From that great curator of C/D memorabilia, Chuck Phillips ...
this was taken by me 25 years ago on the tarmac in Nice. my daughter regan (now mother of my grandsons captain and cisco) in the middle flanked by bob and louise.
Chuck
Robert Chandler, one of Bob Dion's writing partner, has written a wonderful obituary for Bob. It has been submitted to many publications, but due to the inconstancies of the newspaper business these days, it may not appear everywhere we would like. But I'm proud to publish it here ....
Bob Dion, a Calming Creative Force at Tempestuous Chiat/Day, Dies.
Bob Dion, a key art director and creative executive at the iconoclastic and ground-breaking ad agency, Chiat/Day, during its ascendant years, has died in his Palm Springs, CA home. He was 78.In reporting his January 9th death, his son, Rob, cited pulmonary fibrosis as the cause, after a long illness.
Mr. Dion spent the bulk of his 45 year career with two firms. First at Needham, Harper & Steers (now part of DDB) and later in the Los Angeles and then New York office of Chiat/Day, which he established with Jay Chiat in 1980. The agency was in 1995 acquired by Omnicom and merged to form TBWA\Chiat\Day.
Mr. Dion was notably understated and easy going in disposition, a stark contrast to the famously charismatic, volatile, and acerbic Chiat, who lead his agency to fame and creative acclaim by alternately inspiring and intimidating.
A good friend and peer of Jay’s in both age and mutual regard, Dion was able to anticipate imminent firestorms and provide a buffer behind which the eclectic, youthful, more easily cowed talent of Chiat/Day could continue to function. And deliver the audacious campaigns C/D was producing on both coasts, elevating the young shop into the first ranks of innovative ad agencies.
Lee Clow, now chief creative officer of TBWA\Chiat\Day, is a creator of the agency’s most famous commercial of that era, the Orwellian “1984” which launched Apple’s Macintosh computer. Clow recalls how, when interviewing with him in Dion‘s Needham days, “He took so much time coaching me encouraging me and telling marvelous stories about advertising adventures. Bob Dion was one of the more nurturing and helpful guys in the business.”
In New York, Dion served as creative director, overseeing campaigns for cruise line, Holland America, General Electric, upstart airline, New York Air, and the controversial investment banking firm, Drexel Burnham Lambert.
In this period, when America’s economic primacy seemed to be threatened by a rising Japan, a Dion spot for General Electric pictured Uncle Sam in closeup being slapped several times across the face, until Uncle takes the offending hands into a powerful grasp, lowering them with impervious aplomb.
Boston marketer, Noreen Young, his former client at Holland America observes, “The truly amazing thing is that Bob’s creative work done in the early 80's is still the core of Holland America communications all these years later.”
Jim Condon, a copywriter veteran of Needham, now 92, knew him from his start in that agency’s Chicago mailroom in 1960. Five years later, in the L.A. office, the two collaborated with creative director, Hal Kaufman, on the launch of what was to be a long running and famous campaign for Continental Airlines. “Hal was fixated on a line, ‘The rare bird with the golden tail.’ Bob and I kept saying, it had to be proud bird. For days Hal resisted, finally relenting just hours before presenting to
Continental founder, Bob Six. It was a close call.”Mr. Dion, a native of Chicago, where he was born May 29, 1931, graduated from Western Michigan University in 1955. There he met and married his first wife, Nancy Perry, soon beginning a six-month Army stint.
Afterwards, Mr. Dion sold Burroughs business machines for an unhappy period until making his escape to the Needham mailroom. There, he eventually proved his talent and although he had never taken an art course, was promoted to art director on All Detergent, and then Morton Salt. “I was an admiring bystander like everybody else in the industry,” said Mr. Condon, “What an art director's dream! Not a word of copy, just beautiful graphics and the Morton signature.“
Dion inspired affection and respect throughout his career. Longtime Chiat/Day art director and CD, Yvonne Smith expressed sentiments that were typical: “Bob Dion was too nice to be in advertising. It made it all the harder to steal ideas from him (though it didn't stop me). He was as talented as he was generous and gracious.”
Mr. Dion is survived by his wife, Alberta. By his four sons by Nancy: Perry, Jeffrey, David, and Robert. By a fifth son, Benjamin, by his second marriage to Louise Seeley of Boise, ID. And by seven grandsons.
