Robert S. Engelman, 89, a former president and general manager of Spiegel Inc. who led fundraising drives that brought in millions of dollars for local non-profit groups, died of heart failure on Wednesday, May 15, in Highland Park Hospital.
Mr. Engelman began working at Spiegel in 1934 as a graduate of Dartmouth College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business. During a 36-year career, he worked his way up and became president and general manager of the retail catalog company.
Born and raised in Rahway, N.J., Mr. Engelman learned about the retail business at his parents’ small department store. He also learned about the cyclical nature of business when his parents lost the store during the Great Depression.
So when he graduated from Dartmouth and was offered the position of merchandise buyer at Spiegel, “he grabbed hold of it because jobs weren’t all that plentiful in those days,” his son John said. “But he never regretted it, and it was a job that he was very good at doing.”
In 1938 he married his college sweetheart, Mary Straus, whom he met on a blind date at a Dartmouth-Harvard football game.
Mr. Engelman was named vice president in charge of apparel lines in 1949. He was elected president and general manger in 1954, at a time when Spiegel was rededicating itself to its catalog business after liquidating all of its retail outlets. He was a key player when Spiegel was acquired in 1965 by Beneficial Corp.
As an executive, Mr. Engelman used his influence in the local business community to help several charities. He chaired fundraising drives for the Joint Defense Appeal of Metropolitan Chicago, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Anti-Defamation League and the Metropolitan Crusade of Mercy.
He also sat on the board of several organizations, including Planned Parenthood, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, Michael Reese Medical and Psychiatric Research Institutes, the Community Fund of Chicago and the Chicago Horticultural Society.
Mr. Engelman retired in 1970, which allowed him time to travel around the country visiting friends he had made during his career. He also split time between Highland Park and winter homes in Vail, Colo., and Boca Raton, Fla.
Mr. Engelman is survived by three other sons, Denny, Robert Jr. and Steve; a daughter, Mary Hathorn; 17 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Lakeside Congregation, 1221 County Line Rd., Highland Park.
