Chicago Sun-Times
August 12, 1995Edith Knox Woodworth, 88, who represented manufacturers of giftwares, died Friday in La Grange Memorial Hospital.
Mrs. Woodworth was president of Knox & Associates in the Merchandise Mart. Until she sold the business in 1978, she oversaw a sales force that sold giftwares, primarily candles, to such chains as Marshall Field's and JCPenney for nearly half a century.
After graduating from North Central College in Naperville in 1929, she began representing manufacturers, working for a company in the Merchandise Mart.
Shortly after that, she founded her own firm in the downtown area under her maiden name, Edith Knox. She added Woodworth to her logo after marrying Dr. Dana Woodworth, a dentist who had an office in the Marshall Field Annex. He died about 20 years ago.
Mrs. Woodworth eventually returned to the Mart and became partners with Phil Schwarz. Schwarz eventually bought the company.
In 1956, she became the first female director for the Eastern Manufacturers & Importers Exhibit Inc., holding that post for 11 years. She also sat on the board of the International Decorative Accessories Center of the Merchandise Mart.
The La Grange resident co-founded the Women's Board of the Community Family Service and Mental Health Association.
Mrs. Woodworth leaves two sisters, Helen Wilkinson and Ruth Ann Haak.