Last night I learned that my former partner, Dick McGlinchey, who co-founded my agency (then called McGlinchey & Paul) in 1986 has passed away after bravely battling a tough illness for a number of years. This is a sad day for all of us who had the great privilege of working with Dick and knowing him as one of the smartest, funniest and most unique individuals many of us will ever know.
Dick was on my "short list" of the best PR people in the business when I was the software editor at ComputerWorld in the early 80s. He was at McCormack & Dodge at the time and always knew what was a good news story and what would be just wasting my time. He connected me with people like John Landry and Bob Weiler who were great sources and newsmakers and cut to the chase rather than offering marketing fluff. When M&D was acquired by Dun & Bradstreet years later, after I had moved from CW to PC Week (now eWEEK), Dick decided to go out on his own and asked me if I wanted to join him. He felt we could do PR differently, bringing both sides of the marketing and journalism desk to the tech industry. Although we were about as different as individuals as you can get, we complemented each other well and I learned a great deal about how to do PR right from this smart man with one of the sharpest sense of humor I've ever encountered. When we parted ways after seven years, we did it amicably because that's who Dick was. He was ready to move on and I wasn't and he respected my decision to keep the original agency going, albeit under a new name. I had to become more of the "outside person" than in the past, but I had learned from the best and I appreciate what he taught me.
Ever an entrepreneur, Dick built several businesses after he left McGlinchey & Paul, which are described in a nice tribute Allison Moore posted on Saturday.
When we learned a few years ago that Dick was struggling with a debilitating disease that was affecting him physically, those of us who knew his love for playing hockey and racing cars understood intuitively how difficult this had to be for this brave, proud, strong man. The last time I saw him, his humor was intact and his unwillingness to wallow in self pity was very evident. I guess I always thought that Dick McGlinchey would figure a way out of this one. He was always brilliant at solving problems.
It's a sad day for all of us to lose this friend, teacher and colleague. Facebook messages are starting to come in from people who are hearing the news. Please know that we will be sure to spread the word of the future memorial service (not right away) that his family is planning and any information we learn about a memorial fund or anything we can do for his loved ones.
