Bob Greene : J. C. Penney is in trouble ; could James Dean be the answer ? He says urban legend was that Dean wore Penney 's plain , white Towncraft T-shirt . The story goes like this : In the early days of J.C. Penney, a young man named Jim Dean had just graduated from high school and moved to New York City with his mother. Greene : Penney 's , a stalwart of American retail , could break from pack with Dean 's help .
Bob Greene : J. C. Penney is in trouble ; could James Dean be the answer ? He says urban legend was that Dean wore Penney 's plain , white Towncraft T-shirt . He says Penney should use that ; adopt Dean as face of its brand , win back customers . Greene : Penney 's , a stalwart of American retail , could break from pack with Dean 's help .