Harold M. Hecht; Former Chairman of Robinsons

Harold M. Hecht, civic leader and former chairman of the J.W. Robinson Co. department store chain, has died. He was 93.

Hecht died Monday at his home in Century City.

A native of Lock Haven, Pa., Hecht came to Los Angeles in 1959 to become chairman and chief executive officer of Robinsons. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 1973. He was also regional executive vice president of Associated Dry Goods Corp. when it owned Robinsons, Lord & Taylor, Goldwaters of Arizona and other top-line department stores.

During his tenure, Robinsons expanded from four stores, in downtown Los Angeles, Pasadena, Beverly Hills and Palm Springs, to 26 across Southern California. With the new stores, Hecht helped spark a drive in the 1960s and 1970s for better shopping malls.

A graduate of the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, Hecht joined Associated in 1936 as a merchandising manager in Buffalo, N.Y. He also chaired Motherhood Maternity Shops.

Hecht was also a major fund-raiser for educational, cultural and health organizations, including St. John’s Hospital and the Hollywood Bowl. He succeeded Ronald Reagan as president of the board of the Independent Colleges of Southern California.

Hecht’s wife of 61 years, Elizabeth, died in 1994. He is survived by three children, Susanne Goldstein of Los Angeles, H. Michael Hecht of Pasadena, former president of Carter Hawley Hale Stores and former president and chief executive officer of Builders Emporium, and Anthony Hecht of Gilbert, Ariz., president of Tony Hecht Enterprises, and six grandchildren.