Eugene Lacritz
| Eugene Lacritz | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Eugene Edward Lacritz |
| Also known as | Gene Lacritz |
| Born |
November 16, 1929 Salem, Massachusetts |
| Died | May 18, 2012 (aged 82) San Antonio, Texas |
| Genres | symphony, pops orchestra, musical theater |
| Occupation(s) | clarinetist, conductor |
| Instruments | clarinet, saxophone |
| Years active | 1949–1974 (music) 1956–1986 (retail executive) |
| Associated acts |
San Antonio Symphony Orchestra San Antonio Pops San Antonio Little Theater Frost Bros. (as retail executive) |
Eugene Edward (Gene) Lacritz (16 November 1929, Salem, Massachusetts – 18 May 2012, San Antonio) was an American conductor, clarinetist, saxophonist, and a 31-year professional in management roles at four former specialty retail institutions, one in Houston and three in San Antonio. Notably, he was a senior executive — initially store manager and ultimately executive vice president — at Frost Bros., a former large apparel retail concern based in San Antonio.
Eugene Lacritz was born on 16 November 1929 to Louis (1898-1989) and Rose Lacritz (née Abowitz or Abovitz) (1904-1993). Eugene's father was born in Volodymyr-Volynsky, Ukraine and Eugene's mother was born in Poland. Both became U.S. citizens in 1921 and 1910, respectively. Eugene's paternal grandfather, Isaac (Itzhak) Lacritz (1868–1949) was musically and artistically inclined and served in a Russian Army band. Eugene had one sister, Shirley (born 1927).
On 3 April 1956, Lacritz married Miriam Suzanne Netter (1931-1975) in San Antonio, Texas. They had three children, Jeffrey Scott, John Alan and Laura Jann. They had 5 grandchildren.
On 9 July 1976, he married Shirley Ann Remis (1931-2008) in San Antonio, Texas. Lacritz had three stepchildren, Lee, Larry and Lynn, from his wife's previous marriage.
Lacritz became a member of the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra as a clarinetist in 1952 under the music direction of Victor Alessandro, who, in 1951, appointed him as conductor the San Antonio Pops, and in 1953, Chief Conductor of the Pops — a role held by Lacritz until 1958. The Pops was a seasonal auxiliary of the San Antonio Symphony that typically performed 15 times a year. He also had a long association as conductor of the San Antonio Little Theater that began in 1956 and continued through the 1960s.
Notable performances as clarinetist & saxophonist
Notable performances as conductor
Cosmopolitan Opera Guild of San Antonio
San Antonio Little Theater
Higher education
Secondary education
In June 1957, Lacritz became head of the a new phonograph record department at Wolff & Marx's. Later, he served as store manager for Battlestein's in River Oaks, Houston. Later he returned to San Antonio to manage Town & Country fashions. In 1963, he was appointed manager of Frost Fashion Square at North Star Mall in San Antonio — the major retail department store that opened October 21, 1963. The store was the company's first urban venture and included all the services and fashion departments of its flagship store in downtown San Antonio. Frost Bros. billed itself as one of the finest specialty stores in the Southwest and one of the most famous among the few locally and independently owned specialty stores in America.
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Wikipedia