Did I have traces of lunch on my face? Would my questions be clever enough? Finally, she spoke. That was Gert at her finest—direct, totally tuned into her customer base, and always a surprise. I explained it had been an integral part of my ski and climbing kit through college and grad school. She nodded. She looked great—snowy white hair beautifully coiffed, elegant jewelry, and a smart, three-piece salmon-colored ensemble.
She was as sharp, witty, and clever as ever. She pointed out her favorite photo in the office—a picture of her and Nelson Mandela. She asked about my husband and children—how the heck she kept all that straight, I have no idea.
Gert was a keen student of human nature. And, she was a brilliant businesswoman. Gert is an American success story. She learned at a young age never to take anything for granted.
In , when she was 13, her family escaped from Nazi Germany and relocated in Portland. Her parents embraced their new country. That same year, they took their daughters to nearby Mt.
Hood to watch then-President Franklin D. Hood, and the public works project that had brought together so many disparate individuals to create the Lodge. In Portland, he borrowed money and bought the Rosenfeld Hat Company. Like many kids her age, Gert helped with the family business; she and her sisters assembled the hat boxes.
In the summer months, she picked beans and strawberries for local farmers. Gert was never afraid of work. Neal Boyle had been such a hands-on manager that neither Gert and Tim, nor the employees knew what to do. At one point, things got so bad Gert was going to sell to the son of a wealthy Portland apparel manufacturer.
So Gert and Tim stuck it out. Boyle is perhaps best known for the role she played in the company's massively successful "One Tough Mother" marketing campaign, which aired throughout the s and '90s.
The ads debuted the company's tough-talking chairwoman — clad in equally tough outerwear — demonstrating the durability of the products with her son Tim, the company's president and CEO. In , Boyle thwarted a kidnapping attempt in her West Linn home at the age of When an armed man barged in, Boyle warned him she would need to disable the home alarm system.
One officer made the mistake of arriving in a North Face jacket. Asked by the police chief how she was faring, Boyle reportedly said she was "OK until that jacket walked in here. Streaming Now. She represents what I think when I think about Oregon: We are mavericks, innovators, creators. My Mother Makes Combat Boots. Overbearing tyrant. It has a nice ring to it.
Hall-of-Fame moments, it turns out. After Boyle, her identity leaked, came forward, OHSU renamed a research center after her sister, biochemist Hildegard Lamfrom, who died of brain cancer. Columbia said mourners could make a donation to the Knight Institute in lieu of sending flowers. The company also said it would announce plans for a celebration of life in the coming days.
Boyle is survived by her son, Tim, and two daughters, Sally Bany and Kathy Deggendorfer; her younger sister, Eva Labby; five grandchildren; the 5, employees at Columbia Sportswear, and one star-struck Zamboni. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. All rights reserved About Us. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.
Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.
0コメント