ISP announces 2003 Legion of Honor inductees

The Institute of Store Planners' (ISP) Retail Design Legion of Honor commemorates the innovators and motivators of the retail industry who have made remarkable achievements in the disciplines of store planning and design, merchandising and visual presentation in the retail arena. Five new members were inducted into the Legion of Honor at the ISP/VM+SD International Retail Store Design Awards dinner held in New York in January. This year's Legion of Honor inductees include Michael J. Boccadaro, Alton F. Doody, Jay Fitzpatrick, John Roberts and William Snaith (deceased), whose lifetime contributions to the professional design world have influenced the shape of the retail industry as we know it today.



Jay Fitzpatrick

Jay Fitzpatrick, president and creative director of New York-based Fitzpatrick International Group, has been a prominent figure in the New York retail design community for years. Beginning with a stint as a draftsman with Sears in Philadelphia in 1964, Fitzpatrick launched a career that would include the titles of store planner at Strawbridge & Clothier, vice president of store planning, design and construction at Gimbels in New York, and the same title at Jordan Marsh in Boston. He then returned to New York in 1982 to found Fitzpatrick Design Group, and its successor in 2003, Fitzpatrick Interiors Group.

His attendance at local ISP meetings began in 1976, when "the first meetings, I remember, were in Gramercy Park and attended by a very small group," he recalls. "I have worked with many of the past recipients and have had others as competitors. Just read the names: Raymond Loewy, Jim Terrell, Barbara D'Arcy—and that is only part of an impressive roster. It's intimidating. The Legion of Honor gives us all something to aspire to.

"Retailing in the U.S.A. is alive but in a coma," Fitzpatrick adds. "Not just design, but designers, merchants, merchandise, malls and shoppers. The rest of the world seems to be moving forward, but the U.S.A. seems tired, possibly from all of our past glories and our current events," Fitzpatrick says. "We, I believe, have come full circle. Department stores are starting to become full-line department stores again and not just rag merchants. I look for more consolidations and new merchant-driven leadership. Specialty stores are not so special any more, and I see a new shopping venue, literally, right around the corner."



John Roberts

Touted as a "designer's designer," John Roberts, founder of San Francisco-based John Roberts & Associates, has tenured his illustrious career both on the side of in-house designer and independent consultant. Beginning his career with Federated Department Stores, Roberts rose in ranks to project director, later going on to become vice president of store design & construction for Rikes Inc. in Dayton, Ohio, and a similar post at Stix Baer & Fuller Department Stores in St. Louis. He opened John Roberts & Associates in St. Louis in 1977, later moving his practice to San Francisco where his clients included Robinsons, Sharper Image, Orvis and the Chicago Museum Store. "The more things (in retail) change, the more they stay the same," Roberts says. "There will be new stores—and they require new merchandising concepts. Designers must be alert to lead the way. Creativity is needed equally in store management and among the designers—in-house or design consultants."

An ISP member since October 1962 (he claims to hold certificate No. 77), Roberts became a fellow of ISP in 1990 based on his unrelenting support as president of the San Francisco chapter, an international board member and a pioneer of ISP student education programs. Having led a long and admirable career in the design industry, Roberts has a few words of wisdom to leave for up-and-coming designers: "To design students and new graduates—find a mentor," Roberts advises. "Understand that good design comes only after a good plan. When you get to be a good designer— become a mentor."



Michael J. Boccadaro

Beginning his career with Abraham & Straus (A&S) Department Stores in Brooklyn, N.Y., after World War II, Boccadaro has led a distinguished career, working with many of today's prominent industry leaders, including Allen Questrom among others. He became a project director for Raymond Loewy-Snaith in 1969, where he was involved in award-winning projects across the globe, including Lazarus & Sibleys Department Stores. In 1977, he joined Jordan Marsh, Boston, as vice president of store planning, design and construction. Two years later, Boccadaro landed the same position at Boston-based Filene's, where he headed up a team of store designers and played a defining role in the renovation of the Filene's downtown flagship.

Boccadaro was the founder of ISP/Boston, served as the chapter's president and on the ISP international board of directors. He was elected as a fellow of ISP in 1986. A prolific enthusiast of his profession and the industry as a whole, he has paved an inspiring path for store designers of the future to follow.



Alton F. Doody

The founder of Retail Planning Associates (RPA) in Columbus, Ohio, Alton F. Doody is in large part a major reason why Ohio has become the retail and store design powerhouse it is today. With a BA from Ohio Wesleyan in 1956, Doody went on to get his MBA and eventually his Ph. D. in 1961 from Ohio State University, where he stayed on as a professor of marketing until 1972. An entrepreneur at heart, Doody entered the retail scene as a consultant in 1964, co-founding Management Horizons, a Columbus, Ohio-based strategic planning and research firm now owned by Price Waterhouse Coopers LLC. He also launched Retail Planning Associates in Columbus, which was successful from the start and spawned a number of other store design firms in the area.

Doody now serves as president of New Orleans-based Alton F. Doody & Co., as well as director of Newell-Rubbermaid Inc., Floor & Décor Inc., Bravo Development Inc., Grant Investments, Hyde Park Restaurants Inc. and Pet People Inc.



William Snaith (deceased)

A graduate of New York University and Paris-based Ecole des Beaux Arts with a focus in architecture and painting, William Snaith has left a lasting imprint on the store planning industry. Snaith first joined store design studio Raymond Loewy in 1936, eventually working his way up to partner and president of Raymond Loewy/Snaith. While Snaith would most likely prefer his remembrance to be for winning the King of Sweden Cup in 1963 with his prize yacht "Figaro," or for his artwork on display in New York's Whitney Museum, his true legacy lies in the more than 100 employees who worked with him—most of whom have retained his vision and made their mark on the retail store design and planning profession.