As a rookie reporter at Ragan, I burst into sophomoric gales of laughter when I ran across on our subscriber rolls the name, Richard Puffer. Dick Puffer! Dick Puffer! Hah! Hah! Hah! I called him up to get a quote for a story and to see if I could keep a straight face when he answered the phone, "Richard Puffer."
He answered the phone, "Dick Puffer."
Since then, I have made a casual study of the best names in the communication business. Vinca LaFleur is a speechwriter I know, Nova Newcomer is an up-and-coming communication consultant and Tack Cornelius is a speechwriter friend.
I wonder if you have any favorite communication names to add, or—hell, it's Friday—non-communicators' names, for that matter.
Tack Cornelius writes to say he’s honored to be named to the all-name team. He contributes a veterans’ committee pick:
Barbara Barbara, who “reported for The Daily Admoreite (Ardmore, Oklahoma) in the mid-’70s. She was married to a Middle Easterner (Lebanese?) whose last name was obviously ‘Barbara,’ which was pronounced ‘Bar-BEAR-ah.'”
A son-of-a-firefighter friend wonders e-loud, “Would Dick Puffer have enjoyed knowing a fireman my dad worked with named Harry Cox?”
Yeah, my own dad’s name was Harry Johnson.
Did Harold have a sense of humor about it?
Another big name in communications, Tudor Williams, isn’t particularly outstanding in its own right, but wait until another measurement expert actually finds the holy grail of ROI in communications and bursts on the scene as Four Door Williams?
What then, I ask you?
Pychologist at Alexandria Hospital in Virginia — Dr. Pepper.
Any idea how I can get in touch with Tack Cornelius? Or could you ask him to get in touch with me? Many thanks.
Philip Terzian
The Weekly Standard
pterzian@weeklystandard.com
202 293 4900