Joseph A. Unanue, Former Chief Executive of Goya Foods, Dies at 88

[Matthew Kruk]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/business/joseph-a-unanue-former-chief-executive-of-goya-foods-dies-at-88.html?ref=obituaries

The New York Times

June 15, 2013
Joseph A. Unanue, Former Chief Executive of Goya Foods, Dies at 88
By SUSANNE CRAIG

Joseph A. Unanue, who as chief executive helped Goya Foods become the largest
family-owned Hispanic food company in the United States, died on Wednesday at
his home in Alpine, N.J. He was 88.

The cause was complications of pulmonary fibrosis, said his son, Andy.

Mr. Unanue (pronounced oo-NAN-way) was one of four sons of Prudencio and
Carolina Unanue, who founded Goya in 1936 to sell olives, olive oil, sardines
and other food to local Hispanic families. Andy Unanue said his father started
working at the company as a boy, delivering food and running errands during the
summer and on weekends.

Joseph Andrew Unanue was born in Brooklyn on March 14, 1925. He served in the
Army in World War II and was awarded a Bronze Star. After the war he attended
the Catholic University of America and graduated with an engineering degree
before joining the family business.

"We had a hard time convincing the chain stores that the Hispanics pay with
money," Mr. Unanue said in a 2004 interview with the Smithsonian's National
Museum of American History, which was recognizing him as part of an exhibit
about Latino achievement.

Andy Unanue said some supermarkets were initially reluctant to give Goya shelf
space alongside more mainstream items and, instead offered the company a
separate section for its goods. "Instead of refusing the lesser offer, he used
it to the company's advantage and took it," he said. "We still have some stores
that have Goya sections, and that is because of my dad."

The company was founded as a storefront business in Lower Manhattan by Prudencio
Unanue, who had moved to the United States from Puerto Rico after emigrating
there from his native Spain as a young man. He died in 1976, leaving the company
to his sons, Joseph, Charles, Francisco and Anthony.

Joseph was named chief executive in the mid-1970s and had increased revenue to
more than $1 billion, from $20 million, by the time he left in 2004. Under his
watch, Goya struck up a relationship with Wal-Mart and a number of grocery
chains.

Mr. Unanue is also credited with coining the company's well-known advertising
slogan, "Goya - oh boya!"

Mr. Unanue and his son, who became chief operating officer, left Goya Foods
after a disagreement with other family members about the company's direction.
Still, Mr. Unanue, a major shareholder, retained a seat on the board. He was
also an adviser to the private equity firm that Andy Unanue started after
leaving Goya.

In addition to his son and his wife of 58 years, Carmen, Mr. Unanue is survived
by three daughters, Mimi Unanue Guggenheim, Maribel Unanue and Mari Unanue; and
18 grandchildren. Another son, Joseph F., died in 1998, and a daughter, Mary
Ann, died in 2009.

[danny burstein]

In <9GSut.181640$Zp1.1...@en-nntp-15.dc1.easynews.com> "Matthew Kruk" <nob...@home.com> writes:

>http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/business/joseph-a-unanue-former-chief-executive-of-goya-foods-dies-at-88.html?ref=obituaries

[snip]

>Unanue, who had moved to the United States from Puerto Rico

AAARRRRGGHHHHHHH!

The article doesn't specifically state the date he moved,
but with Andrew getting born in Brooklyn in 1925, there's
a pretty good chance his parents came to NYC after 1898...

(not 100 percent, of course).


--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dan...@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

[Louis Epstein]

Matthew Kruk <nob...@home.com> wrote:
> http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/business/joseph-a-unanue-former-chief-executive-of-goya-foods-dies-at-88.html?ref=obituaries
>
> The New York Times
>
> June 15, 2013
> Joseph A. Unanue, Former Chief Executive of Goya Foods, Dies at 88
> By SUSANNE CRAIG
>
> Joseph A. Unanue, who as chief executive helped Goya Foods become the largest
> family-owned Hispanic food company in the United States, died on Wednesday at
> his home in Alpine, N.J. He was 88.
>
> The cause was complications of pulmonary fibrosis, said his son, Andy.
>
> Mr. Unanue (pronounced oo-NAN-way)

That's a surprise...to my eye it seemed to be OO-na-noo.
It's all in being familiar with a language...I remember being
unsure whether Neil Kinnock's old constituency Islwyn was
ILE-win or IZZle-win and asked a Welshman who calmly said,"is-LEW-in".
Just like it drives me nuts seeing people's Norwegian names with
"aa" in them pronounced (whether by outsiders or the generations-from-
immigration name-bearers themselves) as if that didn't mean an "aw" sound.

