Dining with Della: Jim Gilmore at Dockside Restaurant
February 29, 2016
With more than eight decades under his belt, Jim Gilmore is a
happily retired, hopeless romantic. He has been married four times and has
lived a “rat pack” style life that would be the envy of many young men today.
Always dapper, this gent sports jaunty hats and a man purse like no other.
I first met Jim in the late 70s while he was the PR guy for the BC Medical Association (now Doctors of BC). I was doing communications for the Heart Foundation and we,
along with colleagues from the Cancer Society, the Lung Association and City of
Vancouver did a big smoking cessation program called Cold Turkey Day. It was a
zany promotion complete with live turkeys (not recommended, ever!) and people
getting their pictures in the Vancouver Sun for pledging to quit smoking. We
won an award of excellence from the PR Society and had a blast working
together.
Jim and I reconnected last year through our mutual buddy, Leigh Carter and have been sharing life stories and confabbing about politics ever since.
Jim and I reconnected last year through our mutual buddy, Leigh Carter and have been sharing life stories and confabbing about politics ever since.
We met up at the Granville Island Hotel, one of Jim’s favourite
places. When I arrived for our late afternoon cocktail he was happily sipping a
beer and munching on an order of fries. I love a man who knows what he likes.
Jim feels his life compartmentalizes into basically four eras. The
marriages and families that resulted enriched his life. He is still good
friends with all of his stepchildren and his own offspring (boy and girl twins born in 1956).
He prides himself on the ability to move on. As he said, “With
four marriages, there were obviously some unhappy times. Things always just
seem to happen and you have to not let it bother you.
There are twists in the road but you have to treat them as a straight-on
freeway because things will turn out fine as long as you are willing to move on.”
What worked...
What one bit of communication impacted your life?
Jim worked with the Optometry Association in the mid 60s
getting eye doctors recognized as part of the medical profession. It is a story
filled with “mad men” antics of politicos bombarded during question
period every day on the topic and mobilizing optometrists to get their cause
recognized. They knew where every Minister was attending dinners or events across Canada and made sure optometrists were front and centre with their messages. Heck, he even moved
their head office to Ottawa. The Minister of Health of the day said Jim made
his life miserable. Jim even got a direct call from Prime Minister,
Diefenbaker. They eventually won.
The only word for his strategies and approach would be tenacious.
He developed those techniques in his earlier life as a reporter.
It was how he nabbed an interview with Frank Sinatra (yes, that Frank Sinatra). Mr. Sinatra was famous for not doing interviews. Jim focused on a guy named Sal (yes,
really) and called him every day for a month. It was while they were filming
Oceans 11 (I am not kidding). There is more to the story, including something about a piece of paper in a pocket with a name on it, sidebars about people like George Burns, and a big red Cadillac, but
ultimately he scored the interview. Jim was a huge Sinatra fan and was bound
and determined to add this story to his bevy of tales. His journalistic prowess
was bar none.
I could listen to Jim tell vintage reporter stories all day long.
What did not work...
When Jim worked with the BC Medical Association, they convinced
the government to bring in an infant car seat law. They also worked out a
deal with a manufacturer and gave out safety seats to New Year’s babies throughout the province. It generated tons of press with doctors in communities
everywhere. They loved the positive feel-good coverage. After he left that job,
the program got cancelled. It still really ticks him off. “Only $4,000 for all
that great coverage," he laments.
What if...
What advice would you give to your younger self to enhance your ability to communicate with others – and why?
Jim says he would have better educated himself. He is the
quintessential self-taught man. No formal schooling for this fellow who started his work life as a copyboy at the age of 15. He went to a lot of conferences knowing if he
got one idea, it was worth the expense. He felt results were more important than
diplomas. He said he was too lazy to go for a lot of awards but still beams when
he talks about receiving the PR Society Pat Monk Award. You get that one for
leadership in Public Relations. Truly deserved.
He would also advise not to whistle in a newsroom. He learned
that little tidbit by being told to go wash all the black ribbon from the
typewriters and hang it in the washroom. That humour will probably zip by those
who have never experienced pounding away on an Underwood. Typewriter ribbon
should never be washed. This was prankster punishment for disrupting his fellow journalists. As for whistling in
a news room, this tip would not apply today as they are often wearing headsets and plugged into their
computers.
With his classic chuckle, Jim said he might be compelled to give a lot of cliché advice like "Don’t go to bed mad" but then he was quick to say he never did subscribe to such rules. Obviously.
My hat is off to you, Jim, for living life fully. He is moving to Victoria in the next few days and jokingly said how that might result in a new Mrs. Gilmore.
My hat is off to you, Jim, for living life fully. He is moving to Victoria in the next few days and jokingly said how that might result in a new Mrs. Gilmore.
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