It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Mel Myland, founder of the Arizona Bag Company, on August 19, 2015. He had just celebrated his 94th birthday with his children, grandchildren and friends.
"Mr. M" founded AZ Bag in 1946, and he was an old-school bag-man at heart. He enjoyed working with fabrics, and was always on the look-out for a bargain. Anything that was an over-run or odd-lot was of interest to him. He was a true believer that buying "right" was the best way to serve his customers with good prices.
Mel was also a compassionate man. He worked tirelessly with a wide variety of charities, but most often connected with those who truly needed help. He supported St Mary's Food Bank, and also was known to bring a hungry man in off the street to have lunch with him at the old Furr's Cafeteria on Van Buren Street. One day he went to collect anything of value from a company that went out of business owing AZ Bag money. He returned with a disabled man who now needed a job, and provided him that job for over 20 years.
Our thoughts and prayers go to Mel's family - he was a wonderful man to know and work for, and the world is a poorer place with his passing.
