Horace Ladymon
| Horace Russell Ladymon (Former president of defunct | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Born | July 16, 1929 Paris, Lamar County Texas, USA Reared in Marshall, Harrison County, Texas | ||
| Died | April 18, 2020 (aged 90) Shreveport, Louisiana Resting place: | ||
| Political Party | Democrat | ||
| Spouse | Jo Jane Ramsaur Ladymon (married c. 1951-2009, her death) Two daughters: | ||
| Religion | United Methodist | ||
Horace Russell Ladymon (July 16, 1929 – April 18, 2020)[1] was a self-employed investor in Shreveport, Louisiana, who was formerly the president of the defunct Beall-Ladymon Corporation, now Stage Stores, Inc., which once operated forty-nine department stores in five U.S. states.
Business career
Based in Shreveport, Beall-Ladymon was founded in 1951 when W. F. Beall and Ladymon's father, Raymond Cleo Ladymon (1908-1993), opened stores in five North Louisiana locations,[2] including the Greenwood Road in Shreveport, Minden, Ruston, Jonesboro in Jackson Parish, and Mansfield in DeSoto Parish. Beall died in 1953, and "R. C." Ladymon, as he was known, wopeas elevated from the company vice presidency to the presidency.[3] The company had thirteen outlets in Arkansas: Arkadelphia, Camden, Conway, Crossett, El Dorado, Fort Smith, Hope, Hot Springs, Magnolia, Pine Bluff, Rogers, Russellville, and Searcy. A store in the capital city of Little Rock closed c. 1993.[4]
In 1974, Horace Ladymon became president of the company; R. C. Ladymon, the chairman of the board.[5] The company began consolidating in 1992 but faced continued financial woes which prompted the sale to Stage.[4]
In 1994, Ladymon sold the company for an undisclosed amount of money to Specialty Retailer, Inc., of Houston, Texas. The former Beall-Ladymon outlets then began operating under the name Stage Stores, Inc. Other Specialty Retailer stores are Palais Royal, Fashion Bar, and an unrelated "Bealls" department store. Beall-Ladymon employed nationally more than four hundred full-time and another four hundred part-time personnel. Ladymon said that he had negotiated the sale with Specialty Retailer for more than three years: "Their merchandise mix and method of operation are very similar to ours, and they are committed to growth which will be beneficial to the communities we serve as well as to our company associates."[4] Stage stores offer such brand names as Liz Claiborne, Levi Strauss, Elizabeth Arden, Jockey International, Guess clothing, and Van Heusen.[4]
Personal life
Ladymon was born in Paris in Lamar County in northeastern Texas. His parents, Raymond Ladymon and the former Lennie Adell Holcomb (1907-1966),[6] are interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Paris, Texas. After Lennie's death, Raymond Ladymon married in 1969 the former Mary Katherine Bateman Allen (1919-2000),[7] a native of Memphis, Tennessee.[8] She is buried at Winnfield Cemetery in Winnfield, Louisiana. Her first husband, Lyndon Blaine Allen (1918-1963), was a son of former U.S. Representative A. Leonard Allen of Louisiana's 8th congressional district, since disbanded.[9]
Until her death from cancer, Ladymon was married to, the former Jo Jane "J. J." Ramsaur (1930-2009), a native of Kerrville, Texas, and the daughter of Stewart Ramsaur, M.D. She was reared in Marshall in Harrison County in east Texas west of Shreveport and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. There are two Ladymon daughters, Debbie Auerbach (husband Dr. Mark Auerbach) of Easton in the Lehigh Valley of eastern Pennsylvania, and Becky DeKay (husband Roger) of Shreveport, and five grandchildren.[10] He graduated in 1950 from Texas A&M University at College Station.[1] Mrs. Ladymon is interred at Colonial Gardens Cemetery in Marshall.[10]
Ladymon served in the United States Army during the Korean War.[1] He was affiliated with Louisiana Bank and Trust Company and is a particularly active member of the United Methodist denomination and Rotary International.[2] In 1982-1983, Ladymon was the first president of the Louisiana State University in Shreveport Foundation.[11]
A Democrat, Ladymon was a long-term donor to former U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana,[12] who was unseated in the 2014 general election by the Republican Bill Cassidy.
Ladymon died in Shreveport at the age of ninety of cardiac arrest.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Horace Ladymon obituary. The Shreveport Times (April 19, 2020). Retrieved on April 20, 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "H. R. Ladymon President," Minden Press-Herald, October 5, 1976, p. 2B.
- ↑ Beall-Ladymon 2. Ruston Daily Leader (April 13, 1961). Retrieved on April 20, 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Kelly Ford, Beall-Ladymon stores change hands. Arkansas Business (September 26, 1994). Retrieved on June 12, 2014; under a pay wall.
- ↑ Top Officials Will Attend Opening Here 17. The El Dorado Times (April 24, 1974). Retrieved on April 20, 2020.
- ↑ Lennie A. Ladymon. Retrieved on April 20, 2020.
- ↑ Raymond C. Ladymon. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on April 20, 2020.
- ↑ Mary Katherine Bateman Ladymon. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on April 20, 2020.
- ↑ Lyndon Blaine Allen. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on April 20, 2020.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Jo Jane "J.J." Ladymon. easttexastowns.com. Retrieved on April 20, 2020.
- ↑ Past Presidents of the LSUS Foundation. lsus.edu. Retrieved on April 20, 2020.
- ↑ Horace R. Ladymon pours money into Democrat Senatorial campaign: Shreveport donor makes generous gift to Mary L. Landrieu (D). The Primary Post (August 8, 2010). Retrieved on June 12, 2014; material no longer on-line.
