Reactions to the Resignation

“This is the true passing of an era. He was the last of the old-time merchandisers. Executives today are raised and trained and schooled to do the job, but they didn’t come up through the trenches like Phil did. It’s probably good for the company to switch its emphasis. The whole industry has changed.”--Richard J. Riordan, Los Angeles attorney, investor and potential mayoral candidate.

“In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was touted as a boy wonder. . . . By the late 1980s, it was quite apparent he had presided over a (business) debacle. . . . (The Carter Hawley Hale revamping) caused enormous pain and grief to shareholders and employees. . . . From hindsight, he made one of the colossal errors of the 1980s. Although his name is still up in lights, it’s a much dimmer bulb.”--Alan Millstein, retail analyst and publisher of the Fashion Network Report newsletter in New York.

“He never got carried away with his own success. He handles both success and difficult times with equal poise.”--Peter J. Solomon, chairman of Peter J. Solomon Co., a New York investment banking firm.

“I can say that I don’t think this company could have come out of bankruptcy without the influence Philip Hawley.”--Sam Zell, chairman of the Chicago-based Zell/Chilmark Fund, the principal owner of Carter Hawley.