Person:William Holloran (1)

About William A. "Bill" Holloran

William Arden "Bill" Holloran was born 10 December 1933 in Los Angeles County, California, the son of William T. Holloran (b. abt. 1888, Missouri) and his [2nd] wife Elizabeth Ann Jones (1888-1955). He was raised by his grandparents in Glendale, California and attended John Marshall High School in Glendale, where he was active in basketball, head cheerleader for 2 years and on the student executive board. Bill got his first job at age nine, peddling newspapers on Glendale street corners and selling the Sunday papers by pulling his "little red wagon" through the streets.

Bill began his career in the supermarket industry at just age 13, when he started working as a box boy for Alexander's Markets. He enjoyed meeting people and fall in love with his job from the very start. After his graduation from high school in 1952, he became a full-time apprentice clerk, and was an "extra man" for all of the Alexander's Markets, performing a variety of jobs such as produce clerk, and warehouse receiving clerk, which gave him valuable all-around experience in the business. In 1953, he was transfered into the main office as a general clerk working under the controller on payroll and accounts payable, and assisting the meat and grocery buyers in taking inventories.

After college, Bill was promoted to Grocery Manager at Alexander's store in Azusa, California, and the following year to Store Manager at the Baldwin Park store. After three months, he returned to the chains headquarters as Office Manager and Assistant to the Controller, where he was responsible for personnel and accounting. Bill joined the deli ranks early in 1963, when he was appointed to fill a vacancy as the head of the deli division. At the time, Bill didn't know a branschweiger from a knockwurst when he took over, but he learned fast and got to know the products with some help from his peers and by frequently visiting competitor's stores for tips.

Bill left Alexander's Markets in 1966 to join Mayfair Markets as staff assistant to Joe Patterson, Executive Vice President and General Manager. His assignment was to check deli operations in the stores, make reports and recommendations. After six months, he was scheduled to be transferred to Mayfair's San Francisco division, but he chose to remain in Southern California and joined food broker Brown-Massie, who had a need for a salesman specializing in deli products, particularly for their Tillamook cheese line, which they represented. Bill enjoyed the experience on the sales side of the business, but in 1968 accepted the position of Director of Deli Operations for Southern California supermarket Chain Food Giant in 1958.

At Food Giant, Bill was responsible for the deli departments for Food Giant's then 84-stores located across Southern California. Bill was assisted by Max Shukert, his Deli Buyer and four Deli Supervisors at the time, and was responsible for the deli sales, profits, payroll, merchandising, advertising and field supervision. Bill authored a 75-page manual for deli operations, which contained procedures for merchandising, displays, product handling, case layouts, spoils, cleaning and maintenance and even a chapter on courtesy, and issued a weekly merchandising bulletin to the stores for Deli Supervisors, District Store Managers and all deli personnel, listing the latest promotions and products to be displayed.

Bill was married three times [all ended in divorce] and he had two daughters, Janet and Julie. He was an accomplished dog breeder, was a member of the Pasadena Kennel Club, past president of the Boxer Club [dogs], hunter, bowler, belonged to the Trojan Club and the Catholic Alumni Club. Bill passed away on 14 January 2006 in Santa Ana, Orange County, California.

1. ↑ California, United States. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. (Sacramento, CA, USA: California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.).

   Name: William Arden Holloran
   Birth Date: 10 Dec 1933
   Gender: Male
   Mother's Maiden Name: Jones
   Birth County: Los Angeles

2. ↑ Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index: Death Master File, database. (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service).

   Name: Bill A. Holloran
   Last Residence: 92704 Santa Ana, Orange, California
   BORN: 10 Dec 1933
   Died: 14 Jan 2006
   State (Year) SSN issued: California (Before 1951

3.   U.S. City Directories, 1821-1995: [database on-line]. (Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011).

   Name: William A Holloran
   Gender: Male
   Residence Year: 1960
   Street address: 427 E Acacia av apt 4
   Residence Place: Glendale, California, USA
   Occupation: Department Manager
   Spouse: Linda C Holloran
   Publication Title: Glendale, California, City Directory, 1960

4.   Pasadena, Los Angeles, California, United States. Pasadena Star-News
   12 July 1959 .

   Wikman's Announce Marriage Mr. and Mrs. Walfrcd R. Wikman, 4522 0akwood Ave., La Canada, are making known the June 18 wedding ot their daughter, Linda Carol, and William Arden Holloran. The young couple, wed by the Rev. Douglas Harrell of Toluca Lake, is at home now in Glendale after a northern California honeymoon. Mrs. Holloran is a graduate of John Muir High School; her husband, a USC alumnus and a Phi Kappa Psi. The bridegroom is the son of William T. Holloran of Glendale and the iate Mrs. Holloran.