Cecelia Wade, 86, a longtime Chicago resident who worked as a fashion editor at Esquire magazine during World War II, died Aug. 17 at home in Chicago. Born in Detroit, Mrs. Wade graduated from Wayne State University and received her master’s degree in English literature from Smith College. In 1943, Mrs. Wade was hired as a men’s fashion editor at Esquire, which was gaining notoriety for the daringly sensual illustrations of “Varga girls” that graced its pages. Mrs. Wade’s name was listed on the masthead as “Dale Hall,” according to her son, Michael. “It was a men’s magazine, and in those days to have a woman editor would have been unthinkable,” Michael Wade said. “But at that time every able-bodied man was going to war, so to have good writers and editors they needed women.” A resident of Chicago’s North Side since 1948, Mrs. Wade lived most recently in the Gold Coast neighborhood with her husband, Burton, who died in 1996. Besides her son, Mrs. Wade is survived by another son, Stephen; and three brothers. Services will be held Thursday in Detroit.
