Ben Hill Willingham; Apparel, Textile Executive

Ben Hill Willingham, 77, retired head of two apparel and textile giants, Genesco Inc. and Burlington International, and a former director of Tiffany & Co. Willingham was president and chief executive officer of Genesco, formerly General Shoe Corp. of Nashville, Tenn., before retiring in 1969. He joined Burlington Industries and became president of Burlington International in 1970, living in Zurich and New York. He retired again in 1975, but continued to serve as corporate counsel to European and U.S. companies. He moved to Savannah, Ga., in 1980. During his tenure, General Shoe became the world’s largest producer and distributor of apparel. It changed its name to Genesco in 1959. In Savannah on Sunday following what was described as a long illness.