William Modell, Modell's Chairman, Dies At Age 86

William D. Modell, chairman of the Modell's Sporting Goods chain, died Thursday, February 14 from complications from prostate cancer in Manhattan. He was 86 years old. Services were held Sunday, February 17 at 11 a.m. in Temple Emanu-El, Manhattan.

Modell joined the 118-year-old, family owned sporting goods store chain at the end of World War II and working alongside his father, Henry, then chairman, effectively ran the corporation from 1963 on.

In 1975, the chain consisted of 10 stores in New York City and on Long Island, with annual revenue of about $10.5 million. William Modell became chairman in 1985; there are now 136 Modell's stores in eight states and Washington, selling casual clothing, work clothing and 400 styles of footwear in addition to sporting goods, with revenue last year of approximately $635 million. Eight of those stores are in Queens.

Modell was born May 13, 1921 and grew up in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn. He attended New York University and served in the Army during World War II. He is survived by his wife, the former Shelby Zaldin, sister, Doris Tipograph of Hewlett Harbor; daughter, Leslie Modell of Manhattan; son, Mitchell of Alpine, New Jersey, president of the company, and nine grandchildren. A second son, Michael, died in 2001. Michael Modell suffered from Crohn's disease, an inflammation of the digestive tract, and William Modell was a founder of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. He was also a patron of the Metropolitan Opera and of Lincoln Center.

Modell was on the negotiating committee for the Panama Canal Treaty under President Jimmy Carter and was appointed New York City Commissioner of Public Affairs by then Mayor Abe Beame in 1974.