Eugene Edward Lacritz was an American conductor, clarinetist, saxophonist, and a 31-year professional in management roles at four former specialty retail institutions, one in Houston and three in San Antonio. Notably, he was a senior executive — initially store manager and ultimately executive vice president — at Frost Bros., a former large apparel retail concern based in San Antonio.
Early life and family
Eugene Lacritz was born on 16 November 1929 to Louis and Rose Lacritz ''. Eugene's father was born in Volodymyr-Volynsky, Ukraine and Eugene's mother was born in Poland. Both became U.S. citizens in 1921 and 1910, respectively. Eugene's paternal grandfather, Isaac Lacritz was musically and artistically inclined and served in a Russian Army band. Eugene had one sister, Shirley. On 3 April 1956, Lacritz married Miriam Suzanne Netter in San Antonio, Texas. They had three children, Jeffrey Scott, John Alan and Laura Jann. They had 5 grandchildren. On 9 July 1976, he married Shirley Ann Remis in San Antonio, Texas. Lacritz had three stepchildren, Lee, Larry and Lynn, from his wife's previous marriage.
Music career
Lacritz became a member of the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra as a clarinetist in 1952 under the music direction of Victor Alessandro, who, in 1951, appointed him as conductor the San Antonio Pops, and in 1953, Chief Conductor of the Pops — a role held by Lacritz until 1958. The Pops was a seasonal auxiliary of the San Antonio Symphony that typically performed 15 times a year. He also had a long association as conductor of the San Antonio Little Theater that began in 1956 and continued through the 1960s. Notable performances as clarinetist & saxophonist
June 4, 1951 — Divertimento No. 1, by for clarinet, violin, and trombone, by
17 Nov 1951 — Paul Hindemith, News of the Day, San Antonio Symphony Orchestra, Victor Alessandro, conductor; Lacritz was a featured alto saxophonist
Notable performances as conductor Cosmopolitan Opera Guild of San Antonio
In June 1957, Lacritz became head of the a new phonograph record department at Wolff & Marx's. Later, he served as store manager for Battlestein's in River Oaks, Houston. Later he returned to San Antonio to manage Town & Country fashions. In 1963, he was appointed manager of Frost Fashion Square at North Star Mall in San Antonio — the major retail department store that opened October 21, 1963. The store was the company's first urban venture and included all the services and fashion departments of its flagship store in downtown San Antonio. Frost Bros. billed itself as one of the finest specialty stores in the Southwest and one of the most famous among the few locally and independently owned specialty stores in America. The heirs of Philip Battlestein sold the Battlestein stores in 1967 to Manhattan Industries, Inc., a New York-based shirt maker who, in 1969 acquired Frost Bros. The two chains merged under the Frost name. In 1980, Lacritz was promoted from Senior Vice President to Executive Vice President in charge of planning and construction of Frost Bros.' expansion program. Under the duress of debt, the Torie Steele Group — headed by Samuel Evans Wyly of Dallas — acquired Frost Bros. in 1986 for $50 million. Eight years earlier, Wyly married Victoria L Steele. Under the strain of insolvency while owned by the Torie Steel Group, Frost Bros. liquidated in bankruptcy in 1989. Lacritz was Executive Vice President at Frost Bros. up until just prior to its bankruptcy in 1988.
U.S. Armed Forces
Lacritz served in the U.S. Navy in the early 1950s and was both an instructor at the U.S. Navy School of Music in Washington, D.C. and a student, notably of conducting.
