Stevens, Patricia
Parallel Names
- Czarnecki, Florence
Biography
Patricia Stevens started her career as a professional model in Chicago in 1945. The late Florence Czarnecki Stevens became “Patricia Stevens” only after her 1946 marriage to a young Chicago entrepreneur named James Stevens. Before he met Flo, he had already named his training school, a business designed to help women navigate the postwar work world.
An early subscriber to Stevens’ vision was Howard Hughes. The millionaire industrialist and Trans World Airlines chairman was Jim Stevens' first big client. Hughes hired the new company to train TWA stewardesses when the airline was still based in Kansas City. In 1948 every airline attendant hired by TWA was trained by Patricia Stevens with guaranteed placement by TWA; that division was called Stevens Air College. They even had half an airplane in their building to help in their training. The Patricia Stevens Career College & Model Agency came later. Jim's sister, Bernadine, legally changed her name to Patricia; but Flo, the woman who everyone assumed was the real Patricia Stevens, never did.
In the late 1950s the Patricia Stevens School System chose Kansas City as a home base owing to the fact the Kansas City Market was the most difficult in the franchised chain of 55 schools to operate. The chain of modeling schools and talent agencies bearing her adopted name extended across the country. In 1986-1987 Flo Stevens had bestowed upon her the title of First Woman Chairperson in the 70-year history of the Better Business Bureau of Greater Kansas City, which became her most treasured accomplishment.
In addition to countless business endeavors, the Patricia Stevens Modeling School and Talent Agency contributed greatly to local and national charitable organizations, giving time and expertise to numerous fundraisers. Patricia Stevens’ models would be required to assist in various functions.
Flo's three daughters – Patricia Jr., the eldest; Melissa, the second born; and Sheila the youngest – were groomed to be stylish, poised and popular. They weren't just the daughters of a familiar local brand; they were walking advertisements for the family business. The oldest daughter, Patricia, was voted Miss Teenage Kansas City in 1968. The youngest, Sheila, dressed up as the Easter Bunny every spring for the Easter parade, which Flo Stevens started on the Country Club Plaza in 1960. This popular tradition continued for over three decades, until its swan song in 1995. When Patricia Jr. left the company to work for TWA, Flo Stevens set her focus on Melissa, who eventually took reign of the business due to her mother’s failing health and became CEO following her mother death.
Source:
Ferruzza, Charles. “Melissa Stevens – heir to the Patricia Stevens Modeling School – refuses to be forgotten.” Pitch Weekly. August 9-15, 2012.
