Leda Krupit

Leda Krupit, a native of Pittsburgh, was one of four children. Her parents were Ewald and Anna Kruipt.

Krupit was a member of the 1946 Ice Capades, working as their travel secretary. The Ice Capades were founded in Pittsburgh by a local, John Harris. In 1940, the first national tour of the Ice Capades began at Harris’s Duquesne Gardens. The world premiere of the 1946 Ice Capades also began at the Gardens in Pittsburgh. The 1946 tour was sponsored by the local newspaper, the Sun-Telegraph, to raise money for the wounded and disabled veterans residing in Pittsburgh’s district military hospitals.

Following her job with the Ice Capades, Krupit worked in the fashion industry. She held the title “fabric-fashion coordinator” for Gimbel’s department store for seven years beginning in 1948. As the fabric-fashion coordinator, Krupit used the Gimbel’s trade name for the position, Betty Blair. Her job as Ms. Blair included coordinating and presenting numerous fashion shows to local women’s groups. Following her time at Gimbel’s, Krupit continued to work as a fabric-fashion coordinator for eight more years at Kaufmann’s department store.

Beyond simply working for Kaufmann’s, Krupit was involved with the department store’s Triangle Corner Ltd. Triangle Corner was a program for the Pittsburgh business community. The program was founded in 1968 by Kaufmann’s former fashion director, Julia Orr, and was later taken over by Orr’s assistant and successor, Florence Hiedovitz. Before feminism even reached Pittsburgh, Triangle Corner honored women in the workplace. The program serves to provide women with business encouragement, educational opportunities, and the chance to meet and exchange ideas with other working women.