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Saturday
July 25, 2009 We are devasted beyond words!Filed under: A message from Leslie, ASI Canada It is with great sadness that Fred and I need to advise you of the passing of Randy Shippam. Randy passed away suddenly yesterday (July 24) while in Chicago with his wife Roberta.
Wednesday
July 8, 2009 Catching up with an old friend!Filed under: ASI Canada Recently I was invited to attend the Promo Expo BBQ, hosted by Neil Mihan, Tom Guitard, Sally Ross, Linda Davies & Jessie Camani, I had no idea when I accepted their invitation how much I would appreciate the opportunity they provided me. One of the great things about events like this is being able to take some time to network with people in the industry and chat with friends we never seem to have enough time visit anymore. When I first got into the industry in the early 80’s socializing was a major part of doing business together in this industry, but over the years that has changed. While there are many reasons for this change I personally think it’s a shame. When I arrived at the BBQ I was pleased to see a number of old friends and it was great to have a chance to just relax and catch up. But the highlight of my day was when Athena Dunn showed up with her father Wilson Dunn, Wilson retired from the industry a few years ago and it’s been awhile since I’ve seen him. I was very fortunate in my early days to have the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Wilson, he was like an industry staple and I looked forward to seeing him every month at the Ontario Chapter meetings. Wilson was our industry’s real Ambassador; I can’t tell you how many people I spoke to during the years that had questions about the industry or running their business that I said call Wilson! He always took the time to speak to them and give his advice and opinions to, no matter how big or how small they were Wilson always made time for them. I can’t think of anyone in all the years I’ve been in the industry who has freely given more of their time and expertise than Wilson. Wilson has always been a true gentleman in this industry – it still amazes me sometimes that he enjoyed hanging out with Fred and myself and was a constant figure at every event we had, including many late nights in our suite! His Friday lunches were infamous in this industry, to be honest back in those days if you were included you knew you had made it in this industry, that was the power of Wilson Dunn! We actually started referring to Wilson as the Godfather of our Industry he is held in such high esteem. When the twins were very young we started to have an annual Christmas Open House and Wilson came every year, but the one night I will always remember is when Wilson arrived someone made the remark “the Godfather is here”. I’m not sure which of girls asked the question when they overheard this but the question was: is he our grandfather to which I responded – you could only wish! Seeing Wilson and getting to spend some time with him was without a doubt a true highlight for me, so I’m thankful to Neil, Tom, Sally, Linda and Jessica for hosting a good old fashioned BBQ and allowing us all to spend some quality time together – we just don’t do enough of that anymore!
Check back later for more info on what the Promo Expo group is up to… |
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