The life of Rena Rowan Damone could be the subject of a book, film, or TV mini-series.
The story encompasses war and peace; poverty and wealth; wrenching dislocation, loss, and loneliness; illness and health; and, finally, a settled life of comfort, achievement, generosity, and fulfillment.
No one could have predicted that Rena Rowan Damone, from her troubled and chaotic early life, could become the famous fashion designer, businesswoman, and philanthropist we know and regard so highly today. When relating the events of her childhood, her stories reflect loving parents who had the utmost confidence in their daughters, a mother's love in the face of starvation, and a strength of character forged by the fires of heartache and suffering, honed by faith. Gloria Guard often relates these stories to the young homeless women living at Rowan House, saying “it is easy to understand how the Rena of today is who she is as a result of years of deprivation and hard work, immense talent, deep spiritual beliefs and strength of character. She serves as a daily reminder of what all young mothers can become.”
This humanitarian was born in Lida, Poland. During World War II, she, along with her sister and their mother, was separated from her father and exiled to Siberia, where they were forcibly detained for three years.
After escaping to Tashkent, the capital of modern Uzbekistan, the exiled family was reunited with their father in Iran, but in 1944 he was killed in an accident. She married an American military officer and came to the U.S. in 1945. Her four children were born here. After her divorce, she was the sole support of her children. She began making clothes for neighbors and friends to earn money to support her family. This work revealed and developed her creative gifts and led her to the fashion industry.
In the mid-1950's, this creative woman studied design at the Philadelphia Museum School. After designing for Cinderella Dresses and Villager, she co-founded Jones New York in 1970. As head designer, she steered the company to success and fame for its sophisticated, high style women's clothing, particularly business suits. With headquarters in Bristol, Pennsylvania, a showroom in New York City, and retail stores and manufacturing plants worldwide, Jones New York rocketed to the top of the fashion industry.
Rena Rowan Damone's creative and leadership skills have been put to great use not only in the fields of business and fashion, but also to encourage and inspire philanthropy in others through her example. When Russia imposed martial law over her native Poland in 1980, for example, Rowan Damone organized a drive throughout the apparel industry to collect warm clothing to be distributed to the citizens of Poland through Catholic Relief Services.
“My childhood and early years made me stronger – and I'm happy that I had some suffering, so I can appreciate what I have now and what I can do for others,” Mrs. Rowan Damone explains.
She founded the Rena Rowan Foundation for the Homeless in 1995, recognizing the needs of Philadelphia's most vulnerable citizens – particularly homeless women with children. The Foundation has supported such projects as Rowan House, with People's Emergency Center, and Rowan Homes, with Project H.O.M.E. These facilities, which care for homeless families, children, and teens in West and North Philadelphia, respectively, were born out of their benefactor's keen memories of and experiences in her early life.
This philanthropist helped, moreover, to raise funds from other donors for these projects, and for the Rena Rowan Breast Center at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, also a beneficiary of her largess. This generosity, too, came as a response to a difficult time in Rena's life, when she herself was treated for breast cancer.
In 1998 she married singer and actor Vic Damone, of whom Frank Sinatra had said, “He has the best pipes in the business.” Damone's legendary career spanned over five decades. Born Vito Farinola and with a string of hit records, he performed for several decades as one of the top Las Vegas shows. Noting his mother's early support and dedication to his talent, his performances include standards written by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Sammy Cahn. After appearing on Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts in 1947, Damone soon sang regularly on the radio and in nightclub acts, eventually landing a contract with Mercury Records. With a musical ability admired by Frank Sinatra, his recordings were quite successful and have been popular from the 1950's even until today. Damone's interpretations of On the Street Where You Live (Lerner and Lowe) and An Affair to Remember (Harry Warren) are yet unrivaled. Damone now centers his time on his family – his wife, designer Rena Rowan-Damone, his four children and grandchildren – and on philanthropic works. For more information on Vic Damone visit http://www.vicdamone.com. Now retired, Damone credits his wife with saving his life when he suffered a stroke in 2000. Mrs. Rowan Damone enjoys the support and encouragement of her husband in her many philanthropic enterprises.
She retired from the position of Executive Vice President at Jones New York in 2000.
She continues to this day to be dedicated to helping people, particularly women, overcome oppression, socioeconomic obstacles, and illness, in order to become independent, self-sufficient, and healthy. To that end, she has also helped to organize and contributed substantially to many cancer research fundraising events for Penn's Abramson Cancer Center:
- Rena Rowan Ribbon Run, hosted annually by Penn's Pan-Hellenic Council
- Saks Fifth Avenue's “Key to the Cure” events in 2003 and 2004
- QVC Presents: “FFANY Shoes on Sale” annually for the past three years
- Life After Breast Cancer Program in 2000
Rena Rowan Damone is a longtime supporter of the American Red Cross and an elected Board member of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter. She is also a current member of the Chapter's Chairman's Cabinet, which she joined at the request of chairman David L. Cohen. Her many generous contributions to the Red Cross include her donation of funds to purchase a new Emergency Response Feeder Vehicle for the Chapter in 1997. Then, in 2001, she helped lead the way in the construction of Red Cross House as one of the project's founding supporters. This one of a kind facility has subsequently helped hundreds of local families recover in the aftermath of a disaster. For her dedication to the American Red Cross, Rowan Damone was awarded the Spectrum award.
Continuing to utilize her organization and fundraising skills, as well as her generous spirit, Rena Rowan Damone is active with several other philanthropic organizations:
- Shoah Foundation
- American Cancer Society Foundation
- Philadelphia University
- Abramson Cancer Center Director's Leadership Council
In 2002, Governor Schweiker named Rena Rowan Damone a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania.
On October 28, 2005, Rena Rowan Damone celebrated three philanthropic milestones with an Anniversary Party at 30th Street Station. The Gala observed the 10th year anniversary of Rowan House, the 5th year anniversary of the Rena Rowan Breast Center, and the 5th year anniversary of Rowan Homes. She also celebrated the 60th anniversary of her arrival in the United States.
Rena Rowan Damone looks optimistically to a future when she can celebrate the discovery of a cure for breast cancer and the end of homelessness.
(L-R) Vic Damone, Rena Rowan Damone, and Steven Spielberg at Shoah Foundation gala, 2001