> was one of four sons of Prudencio and Carolina Unanue, who founded Goya
> in 1936 to sell olives, olive oil, sardines and other food to local
> Hispanic families. Andy Unanue said his father started working at the
> company as a boy, delivering food and running errands during the
> summer and on weekends.
>
> Joseph Andrew Unanue was born in Brooklyn on March 14, 1925. He served in the
> Army in World War II and was awarded a Bronze Star. After the war he attended
> the Catholic University of America and graduated with an engineering degree
> before joining the family business.

Assuming one doesn't count the boyhood food delivery as joining.

-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.

[Louis Epstein]

danny burstein <dan...@panix.com> wrote:
> In <9GSut.181640$Zp1.1...@en-nntp-15.dc1.easynews.com> "Matthew Kruk" <nob...@home.com> writes:
>
>>http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/business/joseph-a-unanue-former-chief-executive-of-goya-foods-dies-at-88.html?ref=obituaries
>
> [snip]
>
>>Unanue, who had moved to the United States from Puerto Rico
>
> AAARRRRGGHHHHHHH!
>
> The article doesn't specifically state the date he moved,
> but with Andrew getting born in Brooklyn in 1925, there's
> a pretty good chance his parents came to NYC after 1898...
>
> (not 100 percent, of course).
>

As far as I can tell,Prudencio was born in Spain in 1886,
moved to Puerto Rico in 1903,lived in NYC 1918-21,
Puerto Rico again 1921-22,then alternated between
New Jersey and Brooklyn before he died in 1976.

[R H Draney]

Louis Epstein filted:

>
>Matthew Kruk <nob...@home.com> wrote:
>
>>Joseph A. Unanue, who as chief executive helped Goya Foods become the largest
>>family-owned Hispanic food company in the United States, died on Wednesday at
>> his home in Alpine, N.J. He was 88.

That's kind of specific, isn't it?...I would guess La Victoria, Rosita, and a
few others are bigger, but they're probably not family-owned....r

>> Mr. Unanue (pronounced oo-NAN-way)
>
>That's a surprise...to my eye it seemed to be OO-na-noo.
>It's all in being familiar with a language...I remember being
>unsure whether Neil Kinnock's old constituency Islwyn was
>ILE-win or IZZle-win and asked a Welshman who calmly said,"is-LEW-in".
>Just like it drives me nuts seeing people's Norwegian names with
>"aa" in them pronounced (whether by outsiders or the generations-from-
>immigration name-bearers themselves) as if that didn't mean an "aw" sound.

Or hearing "Boehner" not pronounced as "Boner"....r


--
Me? Sarcastic?
Yeah, right.

[Scott Brady]

On Saturday, June 15, 2013 7:51:54 AM UTC-5, Louis Epstein wrote:

> Just like it drives me nuts seeing people's Norwegian names with
> "aa" in them pronounced (whether by outsiders or the generations-from-
> immigration name-bearers themselves) as if that didn't mean an "aw" sound.

Actually, "aa" is pronounced like a long o. Some families have changed the spelling to reflect the pronunciation. Although people are no more obligated to retain the original pronunciation than they are to adhere to historical naming conventions (which would vary anyway, depending on when their ancestors left Norway).

[Louis Epstein]

My Norwegian-trained eye for German leads me to assume that
the name is pronounced in a way that simply can't be easily
spelled for the English-based eye.Somewhere between "oo" and "uh",
not "A" the way he pronounces it here.(Same sound correctly
used for Goering and Goebbels,as opposed to their Englishing).

[Louis Epstein]

Scott Brady <sbra...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Saturday, June 15, 2013 7:51:54 AM UTC-5, Louis Epstein wrote:
>
>> Just like it drives me nuts seeing people's Norwegian names with
>> "aa" in them pronounced (whether by outsiders or the generations-from-
>> immigration name-bearers themselves) as if that didn't mean an "aw" sound.
>
> Actually, "aa" is pronounced like a long o.

