Wunderman, Lester

Lester Wunderman is an advertising executive primarily in the direct marketing industry, founder of an agency in his name now a subsidiary of Young & Rubicam, and a noted collector of Dogon (Mali) art works.

From the description of Lester Wunderman Papers, 1946-2010 and undated. (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 698113998

• 1920 June 22: Born, New York, N.Y.
• 1939: Co-founder, with brother Irving, Coronet Advertising Service
• 1942 - 1947 : Vice President, Caspar Pinsker Advertising Agency
• 1947: Joined Maxwell Sackheim & Co. advertising agency; eventually promoted to Executive Vice President
• 1958: President and Founder, Wunderman Ricotta & Kline (WRK)
• 1961 Oct. 1: Speech to Hundred Million Club (precursor to Direct Marketing Club of New York); first documented use of the term direct marketing in a speech by Wunderman
• 1967: Mail Order Man of the Year, Advertising Club of New York MIT speech, elaboration of the direct marketing concept before the American Marketing Association; speech later read into the Congressional Record
• 1973: WRK merged with Young & Rubicam
• 1973 - 1976 : Travels to Africa; photography of Dogon life and sculpture
• 1977: Chairman, WRK
• 1981: Frontiers of Direct Marketing published
• 1982: Direct Marketer of the Year, Direct Marketing Day in New York
• Circa 1982 - 1989 : Chairman, Visiting Committee of the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Metropolitan Museum of Art
• 1983: Direct Marketing Association Hall of Fame
• 1984: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Brooklyn College, City University of New York
• 1985: Focus Award, Montreux Symposium of Direct Marketing
• Circa 1986 - 1992 : Trustee, Children's Television Workshop
• 1987: WRK name change to Wunderman Worldwide
• 1988: Special Exhibition of Wunderman's Dogon art collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, N.Y., and the Louvre, Paris
• 1992: Wunderman Worldwide merger with Cato Johnson to form Wunderman Cato Johnson
• 1994: Edward N. Mayer, Jr. Award for Educational Leadership, Direct Marketing Educational Foundation
• 1996: Wunderman LLC consulting firm Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay published
• 1997: Lifetime Achievement Award, Direct Marketing Day in New York
• 1998: Advertising Hall of Fame
• 1998: Retired from Wunderman Cato Johnson
• 2001: Wunderman Cato Johnson renamed Wunderman, NY; Wunderman named Chairman Emeritus
• 2004: Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay, second edition, published
• 2010: Chairman Emeritus, Visiting Committee, Rockefeller Wing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, N.Y.

In addition, Wunderman has been involved in a range of professional and personal activities:

Education: Adjunct Professor of Marketing, Columbia University School for Continuing Education; Visiting Clinical Professor of Direct Marketing, School for Continuing Education, New York University; Chairman, Executive Committee, Center for Direct Marketing, New York University; Editorial Review Board, Journal of Direct Marketing, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University; Lectured on direct marketing, primitive art, communications and advertising. Attended New York University, City University of New York, Brooklyn College, Columbia University.

Professional organizations: Director, The Advertising Council; Board of Directors, Direct Marketing Association; Secretary/Treasurer, American Association of Advertising Agencies; Founding Chairman, DMA International Strategic Forum on Direct Marketing; Director, The Marketing Consortium; Founder, Lester Wunderman Instituut, Amsterdam. Co-Founder (with Cornell Capa and Jacqueline Kennedy), International Center of Photography

Specialist in Dogon (Mali) art: Assembled the largest privately held collection of Dogon art, which toured several museums before a large portion of the collection was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre; the collection formed the illustrations on several books on African art.

Humanitarian work: Administrative Council, UNESCO International Fund for the Promotion of Culture; Co-Chairman, Friends of Leopold Senghor Foundation; President, Wunderman Foundation, which funds research in developing regions. Member, UNICEF, Paris.

From the guide to the Lester Wunderman Papers, 1946-2010 and undated, (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)