Veteran copywriter and creative director, Ken Segall, recounted a story from his days as apprentice copywriter and partner to Mr. Dion. Mr. Segall had allowed an incorrect address to be calligraphed into hundreds of elegant invitations for an important Chiat/Day event. Discovering this when there was very little time left to repair the mistake, “I picked my stomach up off the floor and went to break the news to him. Somehow Bob suppressed his desire to kill me and together we figured out a fix. The wrath of Jay was about to come down upon him, but I believe Bob was actually more concerned about not scarring his rookie writer for life.“
Does anybody have a working email address for her? The one I have bounces back. Don't post it as a comment, just send it directly to me via email. (My address is at the top of this page.)
Steve Alburty
Guy Day's death has a lot of people Googling and finding the Jay/Day website!
Michael Aarons ...
I was an account guy in L.A. from ’85-’88, on Apple, Home Savings and Mitsubishi. Now retired and living in Lake Arrowhead.
... who is now Creative Director for eMedia at MLT Creative in Atlanta. Here's a blog post she wrote about Chiat/Day.
We have been in South Florida and Connecticut for a number of years. We are now trying to move because we want only one house but in neither of those places. Our three children are now adults, which I guess means that we are old, but getting old is better than the alternative, although we have no independent confirmation of that.
I have been involved in elective politics, real estate and charity. I am now ready to go back to regular work, which I was never intrerested in when I was younger. But I remain a realist, which was always my undoing.My daughter is trying to get into the advertising business, which means there must be a gene defect in the family, but I try not to discourage her.
Mindi Harrison turned me onto your alumni site. It’s a wonderful thing. I am listed as neither lost nor found, but here I am. I worked for Paul Greenberg in the media department in New York from ’87 and ’88, and then went off to law school- which, at the time, was actually just a few blocks down 5th Ave. As I recently wrote to Mary Maroun, law's been a decent ride and, generally speaking, it hasn't been as painful as many have experienced, but nothing can match the fun and creative energy of my time at Chiat/Day. It was a special place to spend some time.
You may read Adweek's obituary for dear Bob by clicking here.
One of the many things I miss about living in NYC is that Laurie Coots would get together on occasional Sundays and enjoy Eggs Benedict. Now I live 125 miles north. What to do? Laurie came up with the idea: Skype Video. So we met online today at noon and each made Eggs Benedict in our respective homes and shared the experience via Skype Video.
Tasty! And fun!
I neglected to welcome Jeff DeJoseph to the alum list. Jeff worked at C/D NY and then went off with Bob Jeffries to found their own agency. Welcome, Jeff!
Welcome Jennifer Hammond!
I am in the class of 1987-1992. I worked with Pam Keehn on the Nissan truck business..
Here's a great submission from Chuck Phillips:
Tom Burr and Hy Yablonka, the two surviving original partners of Chiat/Day, reminisce today at Hy's palatial home in Orange California. I was lucky to be there.Chuck
Tom Burr was Guy Day's minority partner, and Hy Jay's, when, they merged their two agencies into Chiat/Day in 1968. Tom was chief suit, Hy was Jay's creative partner and the person who spotted and hired Lee Clow. Burr left in the mid 70's to join the two Mels (Abert and Newhoff) @ Abert, Newhoff and Burr which had a 17 year run in LA. After that fine agency was torpedoed by two bankrupted clients (Laker Airways being one), Tom joined Hakuhodo (world's 8th highest billing agency) first in LA and later NY. He retired after 14 years there. With Lee firmly in command in LA, Hy joined me at C/D S.F. in the early 80's before leaving to become CD of all automotive advertising for Bozell in Detroit.
Another alum found! Michael Niles.
I was an account guy at the LA office in 1984-1985. Although I was only there a relatively short time, I came away with a lot of memories, quite a few stories and many new friends.
He now works for an agency in Santa Clarita called Great Day Advertising, which is just about the best name I've ever heard of for an ad agency!
Welcome in from the cold, alums Martin Grant and Robin Raj!
New jay/day member Dennis Juett informs me that his friend Tom Phahlert passed away several years ago, so I have on the "Lost and Found" list, I have created a third section, "In Memoriam." If you see any members on the list who have passed away, please let me know. (My email address is at the top of this page.)
Steve Alburty
