It is with great sadness that I must share the news of Don Libey’s passing on the 14th March. I was proud to count Don as a friend which he had been for nearly 30 years. I first met him at a DMA conference – Chicago I think, though it may have been Colorado Springs. I had the pleasure of inviting Don to my then offices (on Slough Trading Estate) during a trip he was making to tie up a deal for Rapidforms, a US firm which was acquiring a UK counterpart called Standard Forms. We quickly found we had many acquaintances in common and over a very long lunch in a favourite old school Italian restaurant in Eton High Street we talked about everything from his perfume blending interests (I kid you not) to the Vietnam war, the list business, and how much space there was in the UK market for all those hundreds of US catalog businesses.
As time moved on I was in regular contact with Don. I’d ask him if he could recommend contributors to Catalogue & Mail Order Business, the forerunner of Direct Commerce magazine, and which speakers were setting the US direct marketing conferences alight. (Who do you think first introduced me to Amy Africa ?)….. I’d ask Don if he’d write me an article and he’d send me a series. I’d ask him if he’d come to London to speak and he’d reply complete with topics and outlines within mere hours. I’d call him sometimes when trying to fathom the best way into or out of certain business scenarios and he was always there with sincere, sage advice. I was proud to import a stock of his books and have been selling them steadily over the years to those in the know.
Don was a true gentleman with a passionate interest in just about everything he came across. I remember his bidding in auctions for Lord of the Manor titles and the research he would undertake to uncover hidden values in those “paper estates”. I recall sitting with him at the back of ballrooms when the ECMOD Awards were presented – both of us close to tears seeing how much it meant to the winners. And when he spoke at our UK events I’d see all of these people on the edge of their seats during his presentations and queuing to speak to him afterwards. I loved the way he’d single out the small business owners and spend time with them one to one. I remember too his kindness when I lost my Dad. He promised me back then that over time every memory of my Dad would become golden and indeed they have.
I most recall the joy in Don’s voice when he told me about his finding his long lost childhood sweetheart and the new life they planned together. Their move to California. His adventures with wine-making. His publishing enterprises. The deals he brokered for clients.
Thanks for everything Don – the memories are already golden.
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