James DeSantis, retired PR expert and 34-year Club member, dies

James R. DeSantis, a retired public relations expert and a 34-year member of the National Press Club, died Sept. 24 at his home in Boyton Beach, Fla.  He was 75.

The information below is excerpted from an obituary written by Dan Herbeck in DeSantis' hometown newspaper, The Buffalo News. Read the complete obituary here.

"James R. DeSantis had all the right stuff to become a top professional in the world of public relations. 

He was a jokester, a prankster and a former Buffalo radio disc jockey. He also was a first-rate storyteller who worked hard to earn the trust of journalists and help them make their deadlines.

In the late 1960s, he took an entry level job at the State University at Buffalo. He worked his way up to the position of vice president for public affairs. He also served as president of the University Relations Council for the entire state university system before leaving UB in 1984. He later worked in high-profile public relations jobs in Washington, D.C., and Florida.

“Jim was a very outgoing guy who was the life of the party, anywhere he went,” recalled his brother, Andy DeSantis of Wheatfield. “Jim could walk into any room or any situation and start telling stories, and people would just gather around him and listen. He loved his work in public relations.”

...Born in Bradford, PA., he was raised in Kenmore. He graduated from Cardinal Dougherty High School, Canisius College and UB, where he earned a master’s degree in education and organizational communication.

A big fan of rock 'n' roll and doo-wop music, Mr. DeSantis, as a high school student, began working as a disc jockey at local “sock hops” attended by teenagers all over Western New York. He later worked as a disc jockey at two Buffalo-area radio stations, the old WNIA-AM  and WADV-FM. 

After a career of more than 16 years, he received an appointment from the administration of President Ronald Reagan to work as special assistant to the chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. After a year in that position, he was hired as vice president for public affairs at the National Wildlife Commission. Mr. DeSantis launched the organization’s first national television series on PBS, and he produced public service announcements featuring Robert Redford, John Denver, Jim Henson and other celebrities who supported environmental causes.

According to his daughter, Elizabeth Vallejo, Mr. DeSantis served on the boards of 15 different nonprofit organizations and helped nonprofits raise a total of $600 million during his career.

After leaving the wildlife commission in 1988, he worked for several organizations in Florida, Washington and Maryland, including  the National Italian-American Foundation in Washington and the Astronauts Memorial Foundation at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At the time of his death, he was running his own fundraising, marketing and communications firm, James DeSantis LLC.

He was especially proud to be a member of the National Press Club, to which he was nominated by his longtime friend, the late Tim Russert.

“Dad's passion was public relations, which underscored his innate ability to relate to others and communicate effectively in order to get things done for the greater good,” his daughter said.

Mr. DeSantis is also survived by a sister, Rose Marie Masse, and a second brother, Joseph."