John M. Mugar
Encyclopedia
John M. Mugar president and chairman of the Star Market
chain of supermarkets in New England
and prominent member of the Mugar family
of Greater Boston
, was born April 5, 1914, in Boston
, son of Armenian
immigrant, Martin Mugar and his wife. He died March 23, 2007, in Gloucester
.
in 1937. He served actively as a Trustee of Tufts from 1966–1989 and was a trustee emeritus
for the rest of his life. He also served on the Board of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts.
John grew up in the Boston area where his father Martin Mugar and Martin's brothers managed a restaurant on the corner of Washington St and Columbus Ave in Boston,known as Mugar's Cafe.
At the age of thirteen he sold the Saturday Evening Post door to door and eventually managed a sales force of twenty boys,winning sales competitions that Curtis Publishing held in Boston.
During the Depression his father's restaurant closed and the family came on hard times. John put his college plans on hold and took a full time job working for his cousin Stephen at Star Market.
In 1933 after a year at Star,John returned to school,first doing a post-grad year at Berkeley Prep,where he was valedictorian and then matriculating at Tufts University,where he majored in Economics.He graduated magna cum laude in 1937.
That same year he returned to Star,which at the time had three stores.He was appointed treasurer and reduced expenses by 30%.In 1940 he became vice-president.
He instituted programs of work/study for his employees in association with local universities and was particularly interested in encouraging women to assume a greater role in management that was evidenced by his instrumental role in the founding of the Simmons School of Management.
Naval Base, where he was a Navy lieutenant and she was a Navy nurse. They had three daughters and a son. John and Helen lived in Belmont
for many years before retiring to Marco Island, Florida
. Later they returned to Gloucester to live.
Star Market
Star Market was a New England chain of supermarkets owned by the Mugar family and based in Greater Boston. The company was sold to The Jewel Companies, Inc. in 1964, and was later sold to Investcorp, which sold the chain to Shaw's Supermarkets...
chain of supermarkets in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and prominent member of the Mugar family
Mugar family
The Mugar family of Greater Boston, Massachusetts, is a prominent Armenian-American family in New England business and in philanthropy, both in the United States and in Armenia. The best known member of the family is Stephen P. Mugar, , who founded the Star Market chain of super markets on which...
of Greater Boston
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston and that of the city's combined statistical area which includes...
, was born April 5, 1914, in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, son of Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
immigrant, Martin Mugar and his wife. He died March 23, 2007, in Gloucester
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census...
.
Education
John Martin Mugar graduated magna cum laude from Tufts UniversityTufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
in 1937. He served actively as a Trustee of Tufts from 1966–1989 and was a trustee emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
for the rest of his life. He also served on the Board of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts.
Early career
John Mugar was born Zaven Marderos DerMugarditchian in Boston. His ancestors had emigrated to America from Harpoot Turkey near the Euphrates River. His great-grandfather on his mother's side managed an orphanage in Armenia for missionaries of the American Congregational Church. His great-grandfather and twenty five members of his family were killed in the massacres of 1915.John grew up in the Boston area where his father Martin Mugar and Martin's brothers managed a restaurant on the corner of Washington St and Columbus Ave in Boston,known as Mugar's Cafe.
At the age of thirteen he sold the Saturday Evening Post door to door and eventually managed a sales force of twenty boys,winning sales competitions that Curtis Publishing held in Boston.
During the Depression his father's restaurant closed and the family came on hard times. John put his college plans on hold and took a full time job working for his cousin Stephen at Star Market.
In 1933 after a year at Star,John returned to school,first doing a post-grad year at Berkeley Prep,where he was valedictorian and then matriculating at Tufts University,where he majored in Economics.He graduated magna cum laude in 1937.
That same year he returned to Star,which at the time had three stores.He was appointed treasurer and reduced expenses by 30%.In 1940 he became vice-president.
Naval service in WWII
At the age of 28 John Mugar enlisted in the Navy. He was assigned to the naval base at Portsmouth NH in 1943, where he managed the commissary. It was at Portsmouth that he met his wife Helen Gienandt, who was an ensign in the Navy Nurse Corps. Both were eventually shipped out to the Pacific Front: Helen to New Guinea and John to Okinawa, where he was commissary officer of an amphibious unit, Acorn 44. John finished his career in the Navy with the rank of Senior Lieutenant.Later career
As vice- president, president and finally chairman of the board, John Mugar helped take Star Market from a small chain of several stores to a major New England supermarket brand of more than sixty stores. Under his leadership, Star Market was the first to implement many new innovations in the supermarket industry, such as unit pricing, meats wrapped in cellophane, in-store banks and florists, as well as installing conveyor belts that carried bags of groceries to a central pickup station at the store parking lot. He also instituted a profit-sharing and retirement program for full and part-time employees.He instituted programs of work/study for his employees in association with local universities and was particularly interested in encouraging women to assume a greater role in management that was evidenced by his instrumental role in the founding of the Simmons School of Management.
Marriage and family
John M. Mugar married Helen Gienandt whom he met in 1943 at the Portsmouth, New HampshirePortsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
Naval Base, where he was a Navy lieutenant and she was a Navy nurse. They had three daughters and a son. John and Helen lived in Belmont
Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census.- History :Belmont was founded on March 18, 1859 by former citizens of, and land from the bordering towns of Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then...
for many years before retiring to Marco Island, Florida
Marco Island, Florida
Marco Island is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States, located on an island by the same name in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Southwest Florida. It is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. Later they returned to Gloucester to live.