Photos: Thomas Iannaccone via WWD (above); courtesy of the couple (below)
Today's edition of Women's Wear Daily highlights the spectacular career of former Bloomingdale's chairman and chief executive officer Marvin Traub. But along with his milestones in business, the paper also pays due attention to Traub's equally successful marriage, a partnership 63 years in the making with former Martha Graham dancer-turned-chairman Lee Traub. Our favorites moments between the couple are below, although be sure to read the full interview over at WWD.
On meeting and their first date:
Marvin: I met Lee in 1947 when I was at Harvard. I was set up by a friend from Long Island who knew her."
Lee: "We didn't call it a setup. We called it a blind date."
Marvin: "I was the business manager of The Crimson. I had a secretary call Lee [for the date]. I thought she would be impressed with this. It cut no ice with her whatsoever."
Lee: "You won't believe what our first date was. We went to 'Tristan und Isolde.' It's a four-hour opera and Marvin doesn't even like the opera. His friend had tickets. It was a long first date, but of course you can't talk during the opera."
On engagement and early marriage:
Marvin: "We went out in January and got engaged the following November. I proposed after the Harvard-Princeton game. We met in January 1947 and got married in September of 1948."
Lee: "Oh my god. I had to go to all these football games. Did my mother buy that book? 'How to Talk With Your Date at a Football Game.' 'Things to Say to Your Date.' The only line I can remember is, 'Smith was wide open and Jones didn't see him.' That's what you would say but with interchangeable names."
Marvin: "When we got married I had another year of business school. She worked my way through business school, through our first year of the marriage."
Lee: "He's still paying me back for that.
—Phillip B. Crook