John Cavanagh

John Charles Cavanagh 1932-2011 John Cavanagh passed away February 22 after a long battle with Alzheimer's; he was 78 years old. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, MaryAnn Cavanagh, his two children, Brad Cavanagh and Karen Cavanagh, and three grandchildren Sophia Cavanagh, Jack Cavanagh and Reed Blomquist. A native San Franciscan, John graduated from St. Ignatius High School and the University of San Francisco, where he was editor of the Foghorn and won several awards during his tenure. He often quipped that "Herb Caen used to steal material from my column when he was short of other fodder." Hoping to leave San Francisco and see the world, he joined the Army and was stationed right in San Francisco at the Presidio where he was in charge of missiles on Mt. Sutro. He was offered the coveted position of General's aide but decided to return to his editorial roots and work in public relations for Kaiser Cement & Gypsum Corporation in Oakland. He met his wife in San Francisco during the time of the jazz greats; they courted in North Beach listening to the Dave Brubeck Quartet and were married in 1959. During a visit to Hawaii to open a cement plant, he was offered a job at an advertising agency in Honolulu. He promptly moved his young family to Hawaii and eventually rose to become partner and owner of Fawcett, McDermott, Cavanagh, Inc., the largest advertising agency in the State of Hawaii in the 1970s. John was instrumental in running the largest advertising account in the Pacific, Sheraton Hotels-Pacific Division for 28 years. His other notable clients were Continental Airlines, The Alaska Visitors Bureau, Aloha Airlines, National Car Rental, Sunkist, Grand Pacific Life Insurance, AMFAC, Finance Factors, Hinode Rice, the Gas Company which became Pacific Resources, Inc., Fiji Vistors Bureau, Maui Visitors & Convention Bureau, Kaanapali Beach Operators Assn. and the Hawaii Visitors Bureau. John was a pioneer in tourism advertising by being the first to produce a cooperative print advertising section for a destination: themed the "Golden People" for the State of Hawaii, it revolutionized how destinations promote themselves to this day by leveraging the advertising funds of all tourism partners and applying them to promote one unifying brand message. The agency won numerous creative awards over the years including many local Telly and Pele awards, as well as a Best in the West for a Continental Airlines television commercial. Reaching out to other ad agencies, he helped found and become President of AAAI, an international group of independent affiliated advertising agencies. John loved Hawaii and gave back to the community through his work with the United Way and other charitable organizations. He enjoyed seeing his many business friends at the Outrigger Canoe Club and Pacific Club and playing golf at the Oahu Country Club. John and his wife MaryAnn returned to northern California, settling in Santa Rosa for the past twenty years. He had the wonderful opportunity to see both his children marry and have their own children. He will be dearly missed by all. A private gravesite burial service will be held at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma on June 3.