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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E474]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN RECOGNITION OF SUSANNE KIRTLAND DIETRICH'S 90TH BIRTHDAY
______
HON. DIANA DeGETTE
of colorado
in the house of representatives
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Ms. DeGETTE. Madam Speaker, I rise today on the occasion of her 90th
birthday, to recognize Susanne Kirtland Dietrich, one of the great
women business leaders of her time and a true icon in the fields of
fashion, advertising and cosmetics.
Susanne was born on April 26, 1929 in Norfolk, Virginia. After having
worked in a variety of retail and fashion positions in New York and
Philadelphia, in 1955, Susanne was named a fashion editor at Look
Magazine, where she worked with some of the era's top photographers,
including Milton Greene, Tony Vaccaro, and Lillian Bassman; and covered
some of the most ground-breaking fashion trends of post-war America.
During this time, Susanne covered some of the era's top international
icons, including Richard Burton, Marilyn Monroe, and Sophia Lauren; and
worked closely with some of America's leading designers, such as
Geoffrey Bean and Norman Norrell. Despite her many successes, some
would still argue that one of the things Susanne is best known for is
having challenged designer Rudi Gurnreich to design the first topless
bathing suit for women, which he did--and eventually released in 1964.
One day, while at a photo shoot in Milton Greene's studio on the East
Side of Manhattan, Susanne met a Danish immigrant and commercial artist
by the name of Kurt Dietrich, whom she would later marry. Susanne and
Kurt would go on to have three children--two boys, Gregg and Mark, and
a daughter, Allison.
In those days, there was no such thing as paid maternity leave--or
any maternity leave at all for that matter. A woman would have to save
up and use vacation time to give birth to a child. And when they did
return to work, these new mothers were often treated as if nothing had
ever happened.
Susanne's experience was no different, but it was how well she was
able to manage both the constant demands of motherhood, while
continuing to pursue her highly-successful career, that made her
unique.
After the birth of her third child, Susanne decided to shake things
up. She left the publishing business entirely to pursue a new career in
advertising as a copywriter at AC&R. While there, Susanne worked on
multiple memorable advertising campaigns, from Greek Tourism to the
Wool Bureau, before eventually helping to launch Estee Lauder's newest
product line, Clinique.
During this time, Susanne, a working mother with three young
children, suddenly found herself as one of the trend-setting jet
setters of the post-war era. She spent years traveling the globe,
frequently visiting far-flung locales, such as London, Greece and the
Caribbean--again, all while raising her three kids.
Eventually, Susanne's success with Clinique led to a role at Revlon
where she worked closely with the company's founder, Charles Revson,
and its president, Paul Woolard, to develop some of the most memorable
fragrances and advertisements of the day, including ``Charlie!'' and
``Jontue.'' Not only were these campaigns a success, they empowered
women--especially young working women--to throw out the old rules and
embrace their womanhood in a new era.
Susanne's success at Revlon eventually caught the eye of Leonard
Lauder, who approached her one day and asked her to come work for him
in-house at Estee Lauder. She spent the next 24 years working on
products and campaigns for Clinique, Prescriptives and Estee Lauder
International, before retiring in 2003 at the age of 74.
Susanne's impressive record of achievement is one that any of us
would be proud of, but what makes it extra special is how she was able
to do it all while raising a family.
Susanne has never considered herself a pioneer of anything, but she
was--and she continues to serve as a role model for women around the
world who, like her, seek to live their lives to the fullest while
successfully balancing the demands of career, family and travel.
Despite her hectic schedule and the constant demands on her time,
Susanne and her husband, Kurt, made it all work. They remained married
for more than forty years, until Kurt's death in 1999, and together
they created a beautiful home for their family in New York.
Susanne, now a grandmother to five beautiful grandchildren, always
said the key to her success was never taking life too seriously. In
fact, to fully understand the way Susanne embraces life, just look at
the lyrics of the original 1973 jingle created for her Charlie
campaign: ``kinda young, kinda free, and kinda wow!'' That's Susanne.
Today, at the age of 90, Susanne continues to take that advice to
heart, whether she's whipping through the New York Times Sunday
crossword puzzle, enjoying her occasional martini, or sharing some
laughs with the ones she loves the most.
I am honored to pay tribute to Susanne, who continues to inspire us
all. And I wish her a very happy 90th birthday.
____________________
