While this blog is usually a how-to for PR and marketing people, tonight I digress.  I want to remember a special person.

Peter A. Morrissey, a long time Boston public relations communicator and reputation expert, passed away last week at the age of 59. I was privileged to know Peter through an organization called the PR Dinner Club of Boston – an invite-only gathering of Boston’s top corporate media pros.  (I was grandfathered in from my years at PTC…)

The group allowed peer to peer conversation in a non-competitive environment. Over the years, I learned so much from Peter and others in the group, as well as had plenty of giggles and outright guffaws. It was a wonderful group. The dinner conversations were peppered with stories of media preferences, marketing strategies and shared challenges. Peter (and, to be fair, others as well) were also instrumental in arranging for a steady stream of wonderful speakers who generously shared their time.

Peter was also a professor, sharing his knowledge with students at Boston University.  I again crossed paths with him through a program where the BU students run an agency, offering services to young companies and nonprofit organizations. He was their guide and a mentor to many through that program and others.

I realize these aren’t the things friends and family will remember first about Peter.  They will miss the father, husband, brother and friend. But there’s also a place for those of us remembering the intelligent, thoughtful mentor/professor/professional who generously shared his knowledge and work-life passion. And the quick smile.

There’s really little we can say or do in these situations.  Good-bye Peter.  To his friends, family, and loved ones – know that Peter will be missed by many, many people.