In my experience,it's a way to represent the last letter of the
Norwegian alphabet when that letter's not available...written as
an A with a circle over it and pronounced "aw".
"Gaard" (which means farm or field) is pronounced "gore" or close to it.

> Some families have changed the spelling to reflect the pronunciation.
> Although people are no more obligated to retain the original
> pronunciation than they are to adhere to historical naming conventions
> (which would vary anyway, depending on when their ancestors left
> Norway).

Patronymics and whatnot.

[R H Draney]

Louis Epstein filted:

In proper German it would sound like "burner", but with the first R missing...I
don't know where the hell he gets "bayner"....

Next, we visit a Vietnamese restaurant to practice ordering "pho"....r

[leno...@yahoo.com]

On Saturday, June 15, 2013 8:51:54 AM UTC-4, Louis Epstein wrote:


>
> That's a surprise...to my eye it seemed to be OO-na-noo.
>
> It's all in being familiar with a language...I remember being
>
> unsure whether Neil Kinnock's old constituency Islwyn was
>
> ILE-win or IZZle-win and asked a Welshman who calmly said,"is-LEW-in".

Reminds me of something that drives me nuts. Why don't all children's books include pronunciation guides when appropriate, if only to remind them and adults who read to them that you can't always guess how to pronounce a name correctly - and that it's only civilized to educate yourself, humbly and properly, in advance instead of thinking that your wild guesses are just as "valid" as the true pronunciation, a la Humpty Dumpty: "When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more, nor less."

(One series I'm thinking of is Lloyd Alexander's highly acclaimed, 1960s Welsh-based Prydain Chronicles, which didn't include such a guide until 30 years after the last book was published! What good did it do NOT to include such a guide from the start? It's not as if most parents - or kids - were likely to make an extra trip to the library to find out how to pronounce the names. Another example is Edith Hamilton's Mythology, and another would be Ooka the Wise by I.G. Edmonds, which was based on the life of a real judge in 18th-century Japan - the name is pronounced "oh-oh-ka.")

After all, if you can't be bothered to learn how to pronounce, say, "Beethoven" (not that most people haven't heard that name pronounced correctly as often as they've seen it in print), you're only going to make people laugh at you - if not to your face.

Lenona.

[leno...@yahoo.com]

On Sunday, June 16, 2013 4:21:34 PM UTC-4, leno...@yahoo.com wrote:

> Another example is Edith Hamilton's Mythology, and another would be Ooka the Wise by I.G. Edmonds, which was based on the life of a real judge in 18th-century Japan - the name is pronounced "oh-oh-ka.")

Just to clarify - those two books have NEVER included pronunciation guides, to my knowledge.

[leno...@yahoo.com]

Oh, and here's another fun example, from the book "Gone With the Wind" (keep in mind that Scarlett is the shallow, culturally illiterate type that practically takes pride in being an Academy drop-out at age sixteen, whereas Rhett is as well-educated as Ashley, but not in the useless aristocratic way):

"Oh, Rhett, how lovely! I do so want a house of my own. A great big one!"

"Then at last we are agreed on something. What about a white stucco with wrought-iron work like these Creole houses here?"

"Oh, no, Rhett. Not anything old fashioned like these New Orleans houses. I know just what I want. It's the newest thing because I saw a picture of it in--let me see--it was in that Harper's Weekly I was looking at. It was modeled after a Swiss chalet."

"A Swiss what?"

"A chalet."

"Spell it."

She complied.

"Oh," he said and stroked his mustache.




And when you read the book, it becomes much more clear why Scarlett takes years to fall in love with him - namely, for starters, she NEVER learns to appreciate education for its own sake, even in Ashley, so naturally Rhett's education is nothing to her but an excuse to be somewhat contemptuous of him. "She hated people who used words unknown to her." "Large numbers of books always depressed her, as did people who liked to read large numbers of books." Plus, of course she gets mad every time he laughs at her ignorance - and it doesn't occur to him that sooner or later, he's going to get mighty tired of her contempt for his education.

Not to mention that she can't admit, for years, that she can really only love and respect someone who's stronger than she in EVERY way - even if Ashley had been her equal, he still wouldn't have held her respect for long, maybe.

But most importantly - I don't think the movie mentions this - the man is almost old enough to be her FATHER (he's 17 years older), and she never had shown any real romantic interest in men that age! Who WOULDN'T take ages to overcome that difference, emotionally speaking?

