When Boris Leavitt launched apparel catalog Lana Lobell in 1950, he had no idea that he was creating a future catalog conglomerate — and a mail-order-marketing university of sorts. Some of the best and brightest minds in the industry have passed through the hallowed halls of the now-Hanover Direct. ▪ After the Hanover, PA-based Hanover House was acquired by automat operator Horn & Hardart in 1972, it launched titles such as Pennsylvania Station and Synchronics, and acquired catalogs such as Colonial Garden Kitchens and International Male in the 1980s. The company, based in Weehawken, NJ, since 1990, changed its name to Hanover Direct in 1993. ▪ While Hanover has experienced turmoil during the past few years, resulting in plummeting stock prices and profits, it’s trying to regroup and focus on its core titles. But as our list of alumni shows, the company could always switch its focus and become Hanover University.
| Bill Dean | 1985-86 |
| Howard Goldberg | late 1980s |
| Lou Grande | mid-1980s |
| Andrea Lawson-Gray | 1985-86 |
| Paul Milson | mid-1980s |
| Katie Muldoon | 1977 |
| Al Schmidt Jr. | 1979-80 |
| Kathleen Schultz | 1981-86 |
| Mary Vonnegut | 1994-97 |