NEWH co-founder Dorrit St. John died on March 9 at the age of 92. A cause of death was not made public.
Born in Vienna in 1924, St. John recounted her childhood brush with the Holocaust in an essay she contributed to the book 48 Hours of Kristallnacht: Night of Destruction/Dawn of the Holocaust.
After fleeing with her mother and sister to New York, St. John took up work sewing at a sweatshop where she made $7 a week. In the 1940s, she worked as a showroom manager and model for a sportswear house. For nine years she also led operations at a drapery workroom in New Jersey.
St. John oversaw Purchase Service Limited offices across the globe when she was appointed to president/partner in 1979. She had previously joined the company as a licensed contractor while also working as a retail buyer and manufacturer of architectural special effects.
In 1984, she joined forces with Susan Spalding and Shelia Lohmiller to create NEWH as part of a joint effort to expand opportunities for women within the hospitality industry. Under the mantra of women helping women, the trio permanently changed industry status quo.
NEWH’s first Woman of the Year award was given to St. John in 1990, four years before her retirement. To honor her legacy, the NEWH Los Angeles Founding Chapter has launched a scholarship in St. John’s name.
