Peter G. Scotese

March 13, 1920 - July 25, 2024

New York, New York - The former president and CEO of Springs Mills, Inc., and chairman emeritus of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Board of Trustees, died in Manhattan at age 104 on July 25th. He is survived by his daughter Jane Petrucelli; son James Scotese and his wife Mary Ann; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Mildred (Heintz) Scotese, whom he married in 1942.

Scotese was born in Philadelphia in 1920, his father dying the same year. At eight, he was enrolled in Girard College, an independent preparatory school for fatherless boys founded by shipping and banking magnate Stephen Girard. He credited the values of service, hard work and loyalty instilled at Girard with shaping his character. Following his graduation in 1937, he studied at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business while working to support his mother and sister.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Scotese volunteered for the U.S. Army and was commissioned as an officer in the Airborne Infantry. Acts of courage in the European Theater earned him a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. In 2005, the Dutch city of Vlaardingen honored him on the 60th anniversary of V-E Day for his heroic rescue of a resistance leader from a Nazi prison in The Hague shortly before the end of the war.

Scotese's illustrious career in textiles began in 1947, when he joined Indian Head Mills, Inc., rising from salesman to vice president. In 1962, he transitioned to Federated Department Stores, serving as chairman of the Milwaukee Boston Store Division. Moving to Fortune 500 company Springs Mills, Inc., as the first nonfamily president and CEO, sales tripled and earnings more than quadrupled during his tenure. While guiding Springs' support for the arts, Scotese served as a vice chairman of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's business committee.

A recognized authority on corporate governance, Scotese served as a director of many corporations and non-profits including Bell & Howell, Duty Free Shoppers, National Distillers and American Management Association (AMA). He enthusiastically mentored many individuals, frequently the children and grandchildren of friends and associates.

Scotese received countless honors, including, in 1981, the Horatio Alger Award, which recognizes business leaders who have risen from humble beginnings. In 2005, Girard College named him as the second-ever recipient of its Corinthian Award, for individuals personifying the spirit of the institution's founder and benefactor. In 2007, he was celebrated for his advocacy by the Long Island Alzheimer's Foundation.

The primary focus of Scotese's charitable work was the Fashion Institute of Technology. He joined FIT's Board of Trustees in 1970 and served until 1996, the final 13 years as chairman, and was then unanimously named chairman emeritus. In 2022, the PETE Prize for Entrepreneurs was established at FIT, celebrating traits associated with Scotese: "Passion, Empathy, Tenacity, and Enthusiasm."

The family requests that memorial gifts be considered at FIT (in support of the PETE Prize), Girard College, and Long Island Alzheimer's and Dementia Center.

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Published by Charlotte Observer from Oct. 15 to Oct. 16, 2024.