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New members of the American Furniture Hall of Fame for 2003 were
selected during a banquet gala on October 16, 2003 during the High Point Market.
2003 inductees are...
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 J.
THAYER COGGIN (1920 - 2003) founded his company in 1953. He pioneered the move
in the United Sates toward producing high quality, contemporary designs.... far
removed from the traditional designs that had dominated the American market
since the beginning of the industrial age. He changed the face of retailing and
helped create the contemporary market.
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 W.
G. "Mickey" HOLLIMAN, JR. (1937) was named chairman, president and CEO of
Furniture Brands International in 1996. Today, Action Industries, which he
co-founded in 1976 is the largest domestic supplier of motion furniture in the
United States and Furniture Brands International is the largest furniture
corporation in the world.
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 SPENCER
COLIE KITTINGER (1901-1968) was president of the Kittinger Company, founded in
1886. Beginning in 1941, during a period of growth and innovation, Spencer spent
half a century as a design leader and innovator. His efforts to ensure the
highest quality standards, helped to raise the level of the entire industry.
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 MORTON
SEAMAN (1932), vice chairman of Rooms To Go, built Seaman's into one of the
largest furniture retailers in the Northeast, with 30 stores and annual sales of
$290 million. When he sold Seaman's in 1988, he became his son Jeffrey's mentor
and partner in establishing the next generation’s new concept in furniture,
Rooms To Go. Today RTG is the largest furniture retailer in the country.
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The American Furniture Hall of Fame is an all-industry effort
organized to honor those individuals whose outstanding achievements have
contributed to the continued growth and development of the American manufactured
furniture industry, and to research, collect and preserve its cultural, economic
and artistic history. For more information call (336)882-5900 or log on to
www.furninfo.com/afhf.
Nominated but not chosen were...
DELMAR LEROY KROEHLER (1902 - 1982) joined Kroehler in 1922, the
company's founding year. He became president in 1951 and retired in 1967. He
helped Kroehler, the world's largest manufacturer to expand into 14
manufacturing plants in the US and Canada. In 1965, Kroehler became the first
manufacturer in history to achieve annual sales of more than 100 million dollars
per year.
LEON JEROME LEVITZ (1915) a graduate of the Wharton School of
Business in 1936, successfully negotiated with vendors and banks, during the
depression years, to establish the Levitz furniture warehouse showroom concept.
A true pioneer of the industry, his family revolutionized furniture retailing by
providing easy freeway accessibility, and highly decorated showrooms with
immediate availability, for pick-up or delivery.
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