Degree(s): BJ '59

Whereabouts: United States, Overland Park, Kansas

What do you do?
I do some advertising/marketing consulting work. Previously, I was in higher education as an adjunct professor and director of community relations. I also was president of Smith & Yehle Advertising for 30 years.

How did you get your job?
A Missouri alum got me a job in the public relations department of Western Auto. After less than a year, another Mizzou person recommended me for a job at an advertising agency in Kansas City, Valentine Radford. I then founded my own agency and worked there for 30 years.

What is the best professional lesson you learned at the J-School?
My experience at the TV station paid off. I wrote and produced 100 television spots for clients over the years.

What advice do you have for current students?
Go to the top when looking for a job. Call the president of an advertising agency, for example. I heard Morris Jacobs of Bozell & Jacobs Advertising speak at the J-School. I went to his hotel, knocked on his door and got two job interviews with his company (this probably won’t work if you want to be an accountant).

What is your favorite J-School memory?
My favorite memory stretched across two years in J-School. I knew the Mizzou hands-on approach in classes was different than the experiences of my fellow students in other undergraduate schools and, probably, other universities. It made going to class interesting, and I thought it would pay off later. And it did.