Halls of Fame

Mary Lou Hess – 2017

Mary Lou Hess put her degree in journalism and advertising to good use throughout her entire career in St. Louis. She wrote ad copy and also worked as a fashion model for Stix, Baer & Fuller, staged fashion shows, and handled marketing for the May Company before becoming director of marketing for the soon-to-be-opened Plaza Frontenac. For her work there she was honored by the National Research Bureau, and, locally, her name became synonymous with her employer among members of the press who worked with her. She was the first woman to be elected president of the St. Louis Ad Club.

Susan Veidt – 2017

Susan Veidt spent her entire career in public relations in St. Louis, most of it at Fleishman-Hillard. When she retired at the beginning of 2018, she had risen to the position of Regional President, responsible for the operations and growth of the worldwide company’s largest office and world headquarters and three other Midwest branches. She was involved in changing the face of the PR industry from stunts and hype to strategic planning, crisis communications, media relations and community relations. Her teams at FH won over 20 major industry awards for their work, and her strong ties to St. Louis’ cultural institutions resulted in thousands of hours of community service.

Paul Fey – 2017

Paul Fey and Walt Jaschek were two kindred creative spirits who merged their efforts in 1991 to establish their agency, Paul & Walt Worldwide. The duo quickly gained national attention for their funny radio commercials for brands such as CBS-TV, Warner Brothers and many others, and their work has garnered more than 1,000 industry awards. Paul, having originally worked in St. Louis at KMOX-TV, moved to Hollywood, California to oversee production. Walt handled much of the scripting from his home office in St. Louis. The company’s name was later changed to World Wide Wadio and, in addition to its ongoing advertising work, expanded into the production of podcasts.