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VICTOR COOPERSMITH DROWNING

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Many Newtown residents expressed shock this week over the apparent drowning of

Victor A. Coopersmith, 51, formerly of Newtown. At press time Thursday

morning, his body had still not been recovered from the deep waters of Lake

Powell in Arizona.

Mr Coopersmith, a prominent fashion designer, disappeared in 200-foot deep

water at about 3:30 pm on September 9. He was attempting to swim from a ski

boat to a house boat.

His brother, Dr Richard Coopersmith of Newtown, believes Victor may have

suffered a heart attack since he was a strong swimmer. He reportedly called

out for help before he went down.

"This was a horrible, unexpected thing to happen. You try to look for the

reasons why and can't find any," Dr Coopersmith said earlier this week.

The park service dive team was reportedly on the scene within 20 minutes.

However, the extremely deep waters made any chance of a rescue impossible. Mr

Coopersmith had lived on Taunton Lake Road in Newtown until just over a year

ago. He owned houses in Greenwich, Conn., and Aspen, Col. At the time of the

apparent drowning, he was vacationing in Arizona with his wife, Andrea Jovine,

also a prominent New York fashion designer. Two other couples were with them

at the time.

Dr Coopersmith received news of his brother's apparent death last Wednesday

night, September 9. He called his parents -- Norman and Beverly Coopersmith in

Florida. They have since flown up here and are awaiting word with their son.

"I spoke to him on Tuesday, the day before the accident, and he was in the

best of spirits," Dr Coopersmith said.

Victor Coopersmith, who lived in Newtown for 20 years, was a pioneer in the

ladies fashion industry, according to his brother. He was instrumental in

developing many companies, including Adrienne Vittadini, and his wife's

company, Andrea Jovine. He was chairman and chief executive officer of

Coopersmith Enterprises.

Dr Coopersmith called his millionaire brother a "tenacious guy."

"He was a great athlete. He played tennis and golf and was a strong swimmer,"

Dr Coopersmith said. "If you were swimming next to him and had a problem, he'd

have you jump on his back. So we think he must have had a heart attack."

Lake Powell is located on the Arizona-Utah border. The apparent downing is

believed to have taken place just over the state line in Utah.

Dr Coopersmith said his sister-in-law is at the recovery scene with her

sister, a cousin, and another couple. He speaks to her four times a day and

the park superintendent three times a day.

Andrea Jovine has purchased a side sonar scanning device, a state-of-the art

device to search the bottom of the lake, and is going to donate it to the

National Park Service afterward. She was in touch with the Jacques Cousteau

Foundation to find out what is the best equipment for this search.

The staff out there at the national park is totally professional and capable,

Dr Coopersmith said.

Mr Coopersmith, who was born in Brooklyn, was a leader in the ladies fashion

industry until his retirement in June. He leaves behind two children from a

previous marriage, Jordan, 30, and Lisa 32. He and his second wife have one

son, Alexander, 4.

According to a Women's Wear Daily article, Mr Coopersmith started in the

apparel business as a 19-year-old dress salesman at Leslie Fay. A charismatic

figure, he was an outspoken opponent of certain retail practices, even

threatening legal action against unnamed retailers for what he said were

abuses of charge back policies.

His company reportedly generated more than $75 million in wholesale volume at

the peak of the bridge market, according to Women's Wear Daily . He was

planning to take the business public and even talked about opening a chain of

stores before stock market troubles turned those plans around. Earlier this

year, he denied rumors of bankruptcy and liquidation following an announcement

that he would suspend shipments to Bloomingdale's, Lord & Taylor and Dillard's

-- which accounted for some $10 million in annual wholesale revenues -- and

focus more on specialty stores, according to the article.

He apparently became disillusioned with the fashion industry, saying retailers

were requiring manufacturers to be responsible for "the bottom line."

Mr Coopersmith also dabbled in off-Broadway production, was a board member of

the Aspen Medical Foundation, and helped launch the first Special Olympics

program for tennis in Connecticut.

One year, he helped co-sponsor the annual Bertram A. Strook tennis tournament

in Newtown. Incidentally, he was a finalist in that same tournament in 1992.