Nancy Field, former president of the company that previously owned PSN, has passed away. She was 78.
For more than 30 years, Field held the position with Leisure Publications, which owned PSN for four decades until it sold to the current owner in 2001.
She owned the company with her husband, publisher Jules Field.
Nancy Field was born Aug. 16, 1944 in Chicago, where she lived until moving to Los Angeles as a young adult. She worked at the company that printed PSN, then called Pool News, where she met Jules Field. They married in 1970. Shortly after, she joined Leisure Publications, gradually encompassing more and more of the operational duties and eventually working her way up to the position of president.
Nancy Field played a pivotal role in the growth of Leisure Publications, said Steve Field, Jules Field’s son, who used to work there as a sales representative. While Jules Field had a sales background and was comfortable overseeing the editorial function, he didn’t have a taste for human resources and other management issues, his son said. Through her natural talents and pursuit of education and training, Nancy Field was able to focus on those aspects of the business at a crucial time,as it grew from a company with few employees to one that had close to 50 at its peak.
“She brought the whole organization together,” Steve Field said. “That was really invaluable.”
Field also played an active role in business publishing organizations, encouraging employees to take advantage of their education, Steve Field said.
After the Fields sold PSN and its sister publication, Aquatics International, they continued to publish another title, Fitness Management, and acquired some other small magazines until they retired in 2006. Jules Field passed away in 2008.
In her retirement, Nancy Field became very involved in local causes and organizations. With the Kiwanis, she was responsible for selecting high school students to receive college scholarships.
“She was a big proponent of [education] ... not only with businesses and charities, but even in the family,” said her daughter, Molly LeSueur. “She just inspired everyone to build and grow their character and knowledge through higher education.”
Nancy Field served as president of the Laguna Woods Garden Club. Her love of opera drove her to become a sponsor of the local Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County, Calif. “She had a positive impact on so many people, in both realms — in keeping the family together and keeping the business together,” LeSueur said.
In addition to Steve Field, Nancy Field is survived by her sister Fran Cottini, daughter Molly LeSueur, step daughter Elizabeth Robbins, five grandchildren, four nieces, a nephew and a great grandson.
