Leo-Arthur Kelmenson, 84, who died on August 30 at his Remsenburg home of natural causes, was a giant in the advertising industry—a legend who helped resurrect the Chrysler Corporation from the ashes of looming bankruptcy—and an individual celebrated worldwide for his razor-sharp business acumen and philanthropic spirit.
But for his heartbroken wife, Gayle, the legacy her husband left behind had far deeper and more personal meaning.
While Mr. Kelmenson’s accomplished career was long and illustrious, with hallmark moments such as his campaign to save Chrysler in the early 1980s, his wife, holding back the tears, said: “Chrysler and Lee Iacocca were a big part of his life, but that wasn’t what made him as a man.”
When asked what single quality best defined the husband and father of three that she adored since first meeting him 32 years ago, Mrs. Kelmenson said simply: “Love.”
Sharing memories of her husband this week, Mrs. Kelmenson said he was a man with a huge heart. “Every condolence note says almost the same thing: ‘he was larger than life,’” she said. “He had a twinkle in his eye and a wicked wit. He was generous, sweet and so extraordinarily kind.”
Mr. Kelmenson, despite his meteoric ascent to the advertising stratosphere, always took the time to reach out to others, even helping some find jobs.
Born on January 3, 1927, in New York City to Joseph and Ruth Kelmenson, Leo-Arthur Kelmenson’s road to success began following his graduation from Jamaica High School, when he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at age 17. He served in the first marine parachute division in the Pacific during World War II. He was awarded several medals, including a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts, for acts of bravery.
After graduating from Columbia University, Mr. Kelmenson’s glittering career in advertising began at the bottom; his first job in the field was working in the mailroom at Lennen & Newell, where he eventually made his way up the ranks to become senior vice president.
The couple’s decades-long love story began when Gayle moved to New York from California and worked as an interpreter at Kenyon & Eckhardt, where Mr. Kelmenson was the chief executive.
“He just stood out because he was so vital—so joyful to be alive,” she recalled. “He always had a smile and a good word. He was so optimistic; he appreciated every bit of life.”
Her husband, Mrs. Kelmenson added, was an amazing man. “He was extraordinary, in every sense of the word. One woman described him as indestructible.”
Mr. Kelmenson’s success in the world of advertising spanned decades. “He was a visionary in the world of advertising and marketing,” his wife said.
Mr. Kelmenson was chairman of the executive committee of Bozell Worldwide Inc. During his career, he also held senior management positions at Norman, Craig & Kummel and served as chairman of Foote, Cone & Belding Worldwide.
His mark was perhaps forever seared onto the American consciousness when Mr. Kelmenson, whose firm created winning advertising copy for the Ford Motor Company, left the auto giant after Mr. Iacocca, a longtime Ford executive, was fired. Mr. Kelmenson rocked the advertising world when he severed ties with Ford in 1979, turning his back on the firm’s $75 million annual contract, and took his business to the Chrysler Corporation, where he championed Mr. Iacocca and infused the floundering firm with energy, enthusiasm and the business chops to create an ad campaign featuring Mr. Iacocca that brought Chrysler back from the precipice.
“He was credited for restoring Chrysler’s reputation in the eyes of the industry,” Mrs. Kelmenson said. “Leo’s passion was saving American industry, especially the car industry.”
But behind the public persona, her husband, Mrs. Kelmenson said, was a gentle man who loved nothing more than seeking quiet time at his Remsenburg sanctuary, Land’s End. “He loved that land more than anything,” Mrs. Kelmenson said, noting that they also had a residence in New York City. “He put in every tree.”
Mr. Kelmenson, who also created highly successful ad campaigns for General Motors, Mitsubishi, Colgate-Palmolive, Air France and other major accounts, served on the boards of several public companies, including Lorimar-Telepictures, Online Software and True North Communications.
Describing her husband as a generous man, Mrs. Kelmenson said he received many honors and awards for his service outside of the advertising industry. She said he earned the Guggenheim World Peace Award, the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Award and the Catholic Charities Humanitarian Award.
A poet, Mr. Kelmenson chronicled his wartime experiences in a book titled “Epilogue,” for which he received the Silver Quill Poetry Award in 1955. His wartime experience resonated for decades, Mrs. Kelmenson said. “He never forgot that period in his life,” she said. “That’s what shaped him and gave him strength.”
He also served in the White House in the 1960s as a special projects officer for the U.S. Department of State, under President John F. Kennedy.
A giving man who was known for his generosity, Mr. Kelmenson supported a plethora of philanthropic organizations. “He just loved everybody,” his wife said. “He was generous of spirit, generous with love, generous with money—the word ‘generous’ itself doesn’t do him justice.”
Mr. Kelmenson lived his life with ferocity and passion, his wife said. A member of the Sands Point Yacht Club, he also loved sailing and the water. “That’s where his soul was rejuvenated,” Mrs. Kelmenson said.
During their idyllic Remsenburg weekends, the pair loved to putter in their garden.
“His favorite thing was to say, ‘How many springs can you count in your lifetime?’” she said. “Spring was his reawakening. He would say, ‘Look at all the different colors of green in the spring.’ He just appreciated every little detail in life.”
In addition to his wife, Mr. Kelmenson is survived by his daughter, Phillipa, whom he called “Pippa,” his two sons, Todd and Joel, and two grandchildren, Lana and Kyle. He was predeceased by a brother, David.
Mrs. Kelmenson said her husband enjoyed a “full, full life,” later adding that she was blessed to have spent her life beside a man she loved so deeply. “I miss him so much.”
A private memorial service will be held on Wednesday, October 12, at 1:30 p.m., at the Paley Center for Media, located on 25 West 52nd Street in New York City.
In lieu of flowers, donations made to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, Attn: Kelmenson Memorial Scholarship, 909 North Washington Street, Suite 400, Alexandria, VA, 22314, would be appreciated by the family. Donations can also be made to East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY, 11978.
Lisa Finn on Sep 14, 2011