Memorial services were held Saturday at Lake Street Church for Richard C. Christian, an advertising pioneer and Northwestern supporter who held numerous positions and served in many capacities within the University. Christian, an Advertising Hall of Fame member and founder of Marsteller Advertising and Burson-Marsteller Public Relations, died Oct. 3 in his home in Evanston of congestive heart failure. He was 84.
A Dayton, Ohio native, Christian attended Denison University in 1942 but dropped out to enlist in the U.S. Army, according to a release from the family. He served in Europe with the 100th Infantry Division and was awarded the Purple Heart during World War II. He returned to Ohio to continue his studies at Miami University when the war ended and graduated in 1948 with a degree in marketing.
A year later, Christian earned his master’s in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management and was generous in giving back to his alma mater.
Among the titles Christian held at NU was founder of the Kellogg Graduate School of Management’s Alumni Association, member of NU’s Board of Trustees and associate dean at Kellogg. He was also associate dean and tenured professor of advertising at the Medill School of Journalism and chair of Medill’s Strategic Planning Committee – all after he retired from his corporate roles at age 60.
Medill Dean John Lavine worked with Christian for about 20 years and said he was an integral part of the Integrated Marketing Communications program.
“(He) challenged the conventional wisdom that advertising and marketing and public relations should all be in separate silos and recognized that their power came from integrating and working together,” Lavine said. “And it changed not only education here but how those specializations are practiced in the U.S. and abroad.”
Ray Boyer, assistant dean of public affairs at Kellogg from 1985 to 1990, said Christian understood how to build upon Kellogg’s prestigious reputation in his capacity as associate dean when he started at the position in 1986.
“He was one of the architects that drove the school to greatness in the mid-’80s,” Boyer said. “He was absolutely one of the giants of public relations and marketing, and having him there as a resource during that period of time was absolutely incredible.”
Even after his tenure at NU, Christian held positions at myriad other agencies and groups in the greater Chicago area. And he never missed an NU Wildcats football or basketball game, his daughter Ann Carra said.
“He was a season ticket holder for 60 years,” she said. “He was just very proud of the University and the great job that it did and wanted to support it.”
Christian is survived by his wife, Audrey; his sister, Barbara Adams; his children, Ann Carra and Richard C. Christian, Jr., six grandchildren and one great-grandson. Memorial contributions may be sent to Lake Street Church, 607 Lake Street.
