Ronald Amey
Ronald Amey, American fashion designer
Ronald Amey with students and Sister Aloyse Hessburg at Mount Mary College
Ronald Amey (1934?-1986), a New York designer, was one of many people in the fashion industry who visited Mount Mary College to share their expertise with students in the new fashion design program. He opened his fashion house with his partner, Joseph Burke, in 1959 and designed under the label Burke-Amey until 1970, when he bought Burke out and designed under the Amey label.
Article from Sept. 21, 1966 issue of The Times
Amey’s first visit to Mount Mary, in September 1965, was for the Pro Urbe Civic Award Dinner honoring Aileen Ryan. This was the start of a fruitful relationship with the school, just as Mount Mary was beginning its fashion design program. In March 1966 he began instructing fashion design students. He co-taught couture classes for several years with Sister Aloyse Hessburg, visiting Mount Mary monthly to review assignments, critique students’ work, provide suggestions, and engage students with the best fabrics and newest ideas in fashion. The Mount Mary College school newspaper, The Times, included a mention of his visit in September 1966, along with a description of his homework assignment.
Speech by Sister John Francis Schuh for 1966 event presenting Ronald Amey and Pierce Rosenberg
In March 1966 he also received the first Gold Needle Award from Mount Mary’s fashion design program. See Sister John Francis Schuh's speech introducing him to the right (click to enlarge the image), and an article interviewing him and describing his visit in The Times below.
Article from Apr. 20, 1966 issue of The Times
Note from Ronald Amey to Sister Aloyse Hessburg, April 6, 1966
A few weeks later, in April, he hosted Sister Aloyse at the Burke-Amey workroom in New York City. His note to her dated April 6, 1966 (to the left; click to enlarge the image) discusses the upcoming trip. She spent two weeks producing couture fashions with Amey, then another two weeks learning about business and financial matters with Burke, and a few of her designs were featured in the Burke-Amey fashion show. Her experiences were also recorded in The Times (see article below), as well as numerous local and national publications.
Article from May 18, 1966 issue of The Times
Fashion show with Ronald Amey
Amey arranged a fashion show of his and others’ work at Mount Mary in 1967. To the right, he's visible in a photograph of a fashion show, though it's unclear whether this was his 1967 show or one of Mount Mary's annual student fashion shows (which began in 1968).
Mrs. Knowles's inaugural gown by Ronald Amey (Object ID #1967.05.abc)
Another effect he had on Mount Mary was less direct. He designed the 1967 inaugural ballgown for Mrs. Warren P. Knowles (née Dorothy Guidry), the Wisconsin governor’s wife, whom he had met at a Mount Mary event. After the ball, Mrs. Knowles donated the ensemble (Object ID #1967.05.abc) to Mount Mary, as the first of what she hoped would be many donations to the inaugural gown collection within what would later be known as the Fashion Archive. Newspaper coverage of the donation was provided by both The Times (see below) and The Milwaukee Journal.
Article from Mar. 15, 1967 issue of The Times
