Peter E Haas Snr., ex-president of Levi Strauss, has died at 86

[corksean]

RIP.
A business leader way ahead of his time.
From the Guardian obituary:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Peter E. Haas Sr., who took over the family owned Levi Strauss & Co. with his brother and helped build it into a socially conscious clothing empire, died Saturday. He was 86.

snip..

As president of the company, Haas was a strong proponent of corporate social responsibility and worked toward racial desegregation of apparel factories during the late 1940s and 1950s.

When the company sought to expand to the South, Haas told local officials that Levi Strauss would only open manufacturing plants there if its black workers were granted equal status with whites.

His work led to his appointment to San Francisco's Fair Employment Practices Commission - the state's first - by former Mayor George Christopher.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5457824,00.html

The Haas Award
http://www.urel.berkeley.edu/haasawards/phaas_background.html

[Deja Q]

1. I wish Don Adams had lived for 4 more years...

Then he'd have died at ate 86 too.

Agent 86, 86'ed at 86.

Sorry, but while Haas himself may have done some good things, a quick google shows those who've operated the company for some time are anything less than good - yet prices still remain as high as they used to be, if not more.

Sins of the son, yes, but when a name becomes tarnished, many automatically blame the entire of the company.

Or maybe I'm so disheartened by the degeneration of today because all of these folks like Haas ultimately worked in vain.

[ComerPerro]

2. I didn't even know that about Levi Strauss

and, they make damn nice jeans

[ohio_liberal]

3. Levi Strauss sold it's soul to the WalMart devil

They moved their plants overseas and now we get an inferior product for the same goddamned price. Of course you can buy the really shitty Signature collection for cheaper at Walmart but don't expect them to last for any period of time.

Remember when a pair of 501s would last for 10 years?

Sorry for the rant and the thread hijack.

Thumbsup to Mr Haas for social responsibility. :thumbsup: Too bad the people who followed him didn't use him as a role model.