The Garsons of Atlanta were gutsy liberals even during the days of segregation.
In 1926, Frank and Gussie Garson founded the Lovable Co., a maker of lingerie, notably bras. With Atlanta its base, the now-defunct firm employed nearly 3,000 workers across the globe.
In the 1930s at its Atlanta location, the Garsons maintained an integrated work force. That was practically unheard of. Dan Garson, who became company chairman after service in World War II, continued his parents' colorblind approach to business.
"Dan's father was very liberal, and he was very liberal," said Charlotte Rosen Garson, his wife of 64 years. "Dan and his father felt that unless you raised the whole profile of the black community, this would never be a successful city or country."
Dan and Charlotte Rosen Garson were invited to attend what relatives say was the first Martin Luther King Jr. dinner. Guests joined hands and sang, "We Shall Overcome."
"We absolutely felt we were a part of history," his wife said.
And as a pioneer of workplace integration, Mr. Garson was.
"My father didn't choose to advertise what he was doing too much," said his son, Frank Garson II of Alpharetta. "But he did many of these things years before anyone else. He was a big proponent of education and was a big supporter of the United Negro College Fund."
Dan Garson, 89, of Atlanta died Saturday at home from complications of a fall. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at The Temple. Dressler's Jewish Funeral Care is handling arrangements.
Mr. Garson was born at Piedmont Hospital. He attended Atlanta's Boys High School and graduated from Duke University (1941).
A year later, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and served till the end of World War II. He then returned to Atlanta and joined the family firm.
The company started out on Pryor Street and settled at two other city locations before Buford in Gwinnett County. It dissolved in 1998.
In a 1988 interview, Mr. Garson commented on the fashion world's attempt to appease the full-figured woman.
After retirement, Mr. Garson volunteered for SCORE, a counseling resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Civically, he served in various capacities that included the board of the William Breman Jewish Home. He was a member of the Atlanta Jewish Federation and the Director's Circle at the High Museum of Art. He was a two-term president of The Standard Club.
Throughout his life, he was a scratch golfer. He'd been a member of the Duke golf team from 1937 to 1941. He won the 1939 Bobby Jones Invitational as well as club championships at The Standard Club. He played on courses all over the world.
"We traveled a lot because the family business had factories all over the world," his wife said. "From South Africa, to Japan to Canada to Hong Kong -- we never traveled without his golf clubs."
Additional survivors include a daughter, Lynn Garson Goodman of Atlanta; a sister, Joy Garson Chase of Alpharetta; and four grandchildren.
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