Charles David Tandy (15 May 1918 – 4 November 1978) was the chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer of the

Tandy Corporation Tandy Corporation was an American family-owned Retail, retailer based in Fort Worth, Texas that made leather goods, operated the RadioShack chain, and later built personal computers. Tandy Leather was founded in 1919 as a leather supply store ...

Early life

Tandy was the second of three children born to Carmen (née McLain) and David Lewis Tandy in

Brownsville, Texas Brownsville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County, located on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border, border with Matamoros, Tamaulipas ...

, on May 15, 1918. In 1935 Tandy graduated from Central High School in Fort Worth, Texas.

Career

Tandy's father co-owned the Hinckley-Tandy Leather Company with his friend Norton Hinckley. Tandy entered his father's business at the age of 12. In 1940 he graduated from

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private university, private research university in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison Clark, Addison and Randolph Clark as the AddRan Male & Female College. It i ...

. He then spent some time at the

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

before joining the US Navy for the remainder of World War II. While in the Navy he set a record for selling war bonds. While a supply officer in the Navy, he noticed sailors being taught knitting and needlepoint as part of recuperative therapy. Thinking that men would prefer leatherwork to needlework, he established a system of craft work for hospitalized service personnel. Its success led him, on leaving the Navy, to set up a mail order business, Tandycraft, that became a major part of his father's business. Tandy developed his small family leather business into an international corporation. He first turned it into a leather craft company when shoe rationing in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

almost killed the business, and later expanded into selling leather and tools to make such products as wallets. After a struggle over the company, which saw the Hinckley name dropped, the company was renamed to

. In 1963, Tandy acquired the ailing

RadioShack RadioShack (formerly written as Radio Shack) is an American electronics retailer that was established in 1921 as an amateur radio mail-order business. Its parent company was purchased by Tandy Corporation in 1962, which shifted its focus from ma ...

, a chain of nine retail stores in the Boston area; the chain grew to more than 400 across the country. Tandy said “We’re not looking for the guy who wants to spend his entire paycheck on a sound system”, rather RadioShack sought customers "looking to save money by buying cheaper goods and improving them through modifications and accessorizing", making it common among "nerds" and "kids aiming to excel at their science fairs". In Tandy's last years his major project was the revitalization of

downtown Fort Worth Downtown Fort Worth is the central business district of Fort Worth, Texas, United States. Most of Fort Worth's tallest buildings and skyscrapers are located downtown. Attractions Sundance Square Sundance Square began as an effort by Sid Bass ...

, his hometown, e.g., the construction of the eight-block

Tandy Center City Place is a mixed-use facility featuring two 20-story buildings in central Fort Worth, Texas. The complex was formerly known as Tandy Center and served as the corporate headquarters for RadioShack (formerly Tandy Corporation) for many yea ...

. Tandy died of a heart attack in his sleep on 4 November 1978, and was buried at Greenwood Memorial Park in Fort Worth, Texas.

Awards and recognition

* 1976: Business Executive of the Year by

Texas Wesleyan University Texas Wesleyan University is a private Methodist university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was founded in 1890 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The main campus is located in the Polytechnic Heights neighborhood of Fort Worth. Its mascot is ...

* 1976: Dateline Award by Fort Worth Advertising Club * 1976: Spirit of Enterprise Award of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce * 1976: Outstanding Chief Executive Officer of the Year in Merchandising and Services Category by Financial World * 1983: Texas Legend Inductee by th
Texas Business Hall of Fame
* 1991: Academy of Achievement Sales & Marketing Hall of Fame Induction by SMEI

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tandy, Charles 1918 births 1978 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople American manufacturing businesspeople Burials at Greenwood Memorial Park (Fort Worth, Texas) Texas Christian University alumni