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| Jay Van Vechten |
Jay Van Vechten, who ran Van Vechten & Co. PR firm for 32 years and was an advocate for disabled people, died July 11 in Boca Raton. He was 75.
VV&C, which launched in 1979 in New York, ran campaigns for pharmaceutical, healthcare, medical trade associations and publishing clients, as well as crisis programs in 34 countries. It relocated to Boca Raton during the 1990s.
Van Vechten, who was injured by a fall in 2001, founded the American Disabilities Foundation and the Boating Beach Bash for People with Disabilities in 2008.
The Bash, which bills itself as largest, free, fun event in the US for people with physical and/or intellectual challenges, draws more than 5,000 people each year for a day-long BBQ, plus boat rides on 20-plus yachts and a full-range of activities for children.


Gloria Steinem, who was the face of feminism for a generation, as well as a trailblazer in the media business, passed away on Sept. 2. She was 92.
Leslie Gottlieb, who had a long history of helping nonprofits and charitable organizations tell their stories, passed away on July 15. She was 82.
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.
He practiced PR for 70 years. We were friends for 30. Here's the wizard I knew.
Andy Stanton, who was director of finance at Stanton PR, died Nov. 12 in New York. He was 39.



