Farewell

In early 1995, I was planning to re-enter the workforce after staying home with my two daughters. I was nervous about leaving my little girls (then a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old) and, although I’d only been at home a few years, I was unsure if I still had what it took to get hired. But I needed to find work – my husband, who is in residential construction, had been struggling since his industry hit a low point in late 1994.

With my solid credentials and decade of experience in public relations, I pored over newspaper want ads (this was pre-online job searches) and submitted my résumé in response to a few opportunities that looked promising.

I was called in to interview at Richardson, Myers & Donofrio (RM&D), a marketing communications agency in Baltimore. I remember nervously sitting in the lobby, thinking of my daughters and doubting my professional self-worth. That day, I interviewed with several people and a few days later, I got the call that I was hired.

For the next eight years, I had the chance to accomplish work I’m proud of to this day. I saw people come and go, and was there when RM&D transitioned into Carton Donofrio Partners (CDP).

Yesterday, CDP announced it will cease operations after almost 50 years. When I heard the news, I reflected on the role I played in the agency’s history and all the experiences I had while working there. I interacted with amazing people and learned from some of the best in the business.

But the most enduring legacy for me is that I met Rosemary Ostmann, who left CDP and later started her own PR firm, Rose Communications. I consider Rosemary a PR mind par excellence who happens to be part best friend, part mentor and part sister to me (my daughters call her Aunt Ro). I value her judgment implicitly. We both share great memories of our time at RM&D/CDP, and I consider it a blessing that our paths crossed there.

To all my former RM&D/CDP colleagues and those I never met, I wish all of you the best. Despite all the ups and downs, it was a marvelous ride.