A sad, sad message.

There was not a dry eye in the room when Ralph Gonzalez, Lewis Kraut and Suzanne Poor traveled to the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick for the taping of Pat Tesman’s response to her nomination and induction into the New Jersey Advertising Hall of Fame 2005. With them were Pat’s colleagues from Gianettino & Meredith, a few clients and of course her mentor, Ron Gianettino. Supervising the professional production was Barbara Perchaluk, G&M’s TV guru.

Everyone wept, noses red, eyes dripping — until the beautifully coifed and made-up Ms. Tesman, resplendent in an embroidered red silk bed jacket, made us laugh, not just snickers but real belly laughs. A natural comedienne, she turned the poignant moment into one none who were there will ever forget.

Center stage in the midst of bouquets of flowers, a huge camera with an even larger umbrella, at least 20 devotees in a 10-by-20 room, Patricia Tesman shared her life with all, never alluding to the malignant demon that would snuff out that life a week later.
“I am blessed,” she said, referring to the multitudes of people who crossed her path, especially at G&M, where she admitted she had found nirvana, although she revealed she was a bit nonplussed when Ron enticed her into the fold with visions of saunas, a piano bar and other exotic perks that apparently became storerooms about a week after she arrived.

That was 28 years ago; she looked at Ron and thanked him again and again, saying she really couldn’t believe that for all those years she had gotten up in the morning, eager to get to work, loving the job and then getting paid to do it. As an aside, always ready with the jibe, she acknowledged she wouldn’t have turned down a larger salary.

Pat Tesman was thrilled with her induction into the New Jersey Advertising Hall of Fame, wondering out loud how she ever made it into that illustrous crowd. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

The tape was played at the March 24 event at Mayfair Farms. There were more tears. Then, less than 24 hours later, Patricia Tesman, the New Jersey Advertising Club’s dynamic, vivacious, courageous president, had indeed “moved on.” Our loss is multifaceted and deep.

Return to May 2005 AdTalk