John, you will be missed! In an era where too few speak out and tell the truth as it is, the lack of your words will leave a vacuum.

You said to the younger generation in your farewell column to study marketing as they were the ones who were going to get our tottering industry back on its feet. Hopefully this younger generation will not be trained by the majority of the older generation that has given up on the magic that our industry once had.

Young imagination and taking risk is the new and most valuable formula to creating magic that gets results.

Your column took risk and most likely it offended, but it was more right than wrong.

I believe that the words of Theodore Roosevelt sum up your 11 years best.

‘It’s not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of the deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at least knows in the end the triumph of his achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while doing greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.’

John, you lived through your column. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Frank Palmer, CEO/chair, DDB Canada, Vancouver, B.C.