No retrospective of Gifts & Decorative Accessories could be complete without mention of Phyllis Sweed, the longtime Editor-in-Chief who, in her 35 years at the helm, became a fixture not only at the magazine, but in the gift industry as well. Still, according to Sweed, her tenure could have started more smoothly. When she signed on, in 1966, it was with the understanding that she would be Editor-in-Chief from the start. But when the magazine was published, the masthead listed her as Managing Editor, with Editorial Director Walter Kleinschrod listed above her. Said Sweed, “That was just [then company President] Donald McAllister's way of giving me a 'tryout.' But I got it fixed after a little while.”

After getting it “fixed,” Sweed went on to lead Gifts & Dec through three decades, steering the magazine from the turbulent '60s to the turn of the century. Looking back, she takes pride in the fact that the magazine focused on the right things in the evolving market, and that she always gave editors solid direction.

In 1992, when Gifts & Dec was celebrating its 75th anniversary, Sweed put together a list of 75 people who had influenced the gift industry. Of course, at that time she modestly left herself off the list. For our 90th, Phyllis Sweed makes the list.