OBIT: Matthew Miller Ratliff '80 - Pete's best friend commits suicide -- no warning?

The Playtex Connected Suicide

Pete Bennett's relocated to Mountain Lakes NJ. Back in 1968 the Vietnam war was developing into a national issue. My next door neighbor Matt Ratliff became my best friend along with his family we all got along.

Then the goodfellows at the AFL-CIO a division Contra Costa Politics

Matthew M. Ratliff

Matthew Miller Ratliff '80, a longtime resident of Vero Beach, FL, was born on February 14, 1958. The youngest son of Dale Ratliff, a corporation executive vice president, and the former Bettie C. Messer, an antiques dealer, Matt Ratliff grew up in Mountain Lakes, NJ, where he was graduated from Mountain Lakes High School in 1975. He entered Hamilton that year and, interested in radio broadcasting, became a disc jockey for campus radio station WHCL. He also served as a staff photographer for The Spectator and was an ultimate-frisbee enthusiast. His interest in filmmaking led him to take several courses in that field. Having majored in sociology, he was awarded his diploma in 1980.

Matt Ratliff returned to New Jersey but later settled in Vero Beach, where he held a series of property caretaking jobs. He also conducted an antiques and collectibles resale business on the side. He was a dedicated sports fisherman and scuba diver, and an avid beachcomber.

Matthew M. Ratliff, who had returned to New Jersey just last year, died on March 20, 2008, in Montclair. Unmarried, he is survived by two brothers, Mitch and Mark Ratliff, and a sister, Lynn Hove, as well as nieces and nephews.

My best friend, my nephews, Girl Friend and Daughter, my former employee and his wife, a neighbor in Danville CA, my Roommate, My Attorneys Son, City Clerk from San Ramon and local Contra Costa Board of Realtors and the band played.

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The Max Factor Connection

Max Factor & Company, the cosmetics concern, has turned to Revlon, its high‐class competitor, for its new president and chief executive officer. It named Dale Ratliff, one of Revlon's ranking sales executives, to succeed Sam Kalish, who resigned as Max Factor's top executive last July 1.

Mr. Ratliff, 47, executive vice president of sales for the Revlon domestic cosmetics and fragrances division, will assume his new title at the $350 million company on Jan. 1 and will report to Timm Crull, president and chief operating officer at Norton Simon Inc., Max Factor's parent company.

Max Factor has seen its operating profits decline dramatically over the last year. Its cosmetics and fashion division (which includes Halston fashions and the McCall Pattern Company) had pretax profits of $34.1 million for the year ended June 30, 1977. Just 12 months later that figure had slipped to $12.6 million.

A sore spot has been Its domestic cosmetics division, greatly weakened by last year's disastrous introduction of the fragrance “Just Call Me Maxi.” David Mahoney, chairman of Norton Simon, said at the annual meeting this month that the company had withdrawn funds from its basic cosmetics lines to support the “Just Call Me Maxi” introduction and found these regular lines suffered in the process.

“Ratliff is a good choice,” said one industry expert. “He knows sales and he knows the domestic cosmetics market. But he has little marketing background.” (Mr. Ratliff has been a group president at the B.V.D. Company and senior vice president and general manager of the apparel division at International Playtex.)

Just last week a cosmetics marketing executive was named to a senior post at Norton Simon. Robert Kamerschen will resign his position as president of Chanel Inc. to become senior vice president and assistant to Mr. Crull in December. Mr. Ratliff and Mr. Kamerschen worked together at Revlon.

Meanwhile, Sam Kalish, whose resignation was announced last May 30, remains on the Norton Simon payroll as a consultant. His annual salary as president of Max Factor was $190.000.

Then the goodfellows at the AFL-CIO a division Contra Costa Politics

Memorial services will be held Saturday in Mountain Lake, N.J., for Dale Ratliff, president of Max Factor & Company, who died last Saturday in Los Angeles of a heart attack.

Mr. Ratliff, 47 years old, joined Max Factor in January following six years as executive vice president of the domestic cosmetics and fragrances division of Revlon Inc. Previously, he had been group vice president with the BVD Company Inc. and had also served as senior vice president and general manager of the apparel division at International Playtex Inc.

Born in Hinton, W. Va., Mr. Ratliff was a graduate of Duke University. He served in the Marine Corps, attaining the rank of captain.

Mr. Ratliff is survived by his wife, the former Bettie Messer; three sons, Mitchell, Mark and Matthew; a daughter, Lynn, and his mother, Augusta J. Ratliff. The memorial services will be held at P.M. at the Community Church in Mountain Lake.