(CNN) -- The answer to J. C. Penney's endless woes is right in front of its corporate eyes. The answer is wearing a plain white T-shirt. And the answer has a name: James Dean. Penney's -- the century-old chain of midmarket department stores that were once a solid downtown presence in big cities and small towns in every state -- is floundering. It seems to be in utter turmoil, and has been for a while. Some members of its board of directors have been at each other's throats; one of those directors, William Ackman, resigned last week after publicly upbraiding the others. The CEO's office might as well have a revolving door. Last fiscal year, according to The Wall Street Journal, Penney's lost $1 billion as sales dropped 25%.
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Bob Greene: J. C. Penney is in trouble; could James Dean be the answer?
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He says urban legend was that Dean wore Penney's plain, white Towncraft T-shirt
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He says Penney should use that; adopt Dean as face of its brand, win back customers
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Greene: Penney's, a stalwart of American retail, could break from pack with Dean's help
J. C. Penney
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For years after Dean's death, there were young men all over the United States who went to @placeholder's for one reason:
J. C. Penney
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Back then -- I can vouch for this -- young men fervently believed it, and it brought them to @placeholder's.
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@placeholder, and that T-shirt, are the antithesis of, even the antidote to, so much of what ails contemporary culture.