(It's not clear whether Margaret Mitchell herself thought Rhett was foolish in his suggestion, in his marriage proposal, that he was the right age for Scarlett just because he was about halfway between the ages of her first two husbands, but of course MM knew Rhett was being foolish in his ignoring Scarlett's clear dislike of motherhood and aversion to having any more babies - he even hinted that the glories of sex with him would somehow compensate for the resulting unwanted children! Sheesh.)

Lenona.

[Louis Epstein]

leno...@yahoo.com wrote:
> Oh, and here's another fun example, from the book "Gone With the Wind" (keep in mind that Scarlett is the shallow, culturally illiterate type that practically takes pride in being an Academy drop-out at age sixteen, whereas Rhett is as well-educated as Ashley, but not in the useless aristocratic way):
>
> "Oh, Rhett, how lovely! I do so want a house of my own. A great big one!"
>
> "Then at last we are agreed on something. What about a white stucco with wrought-iron work like these Creole houses here?"
>
> "Oh, no, Rhett. Not anything old fashioned like these New Orleans houses. I know just what I want. It's the newest thing because I saw a picture of it in--let me see--it was in that Harper's Weekly I was looking at. It was modeled after a Swiss chalet."
>
> "A Swiss what?"
>
> "A chalet."
>
> "Spell it."
>
> She complied.
>
> "Oh," he said and stroked his mustache.
>
>
>
>
> And when you read the book, it becomes much more clear why Scarlett
> takes years to fall in love with him - namely, for starters, she NEVER
> learns to appreciate education for its own sake, even in Ashley, so
> naturally Rhett's education is nothing to her but an excuse to be
> somewhat contemptuous of him. "She hated people who used words unknown
> to her." "Large numbers of books always depressed her, as did people
> who liked to read large numbers of books."

Well,I'd depress her.
Of course the movie spent considerable effort finding an actress
disqualified by the book's first phrase...but I have to say I disliked
Rhett from the moment he was introduced...swagger repels me.
Any sequel to GWTW I came up with would focus on her son and not
Scarlett OR her ex.

> Plus, of course she gets mad every time he laughs at her ignorance -
> and it doesn't occur to him that sooner or later, he's going to get
> mighty tired of her contempt for his education.
>
> Not to mention that she can't admit, for years, that she can really only love and respect someone who's stronger than she in EVERY way - even if Ashley had been her equal, he still wouldn't have held her respect for long, maybe.
>
> But most importantly - I don't think the movie mentions this - the man is almost old enough to be her FATHER (he's 17 years older), and she never had shown any real romantic interest in men that age! Who WOULDN'T take ages to overcome that difference, emotionally speaking?
>
> (It's not clear whether Margaret Mitchell herself thought Rhett was foolish in his suggestion, in his marriage proposal, that he was the right age for Scarlett just because he was about halfway between the ages of her first two husbands, but of course MM knew Rhett was being foolish in his ignoring Scarlett's clear dislike of motherhood and aversion to having any more babies - he even hinted that the glories of sex with him would somehow compensate for the resulting unwanted children! Sheesh.)
>
> Lenona.

[leno...@yahoo.com]

On Monday, June 17, 2013 9:06:56 AM UTC-4, Louis Epstein wrote:

> Of course the movie spent considerable effort finding an actress
>
> disqualified by the book's first phrase...but I have to say I disliked
>
> Rhett from the moment he was introduced...swagger repels me.

I don't know - Vivien Leigh was attractive enough in other movies, but in GWTW, since there's so much hostility in her character and facial expressions (and makeup?) she never seemed more than just pretty to me. (That's "pretty," not "beautiful.")

One thing that's interesting - some complained about MGM's picking a British actress, but reportedly, Southerners said: "Better an English girl than a Yankee."

So why didn't they complain just a little about Clark Gable? (He was from Ohio.)

Finally, in real life, swagger would turn me off too - and I seem to remember that Rhett is a good deal more condescending in the book than in the movie. Who wouldn't be put off by that - especially someone like Scarlett?

Lenona.

