Robert S. Fogarty, Jr.*

Born to immigrant parents in 1933, Robert Fogarty was forced to drop out of high school at 14, after his father had become seriously ill. For four years, he worked as a day laborer and as a shipping clerk, and then he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served during the Korean War.

While in the service, he earned his high school diploma. After his discharge from the Air Force, he won a scholarship to Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, he graduated in three years.

In 1959, Fogarty became a management trainee with Burlington Industries. In 1963, he became a marketing manager for a furniture company. Three years later, he headed a large subsidiary of Schlumberger Ltd., an oil services conglomerate. In 1970, he launched his own business, Habitation Resources, and quickly acquired Mode, a furniture manufacturer. He took the ailing company to new heights of success.