Mentor Me

One of my greatest mentors and dear friends, David Nuffer, passed early this morning. He will be greatly missed by many. His great passions for life ranged from the San Diego Padres and Ernest Hemingway, to world travel and bullfighting -- all shared with his lovely wife, Mary.

He certainly taught me some key things that contributed to successes over the years. Here's a couple:

Lesson 1: Seek wisdom and take action.
I did an internship with Dave's agency -- Nuffer, Smith, Tucker. When my gig was up, he hired me on. I loved it there -- the team, the clients, the work. I worked my way up from intern to a senior account executive in a fairly short period of time. Then, I don't think I realized why I was having success, but now I know it was because I had great leaders like Dave guiding my development and I followed what they did.

Lesson 2: Choose happiness and pay it forward.
If you've ever worked at an agency, you know about time keeping. Well, many of my hours fell into the "pro bono" category. That was because Dave cared so much about his community. He took on all kinds of projects and I love being involved with them -- from a little PR for Elderhelp to a role with the San Diego Convention and Visitor board. Dave built the largest agency in San Diego over the years. It was also the most generous. He did it all with verve, excitement and happiness.

Dave had another business card in his wallet. It was pink (some were purple). On it read "Minister of Love." In 2003, Jeffere and I had the honor of Dave as the officiant for our marriage. Over the years, he oversaw the vows of nearly 20 couples (maybe more) and I know he enjoyed each.

He was splendid...a king among men.