Kenneth J. Pace

PACE, Kenneth J. (82), retired advertising executive, died quietly Friday, June 26, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, bringing welcome respite from a prolonged and debilitating illness. He was born June 15, 1927 in the small Mormon town of Nephi, Utah to Raymond Garrett Pace and Maybel Carter Pace. Ken attended high school in Provo, Utah, where he grew to a commanding 6' 4" and graduated in time to serve in the United States Navy during the closing years of World War II. Seaman First Class Pace was awarded a Meritorious Mast for publishing "72 Hours at Shoemaker," a pamphlet created to assist seamen in their transition to stateside from the war in the Pacific-and harbinger of his future in communications.
Following his honorable discharge he earned a B.S. degree in journalism from Brigham Young University. A prominent student leader and political activist, he was literally a Big Man on Campus. He was named editor of the Y News, BYU's campus newspaper. During that tenure he stirred a heated debate by changing the name of the paper to the "Brigham Young Universe" without asking anyone's permission...a trait that persisted throughout his lifetime. The protests waned and the name stuck. Ken married Lila Mae McDonald of Orem, Utah on March 16, 1949 and their union produced three daughters and a son. The couple divorced many years later, after which Ken married Linda Little on October 15, 1976. Following his graduation from BYU Ken launched his advertising career by forming his own advertising agency in Provo. There he served a number of local clients until 1962, when he was persuaded to join Marsteller Inc., a Chicago advertising and public relations agency. Hired as an account executive, he served a number of blue-chip clients, including General Motors, Weyerhauser, Abbott Laboratories and GTE. He rose to vice president, director of client services. After making significant contributions to the agency's rapid growth in Chicago, he accepted a transfer to Los Angeles as vice president, general manager of Marsteller's Los Angeles office. After five years he joined Cole & Weber, a Seattle agency, as general manager of its Los Angeles office. He then capped his memorable career by moving to the client side of the business as head of corporate communications for Ameron in its Los Angeles headquarters, where he served until his retirement. Ken is survived by his wife, Linda, his children with Lila McDonald Pace: Kendra Pace Pravettoni (Giordano), Linda Pace Alexander (Abbott), Anita Pace (John Welchman), Jordan M. Pace and grandchildren Liam and Lily Pace-Welchman and brother Neil Emerson Pace. A viewing will be held at Forest Lawn Thursday, July 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in room D&E in the white building on the left as you enter Forest Lawn at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in Hollywood. The viewing will be followed by a funeral service in the Old North Church at 12:00 noon. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to Tower Cancer Research Foundation, 9229 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210.