jay/day

One of the truly great Chiat/Day employees of all time, Dave Butler, copywriter extraordinaire, is retiring on September 18th. He was (and I presume continues to be) one of the nicest people I've ever met. He was always soft-spoken, kind, and gracious. And best of all, he and his wife Sue used to give me fudge every Christmas. (Hey Dave, with all of this newfound time on your hands, perhaps this tradition can be revived.)

As the big day has been drawing closer and closer, Dave has been sending out emails to the office containing some memorabilia he has saved during his decades at Chiat/Day. Greg Holladay was nice enough to share some of them with me so that I could post them on this site.

Here are a few samples from the emails Dave has been sending out ....

TBWA\Chiat\Day\Tequila\MAL\Gang--

As the days till my retirement on September 18 meander by, I’ve been sifting through the Chiat/Day memorabilia I’ve accumulated over the last 30 years. And suddenly, like one of those ideas you suspect you’d be better off not having, it occurred to me that it might be fun (at least for me) to share some of the things I come across—one a day, or as close as I can come.

They might be memos (the old-fashioned paper kind that are just rumors to most of you), letters, emails, photos, personal stuff. Who knows? A few might give you some insight into how the agency has changed over the years. Other may make you laugh. Or cry. Some might even make you say, “Huh?” (Those are my favorites.)

ITEMS 10 & 11 : As I said above, some of the memories I send you may make you laugh. Or cry, as in the case of the enclosed. But for completely different reasons.

The first, an unforgettable memo we all received in July of 1986 regarding a co-worker.
Click on the image to view full-size

The second (two files) an email Lee received shortly after Apple’s “Here’s to the Crazy Ones” Think Different spot began running.

Click on the image to view full-size

ITEM #3 : Lee and I were partners for the first few years of my C/D tenure. Working with Lee was a very rewarding experience, although as with any creative partnership, we had our own unique perspectives on the process. As you can see by the enclosed—a couple of signs I made and displayed next to each other on the wall separating our two offices in the Biltmore Hotel.

ITEM #2 : When the ‘84 Olympics were in town, the Olympic Committee made their headquarters at the downtown Biltmore Hotel, the selfsame building in which C/D had its offices. Everyone who worked in the building was required to wear an ID badge to gain entrance to the building for the duration of the Games. Enclosed is the badge we came up with. (Shortly after the picture was taken for my badge, I made one of my ill-fated attempts to grow a beard. Combined with the ill-considered perm you see in the pic, my scraggly beard made me look almost exactly like an middle eastern terrorist.)

Dave, I can't believe it's been 30 years. That means you and I started the very same year. (I interviewed the day Elvia died.) I hope you have a wonderful retirement. Get busy with that fudge.

Steve Alburty