Paul Max Werth, 1918-2002

WERTH Paul M. Werth, 84, of Worthington, died July 1, 2002 in Columbus, the city he loved, surrounded by the family he adored. He leaves a legacy of integrity, solutions and good ideas. Many of his best ideas were embedded in the profession that he helped develop and eventually came to epitomize: public relations. Paul was born in 1918 in Milwaukee, Wis., to a hard-working family with four sons that instilled in him a strong work ethic. As a teenager, Paul helped his family through the Great Depression by rising at 4 a.m. to deliver papers and goods from his mother's home bakery. He had a natural flair for sales and in 1940 began selling Carnation canned milk. By targeting his efforts toward obstetricians, he boosted his sales by more than 25 percent in 2 years. It was his first taste of the power of public relations. Paul joined the U.S. Army Corps in 1942 as a pilot. The Army spotted his communications skills and kept him in the states training pilots, navigators and bombardiers during the war. Not long after the war ended, he was captivated by a young war widow with a son. The confident salesman was so overcome that his friends had to help him arrange a date. Paul and Margie were married in 1948. Paul continued his remarkable sales career for several companies, including Whirlpool, before joining Industrial Nucleonics in 1956, taking on the title of director of public relations, advertising and sales promotions. The first story he ever pitched ended up on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, a great coup. In 1963, now 45 and the father of three, Paul founded Paul Werth Associates. Today, it is the city's oldest public relations agency. The client list grew long and impressive, but what Paul loved was the work. Nothing pleased him more than coming up with an idea and solving a sticky problem. His reputation grew as he helped scores of business and government leaders. He was no-nonsense, and he always said what he thought. When a national firm wanted to buy his company and move him to New York, Paul said no. He loved Columbus, continuing to live in the home that he built about 50 years ago. From this city, he impacted an entire profession. He was known for his marketing approach to public relations, noting that effective public relations generates positive results to the bottom line. He was among the first to earn Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) accreditation and served as national chairman of the PRSA Counselors Academy in 1971. He was in the first small group elected to the PRSA College of Fellows, which recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the public relations profession. He also received the PRSA President's Citation in recognition of exceptional service in development and leadership of the Society. He is a past president of the Central Ohio Chapter and a recipient of its Distinguished Service Award. Paul has been recoginized as an outstanding citizen by the City of Columbus, the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate. He was an early board member of the Columbus Urban League, past chair of the Franklin University Board of Trustees and chair of its capital campaign for campus expansion, trustee of the Davis Foundation and chairman of Project HOPE's men's organization. He chaired the communications effort for United Way of Franklin County and has served on the Board of Trustees for the Boy Scouts of America, the American Cancer Society and numerous other organizations. In May 2002, the Franklin County Unit of the American Cancer Society honored the Werths by naming its new facility the Paul and Margaret Werth Community Resource Center. Paul was an alumnus of the business colleges of the University of Wisconsin and Morningside College. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Margaret; son, William Kelly (JoAnn); daughters, Sandra Harbrecht (Robert) and Linda Chupp (Stephen); as well as grandchildren, William Kelly III, Andrew Kelly, MaryAnn Riley, Brian Smith, Adam Chupp, J