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Former Telescope Casual President Hank Vanderminden dies

By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, January 26, 2009

Henry “Hank” Joseph William Vanderminden III, 83, former president of Telescope Casual Furniture, died recently at The Glens Falls Hospital in Glen Falls, N.Y.

He was one of four generations of Vandermindens who have guided the Granville, N.Y.-based furniture manufacturer for more than a century through recessions, depressions, booms, busts and world wars.

Vanderminden was born May 12, 1925, in Brooklyn and his family moved to Granville in 1932. He attended Vermont Academy and served in the U.S. Army in the 83rd Infantry Division during World War II. After graduating from Colgate University in 1950, he joined his father, two uncles and brother in the family-owned furniture business.

He acquired a passion for the furniture business at an early age and became the third generation to lead Telescope Casual Furniture Inc., which celebrated its 100th year of business in 2003. He was active for 51 of those years.

In 1954, he coined the name “director's chair,” a term that is now known universally for the folding wooden deck chair. During his years at Telescope, he designed the original mini-sun chaise, which continues to be the company's most popular beach chair. He enjoyed marketing and was instrumental in setting up an in-house print shop. He was at the cutting edge of printing and inserting full-color, four-page photo advertisements in magazines in the 1970s when black-and-white line drawings were the norm. This revolutionized marketing for the company.

In 1971, Vanderminden became president of Telescope Furniture, taking over the business with his brother Bob. Vanderminden served as president of Telescope until his retirement in 2001. During those 30 years, he was an active member of the community, said his son Henry Vanderminden IV, now president of Telescope.

In 2003, Vanderminden was recognized by the casual furnishings industry and received a Lifetime Achievement Award, which acknowledges individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the furniture industry and to their communities. Given by both the manufacturer and retailer associations, the award demonstrated both his customers and also his competitors recognized his achievements. When he was honored with this award in Chicago, his extemporaneous speech left the audience of 1,200 people emotionally charged and reminded that laughter and enthusiasm for life's passions are what defines success.

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