 Gwinavere Johnston |
Gwinavere Johnston, who founded her Denver PR firm in 1975, died Nov. 1 by taking advantage of Colorado’s medical-aid-in-dying law after struggling with her diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy, according to her family-written obituary.
The Wyoming native launched the Johnson Group, which evolved into JohnstonWells with blue-chip clients such as US West, Coors, Qwest and Wells Fargo.
The Denver Post (Nov. 6) called Johnston a “trailblazer,” who made a name for herself in the business world after moving to The Centennial State.
The obit remembers Johnston a bit more colorfully: “In her beginnings, she was a renegade in a male-dominated industry, which earned her endearing nicknames too inappropriate to print.”
She served as president of IPREX North America, president of PRSA Counselor’s Academy, head of PRSA/Colorado and a long-time Silver Anvil judge.
A celebration of Johnston’s life is slated for Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. at Quebec Place at Fairmount Cemetery at 430 S. Quebec St. in Denver. A reception will follow.
The family asks for donatations in Johnston’s name should be sent to Mile High United Way at bit.ly/ForGwin or the University of Wyoming at http://www.uwyo.edu/uwpresents/
Frank Ramos, who headed the PR department for the doomed-to-fail New York Jets for 39 years, died on Jan. 27. He was 87.
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Andy Stanton, who was director of finance at Stanton PR, died Nov. 12 in New York. He was 39.
Kassie Canter, a media and entertainment PR veteran, died October 24 in New York. She was 67.
Leo Pearlstein, the “king of culinary PR,” died on Sept. 10 in Los Angeles at the age of 104.
