Frederick Lawrence Haddad (January 18, 1921 – January 13, 2003) was a prominent Arab-American businessman who was a co-founder and President of

Heck's Heck's Department Store, a chain of West Virginia based discount department stores, was founded by Boone County natives and businessmen Fred Haddad, Tom Ellis, and Lester Ellis and wholesale distributor Douglas Cook. The Heck's name was a combin ...

, a major discount retail chain in West Virginia and neighboring states.

Life

Haddad was born into a Syro-Lebanese

Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...

family in 1921 in Clothier, West Virginia, the son of Nathan Makoul Haddad of

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

(then

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

) and Sarah Emma David of South Dakota. His father Nathan immigrated to West Virginia in 1909 with his four brothers. The Haddad family owned a clothing store in

Madison, West Virginia Madison is a city and former coal town in Boone County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,911 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Boone County. History Madison was first established as Boone Court House. The town was r ...

, for years. The Haddad family were among a number of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants to the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s who began their careers as peddlers and merchants, working their way to the top by the second generation. According to Fred's father Nathan, "We planned it that way...Most of us came here with no education, no knowledge of the language, and no money. We didn't expect to reach the top ourselves, but we certainly meant to give our children every chance to do it."

Career

In 1959, Haddad co-founded Heck's along with Tommy Ellis, Lester Ellis, and Doug Cook. Heck's stands for Haddad, Ellis and Cook. Haddad served as President of Heck's from 1959 until his retirement in the 1980s. Heck's became a national pioneer in discount retailing before going bankrupt in the late 1980s. Haddad retired as chairman of the board of Heck's in 1983. In the late 1980s, Haddad and a consortium of four other businessmen purchased the Silver Creek resort (now part of Snowshoe Mountain) and in turn sold it to two Charleston realtors.

Politics

Haddad was a member of the West Virginia Republican Party. In 1967, he ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Charleston, West Virginia.

Legacy

During the early 1990s, the Haddad Riverfront Park in

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and List of cities in West Virginia, most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk River (West Virginia), Elk and Kanawha River, Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 20 ...

was constructed as a gift from Fred Haddad. The new park removed riverfront parking to make way for a stage and seating for live performances and other events. The park transformed the levee into a local attraction. In 2003, the

West Virginia Senate The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the Democratic Party held a supermajority in the ...

passed Senate Resolution No. 22 memorializing Haddad as a "distinguished West Virginian".

References

External links