Edward Vick

Edward H. Vick is a former US naval officer, businessman and volunteer worker for veterans' causes. He served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War^[1] and received two Bronze Star Medals with Combat “V”, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Presidential Unit Citation and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. His business career was spent in the marketing communications business, including most recently, the chairmanship of Young & Rubicam Advertising and its parent, Young & Rubicam Inc. Vick has also been active in veterans’ causes and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Vietnam Veterans of America for his volunteer work.

Biography

A native of Philadelphia, Vick attended Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Northwestern University, Illinois, with Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at UNC.

A Naval officer prior to commencing his business career, Vick served two tours of duty in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. His first in 1967 was as a Division Officer aboard the ammunition ship USS Mauna Loa (AE-8) off the coast of Vietnam. In 1968 Vick volunteered to return to Vietnam with the Navy’s River Patrol Force. Serving with several different River Divisions at the height of the war in 1969, he led over 100 combat missions throughout Vietnam’s Mekong Delta and along the Cambodian border. He was awarded Bronze Star Medals with Combat “V”, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Presidential Unit Citation and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and other decorations. In 2003, he published the historical novel Slingshot based on his experiences during the war. Thomas Corey, past president of Vietnam Veterans of America called the book, "A graphic and compelling picture of Vietnam’s warriors. A picture that today, more than ever, people need to understand and appreciate."

After service, Vick worked in the marketing communications business for 30 years, spending nearly half of that in Chairman, CEO or COO positions. He held one or more of these top roles at Ammirati & Puris,^[1] Landor, Young & Rubicam New York, Young & Rubicam Advertising and Young & Rubicam Inc. and was chairman of both Young & Rubicam Advertising and its parent, Young & Rubicam Inc. During Vick’s tenure, Young & Rubicam won numerous creative awards and was named Agency of the Year on several occasions. He retired in 2001.

Vick was active in veterans’ causes. He first served on the Board of the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program, a mentoring effort undertaking in New York in the early 1980s. New York Mayor Ed Koch appointed him to the Board of the New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial Commission. Vietnam Veterans of America bestowed its Lifetime Achievement Award on him for his work in support of that organization’s goals. He was involved in furthering the causes of veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts through both Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and the political action committee VoteVets.

Beyond veterans’ causes, he served on a number of other boards including The American Foundation for Aids Research, the United Negro College Fund, The Advertising Education Foundation, and The American Association of Advertising Agencies. He was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Union League, Merion Golf Club and The Ends of the Earth Society.

References

1. Edelman, Bernard (30 May 2002). Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 262. ISBN 978-0-393-32304-7. Retrieved 31 August 2010.

Bibliography

• Vick, Edward (2002). Slingshot. Bedford, N.Y.: Bedford Press. ISBN 978-1-4010-7473-9.