Jack Yocom

Public Relations Profile Collection

Introduction

Currently, there are no recorded profiles of Canadian public relations practitioners. Some are listed in the Canadian Who’s Who. Others can be found on the Order of Canada web site. Some may have been the subject of a magazine or periodical article but, generally, there is no systematic collection of the lives and accomplishments of Canadian public relations practitioners who have made significant and extended contributions to the practice.

This collection of profiles, that will include several phases, will provide a consistent method of recording the history of public relations in Canada through the personalities who have developed and influenced the practice. The collection is named in memory of John H. "Jack" Yocom who died in February, 2003.

In the case of those practitioners who have died, colleagues have been interviewed to discuss the individual’s impact on the profession. Other practitioners who have been profiled have been interviewed using a standard set of pre-determined questions prepared by the College of Fellows, Canadian Public Relations Society.

Profiles in Phase 1 include Jack Yocom, Lou Cahill, Ruth Hammond, Mel James, Charles Tisdall, and Pierre Tremblay.

Our thanks to Glenn Sutherland, a public relations student at Centennial College, Toronto, who did initial work on the project, Richard MacFarlane, who continued as researcher and writer on Jack Yocom’s profile and who acted as general editor, Arlette Côté who interviewed and wrote Pierre Tremblay’s profile, Elizabeth Hirst who translated Pierre Tremblay’s profile into English, as well as Barbara Sheffield who acted as project co-ordinator on behalf of the Communications and Public Relations Foundation, and Bart Mindszenthy who acted as co-ordinator on behalf of the CPRS College of Fellows.

The Jack Yocom Public Relations Profile Collection has been made possible by generous support of:

©2007, College of Fellows of the Canadian Public Relations Society and the Communications and Public Relations Foundation; all rights reserved. May be quoted and used only with attribution.