Vans Family Morns Co-Founder Passing
Posted 11/03/2011 12:00:00 by Kelly
The Vans family is saddened to mark the passing of one Vans' founders, James Van Doren, at the age of 72 on October 12th after a long illness. “Jim” along with his older brother Paul Van Doren, long-time friend Gordon C. Lee, and partner Serge Delia founded the Van Doren Rubber Company, maker of Vans shoes, in Anaheim, California in 1966. Jim Van Doren will always be remembered by Vans as a great innovator and the mechanical mind that joined with brother Paul’s retail acumen and Gordy’s shoe manufacturing expertise to take Vans from that single store to national prominence and setting the stage for the global brand that Vans is today.
