Carol Penney Guyer, 72; Philanthropist, Daughter of Retailer

Carol Penney Guyer, 72, a philanthropist and daughter of retail department store founder J.C. Penney, died from complications of cancer July 7 at her home in Woodside, Calif.

Her father, James Cash Penney, opened his first Golden Rule store in 1902 and went on to establish a retailing empire of 1,075 stores in the United States and Mexico.

Guyer said she learned from him to care about working people and used her wealth to advance causes related to equity in society.

She initially focused her philanthropy on international programs, an interest that stemmed from her work in 1952 at a refugee camp in Pakistan, where her husband had been stationed by the United Nations.

She worked in India from 1955 to 1957 to promote cultural exchanges between that nation and the U.S.

Later she shifted her focus to the U.S., where she supported environmental campaigns and efforts to improve public education, child care, youth training in technology and economic development.