How Jerre Todd went from sliding into an editor’s desk to legendary advertising career

To have a successful career in advertising and public relations, one must be innovative, introspective, and imaginative. All at the same time.

My friend Jerre Todd possessed all of those qualities and many more, including his engaging humor. It’s how Jerre, who died Nov. 15 at age 87, got his start in the business of communicating to large audiences.

Needing a job in the early 1950s, he heard that the Fort Worth Press was looking for a baseball writer, and the paper’s sports editor, Blackie Sherrod, who would emerge as the greatest of all sports writers, was doing the hiring.

Doubting that his resume would impress, he showed up in the newsroom, sprinted toward Blackie and performed a hook slide into his desk to demonstrate his understanding of baseball.

Blackie, with a characteristic cigarette hanging from his mouth, looked down, smiled and declared, “You’re hired.”

Jerre’s imaginative performance got him the job, and he soon became one of the paper’s most popular writers.

His son Britt recalled his father’s motivation to later find a way to increase his income.

“Like the other journalists of the day, he couldn’t afford the color television sets on display in the window at Leonard’s Department Store downtown, so he decided to launch his own marketing business,” Britt said.

Soon thereafter, our paths crossed and I became, in three different capacities, the beneficiary of Jerre’s talent of delivering messages. It helped me develop my own expertise.

As the managing officer of Arlington Savings Association in the late 1960s, my job was to attract those who wanted to build savings accounts and others seeking loans to buy a home.

Jerre produced all of our advertising, including printed material for newspapers and brochures, radio spots, billboards, annual reports, in-house promotions and special events.

His work was dynamic and brought the results we were seeking. A typical exchange emerged between us when he walked into my office with copy for an ad and I would ask about some of the content or make alternative suggestions.

His usual response was some form of: “No, this is what you need, and any changes will fail to hit the mark.” His confidence was compelling, and it led to our relationship spanning three decades.

Some of his best work came in our second combined mission: crafting the campaign to inform voters of the opportunity to protect the Major League status of our city by supporting the development of The Ballpark in Arlington.

He designed our “Home Run Arlington–Let’s Keep the Rangers” logo and all the materials that delivered the messages that resonated across the city. It helped produce the landslide victory that ensured Arlington’s best days were still going to be those that lay ahead.

In the third engagement, this one largely with my wife as president of the River Legacy Foundation, he worked tirelessly and often pro bono to support the effort to raise private funding and expansive land donations to create River Legacy Park and the $5 million Living Science Center.

His work products included brochures, promotional materials and a video to tell the story of the vision for an extraordinary environmental and natural science achievement for our city.

And he continued the mission of keeping the public informed through the Foundation’s quarterly newsletters.

Looking back on all of that, it’s easy to conclude that having Jerre Todd at work for me and my city produced outcomes not otherwise achieved.

The one thing that supersedes all of that is the friendship we shared. And that’s what I miss the most now that angels have become the beneficiaries of his presence.

This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 11:20 AM.