[Brad Ferguson]

In article <4d004379-c9ac-4642...@googlegroups.com>,

<leno...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> On Monday, June 17, 2013 9:06:56 AM UTC-4, Louis Epstein wrote:
>
> > Of course the movie spent considerable effort finding an actress
> >
> > disqualified by the book's first phrase...but I have to say I disliked
> >
> > Rhett from the moment he was introduced...swagger repels me.
>
>
> I don't know - Vivien Leigh was attractive enough in other movies, but in
> GWTW, since there's so much hostility in her character and facial expressions
> (and makeup?) she never seemed more than just pretty to me. (That's "pretty,"
> not "beautiful.")
>
> One thing that's interesting - some complained about MGM's picking a British
> actress, but reportedly, Southerners said: "Better an English girl than a
> Yankee."
>
> So why didn't they complain just a little about Clark Gable? (He was from
> Ohio.)

Gable was invulnerable to criticism of any sort. (A couple of years
after GWTW, he'd also prove to be invulnerable to scandal as well.) If
you look at the source material, you'll see that no one else was ever
seriously considered for Rhett even though, if you consider the book,
he's not right for it. Casting Leslie Howard as Ashley was even more
bizarre.

It's sometimes said that Gable didn't even attempt a Southern accent
since his Parnell disaster a couple of years earlier, but I just saw
Parnell again on TCM, and if Gable was doing a brogue, I couldn't tell.

Vivien Leigh is too brunette and too British and too damn old for
Scarlett, but there she is anyway.

Thomas Mitchell, though, is perfect. So's Olivia.

I think it was Selznick's son who said that GWTW wasn't a great movie,
but it was a great show. That sits well with me.

> Finally, in real life, swagger would turn me off too - and I seem to remember
> that Rhett is a good deal more condescending in the book than in the movie.
> Who wouldn't be put off by that - especially someone like Scarlett?

Scarlett's a mess. She's forever looking for someone to stand up to
her the way her father never stood up to her mother, but she keeps
going after Ashley, one of the biggest wimps in American literature. I
think the only reason Scarlett finally declares her love for Rhett is
that she instinctively realizes he'll never take her back, so it's
safe. Now she can play the wounded dove for the rest of her life.

[leno...@yahoo.com]

On Monday, June 17, 2013 6:34:25 PM UTC-4, Brad Ferguson wrote:


> you'll see that no one else was ever
>
> seriously considered for Rhett even though, if you consider the book,
>
> he's not right for it. Casting Leslie Howard as Ashley was even more
>
> bizarre.

Er, explain? Maybe I don't remember everything about either character. At least Leslie Howard had an aristocratic image - even if he was too well known as being British!

> Vivien Leigh is too brunette and too British and too damn old for
>
> Scarlett, but there she is anyway.

As opposed to black-haired, you mean?

I believe she was 25 during the filming (her birthday was in November), but then it's hard to imagine an MGM executive having faith in, say, a 19-year-old actress - and by the end of the story, anyway, Leigh was three years too young!

Also, at least she was 12 years younger than Gable, which fits pretty well with the book, even if that age gap is never mentioned in the movie.

BTW, Melanie wasn't supposed to be that pretty either.

>
> Scarlett's a mess. She's forever looking for someone to stand up to
>
> her the way her father never stood up to her mother,

Well, yes and no. That is, in both, Mr. O'Hara was something of a boyish type, but in the book, Mrs. O'Hara was pretty deferential, IIRC - she believed, among other things, that it was terribly rude to cause any disturbance to one's husband when giving birth - such as making the slightest noise. If she was less of a martyr than that in the movie, I don't remember it. (Also, as Scarlett points out early on, her parents are very different people, but I don't recall her mother demanding any respect from her husband for her differences.)


Lenona.

[Brad Ferguson]

In article <8facb642-fbd6-4c99...@googlegroups.com>,

<leno...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Er, explain? Maybe I don't remember everything about either character. At
> least Leslie Howard had an aristocratic image - even if he was too well known
> as being British!

Leslie Howard was 46 in 1939, about 25 years too old and 46 years too
British for Ashley. Like Gable, Howard didn't even try for a Southern
accent. It's amazing to me how GWTW got away with all this stuff, but
it did.

I think I've mentioned here that the first time I saw it was at Radio
City Music Hall in 1974. When that first shot of Gable came along, the
one with him at the bottom of the stairs, looking up and smiling, there
was this ahhhh from the audience. Gable had been dead for almost
fifteen years then, but there they were, still going ahhhh. Now that
was something.