Dick Friel

Dick FRIEL "You only go around once in life, and if you do it right, once is enough." One of a kind, larger than life, and full of love for his family and friends, Dick Friel passed away peacefully Thursday morning at Bailey-Boushay House in Seattle. He was a giant of marketing and advertising, a true pioneer in aviation, and the king of fun - and fund-raising - as a charity auctioneer. Richard E. Friel was born Oct. 16, 1933 in Philadelphia and grew up in New York City before moving to the Northwest. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1952, saw duty in the Marine Corps as the handsomest Officers Club lifeguard in Hawaii ("Hey, nobody drowned!"), and completed his studies at the UW in 1960. His stellar marketing career ("One more business card, and I'll have enough for a coffee table") began in the "Mad Men" era and ran straight up to the present. Along the way he handled regional promotions for the Bon Marche (appearing in many of the ads); was president of Thermo-Dynamics, an Alaska-based high tech company; owned Skogland, Friel, Willey and Ware, the highly creative Seattle advertising agency; was Senior Account Manager and laugh-getter for the award-winning John Brown & Partners agency; and helped reshape the corporate image of the $450 million retail giant, Pay N' Pak. Dick's passion for aviation first took off in the 1960s as VP of Marketing for Gates Learjet. He was named Man of the Year by the American Management Association for positioning the private business jet as a "workhorse" rather than a toy. Gifted with a lifelong flair for the grand gesture, he was part of the America's Cup run of the 12-meter yacht Intrepid, and in 1988 he helped to organize "Friendship One Around the World for Kids" - the record-breaking, round-the-world flight of a Boeing 747 (in 36 hours, 45 minutes, 15 seconds) that carried 100 lucky passengers and raised $500,000 for children's charities. In 1992, after many intermediate stops, he landed on the dream team formed by Joe Clark to create and promote Blended Winglet technology. As the VP and Director of Marketing for Aviation Partners based in Seattle, his award-winning "Think Winglets" and "The Future Is On The Wing" campaigns routinely won Ad of the Year honors and were largely responsible for the successful branding of Blended Winglets with near-universal acceptance. Today, more than 3,000 Boeing, Hawker, Falcon and Gulfstream II jets worldwide are flying Blended Winglets, with a savings of 1.9 billion gallons of fuel to date. In 2009, a special award by the Museum of Flight recognized Dick's lifetime achievements. And, did somebody say charity? Raise those paddles. Along with his lovely wife and "Vanna White of the auction circuit," Sharon, the "Million Dollar Man" was the go-to gala auctioneer for over 30 years and 2,500 events in the US and abroad. Together, Dick and Sharon raised a whopping $300 million dollars for a list of worthy causes much too long to list here. It was an act that traveled beautifully. They introduced the charity auction concept to Australia, were annual guests of the Australian Opera Auction in Sydney and set a record Down Under by raising $1.1 million in one night for the arts in Melbourne. In 2001, Dick and Sharon also shared the Pennington Award, the highest recognition given by Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, for their dedication and service. Dick also brightened the boards of PONCHO, the Seattle Symphony, Big Brothers of King County, the Washington Arthritis Foundation, United Cerebral Palsy, Spastic Children's Clinic, and many others. Never one to flee the stage ("He did 20 minutes every time the refrigerator light came on"), Dick was featured in hundreds of radio and TV commercials, and played the role of Bob Mahoney in the John Wayne film, McQ. His fabulous partnership with Sharon was sealed in 1963 when she was Emmett Watson's assistant. On his third try at proposing ("I'm closing now, it's your last chance") he succeeded in getting her to say yes. Forty years of priceless Christmas letters, written by Sharon with one-liners by Dick, tell the tale of a lively home life. The boys, Rick and Chris, appear in pictures with Santa starting in '66 and '68. They survive a KISS concert, start rock bands with their parents as roadies, take family trips to Lopez and Maui, join in roaring holiday feasts and never lose the love and support of their mother and "Mr. Wonderful." To make a long story short, Dick Friel did it right. Dick is survived by his wife, Sharon, sons Rick and Chris, daughter-in-law Kim, sister-in-law Carolee, and her husband Tom Mathers. A celebration of his life will be held on Monday, January 25th, at 4:00 p.m. at the Museum of Flight, beginning with a flyover of jets in the "missing man" formation. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his name may be made to The Dick and Sharon Friel Endowment for Uncompensated Care at Seattle Children's Hospital; The Seattle Foundation; The Museum of Flight; or the Lopez Island Historical Museum. In closing, Dick liked to joke that it's always a good day when you don't see your name in the Obituaries. For those who knew him, that megawatt grin will never fade. He deserves to get the last word: "I love you, babe. Onward & upward. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU."