Carol Gerhardt Herman Horschke (Class of June 1944)

 

At Taft, Carol participated in the Pan-American Club, Girls Athletic Association, Honor Roll Society, and the Junior and Senior Girls Clubs.  A merchandising major at William Woods University, she spent two years on the Carson Pirie Scott College Board. 

 

Carol was named Fashion Director at Carson Pirie Scott at age 23, the youngest fashion director in Chicago.  She started the first out-of-store Luncheon Fashion Show at the Empire Room of the Palmer House.  She introduced Halston’s first collection in Chicago before he relocated to New York.  She was the first fashion professional to use rear projection slides and movies as a background for a fashion show.  She created a fashion clinic for the store and hosted an annual “White Gloves and Party Manners” program for children.

 

For 50 years Carol organized and was commentator for fashion shows, not only Carson’s, but for Lord and Taylor, Bonwit Teller, Coutour, Elizabeth Arden, Gilmore’s, Branson, Gucci, Lake Forest Sports Shop, Frances Hefferman and other Chicago area stores.  She produced convention shows for groups as diverse as Allied Florist and the Fur Industry of Chicago.

 

Carol has been on the Board of Governors for the American Sarah Siddons Society since 1971, serving four years as president, which presents an award for achievement in theatre in Chicago and presents scholarships to theater students.  She is a 30-year member of the University of  Chicago Cancer Group International of Chicago.

 

Carol is married to Walter Horschke, has three children and six grandchildren.