operations and moving the company beyond its base of traditional department stores into discount and off-price retailing through the acquisitions of Caldor in 1981 and Loehmann's in 1983. In 1983, the Hengerer division in Buffalo, N.Y., was merged into the more effective Sibley, Lindsay & Curr division in Rochester. The following year, the Stewart's division was terminated and its five locations converted into Caldor units. Last year, the Diamond division in West Virginia was sold to Heck's, and the Stix, Baer & Fuller operation in St. Louis was sold to Dillard's. Also in 1983, Pogue's of Cincinnati was merged into a larger division, L.S. Ayres in Indianapolis, where Arnold started his career in 1947. Arnold stayed at Ayres for 20 years, moving up the ranks there and becoming a director of ADG in 1973, the year after it acquired Ayres. He became ADG's president in 1975, at which time the company's sales were just under $1.4 billion. His six-year tenure as president included a power struggle in 1978 with Richard Pivirotto, chairman of ADG from 1975 to 1980. Arnold emerged as the dominant executive at ADG in 1979, when he was given total responsibility for operating division. He succeeded Pivirotto as CEO later that year and ADG's sales and profits began a climb at that time which has continued since. Arnold became chairman in 1980. Meanwhile, ADG has had four consecutive years of record earnings through 1983. Last year, the company's sales rose 16.6 per cent to $3.7 billion and earning were up 47.3 per cent to $115.5 million. Arnold also served as chairman of ADG's J.W. Robinson's division in Los Angeles during his career. COPYRIGHT 1984 by and reprinted here courtesy of Fairchild Publications, Inc.