BYU Communications 301 Oral History Project

“The Music Man” is an American classic and Marian the Librarian is beloved by millions. On September 22, 2006, Provo City Mayor Lewis K. Billings named that day Marian Seeley Day because Seeley, a Provo resident and my grandmother, was the inspiration for the popular character. Her inspiration extends through her family and beyond, most notably to Meredith Wilson, author of “The Music Man,” whom Ms. Seeley knew because her husband, Frank Seeley, worked with Wilson in the Armed Forces Radio Service during WWII.
Seeley is a widow and recently celebrated her 87th birthday. She enjoys genealogy work and is never short on words and stories to tell. Following is a transcript of only a few of those stories she shared with me as we spent a few short hours together in the afternoon of March 20, 2007. The interview went both ways as I asked her about her experiences with the media in her day and age and she asked me about my communications studies. The transcript begins with Ms. Seeley talking about some of her experiences as she and her husband ran an advertising agency in Southern California:

Seeley: We haven’t had an agency for 20 years, so I don’t know what I hear on television…

Kimball: Did you work for an agency? Did you…

Seeley: Frank and I owned an agency for 30 years.

Kimball: An ad agency?

Seeley: An advertising agency. I’ll tell you how we got into it. You know Frank was in Armed Forces Radio during the war and he stayed in after the war for a little while to help them because nearly everyone went out because they were actors, and singers, and directors and everything. But then he decided he did not want to stay in the military anymore. So, he resigned and he joined a large agency in California, the Cormeirs (sp?). And he wrote 150 commercials every week, which, he was pretty tired of that. But they decided to have an agency in San Diego; they were just based in Los Angeles. And they sent Frank down there, and so, he worked hard with it. And we sold our house. And we were getting ready to move and they told him “we’re going to close the agency.” Well that didn’t stop Frank. He thought “I’ve been doing this a long time, I’ll just go around and ask if they’d like me to stay on.” They did, and see at that time I wasn’t working in the office because I was in Los Angeles. But that’s how we became owners of an ad agency. Now, see so, I had been a medical records librarian (laughs).

Kimball: That’s where they got “Marian the Librarian” from, right?

Seeley: Well, no, from Meredith Wilson at AFRS. Well he knew I was a librarian and he thought a medical librarian was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard. But anyway, we did go down there and, as I told you, I did not know Frank had been in journalism. He’d been in law too. But anyway, the thing is, you need to get to know them.

Kimball: Get to know who?

Seeley: The news media. Whether you’re giving information or whether you’re looking from it. Because, now, this is my feeling. They’re quite an arrogant group, if you know what I mean. But, if you find one who really just clicks with you, try to just stick with him or her because they’ll do more for you. And, I was trying to think of the times that we had. We had news media calling on us quite often because some of them had other jobs with it that we had. Now, have you met with any of your news media yet?

Kimball: Yeah, I do it all the time.

Seeley: You do it all the time. Now how do you feel about them?

Kimball: Um, like you say, they’re um…

Seeley: An arrogant group.

Kimball: (Chuckles) Some of them yeah, some of them no.

Seeley: And see that’s a thing too. If you get someone who will do for you, and easy to work with, that’s really a plus. And now, give me a little rundown on what, how you’re conversing with them and how they’re conversing with you.

Kimball: I write a lot of press releases.

Seeley: You write press releases.

Kimball: Uh huh. And then whenever a member of the media wants to meet, like, I work with the tennis teams.

Seeley: Yes.

Kimball: So if any member of the media wants to meet with a tennis player or a coach, then they contact me and I act as a liason.

Seeley: Alright, you’re doing a service to them. Now do they do services back?

Kimball: I try to create better relationships so that they will run the stories that I write so that our team will get more coverage.

Seeley: Yes. You’re right in that. And I think also it depends on where they come from. If you get somebody who has come from New York and you’re in a little town, they may not be as interested. And then again they might. I mean it’s a… but with us, having the agency, they wanted us to have them do for us, see? See that’s a long time. We started that agency in 1956. And I’m trying to think how to phrase this. We had many perks that you can’t have today.

Kimball: Like what?

Seeley: Like when we went from just local commercials, ads on television, to promoting TV, then they were always doing things like when… See it was different than you have with TV now. The time they started was about September. So before September people, actors, directors would come out from New York and they’d do something. Now, one time they came out and we had this big party at pool sides. And poor me. I’m busy going around and I ran in… you don’t maybe know who Greg Morris is, but he was one of the top TV… I ran into him and we just barely didn’t fall into the swimming pool (laughs). But they really wanted us to enjoy it. And then another time we went, you know San Diego Harbor is fair sized, we had dinner on a sailing ship. And when the wind wouldn’t make it go they had a motor. And we had a wonderful time. See, that’s one thing with us. They were trying to get us to promote these things. I’m sure you know it’s different when they’re doing something for you then when you’re doing… but, I don’t know how, now like with you it isn’t big jobs for them, is it? It’s little ones.

Kimball: Yep.

Seeley: And, are you able to know their background? Do you ever, where they schooled, where they lived?

Kimball: The more I deal with people the better I get to know them, but it’s not something that I research before I meet a reporter, normally.

Seeley: And you’re only with them a short time.

Kimball: Correct.

Seeley: But I would… now if you get this permanent job, would you be doing this all the time?

Kimball: Uh huh.

Seeley: Well then maybe you need to know so you could… and one thing with it, you can judge how good they are for what you need. And see, I’ll have to tell you about Frank. When he was finally baptized we’d been married 25 years. So, he was baptized and the next week he went down to Channel 10, and he said to them: “Now you know me. I’ve known you for years and we just do lots of business and bring money in for you. I think you should put the LDS conference on television.” And you know, they did. You see Frank had, what shall I say? He had clout right then. And everybody was really surprised. And Frank wasn’t afraid of media. And I think you won’t be either, the ones maybe you’re using. Now do you usually had your material into one person?

Kimball: No, I have a list of about 35 people that I email stories to.

Seeley: Alright well, you mail all that?

Kimball: Yeah, email.

Seeley: Email. It’s great for email and it’s great for missionaries. I just think how easy it is for the two missionaries who are out who live behind me. They send an email in the late afternoon, and, of course it’s here right away. Then one of the parents sends one that night (chuckles). That’s better than when you were on a mission.

Kimball: We did a little of both. I sent a letter and an email every week and my mom did the same.

Seeley: Well we, Carleton was in France, and it seemed like things would get lost. But anyway, now in your work, do you, say you’re going to have that job permanently, will you go to the same places you’re doing now?

Kimball: No, if I get the permanent job then I’ll be working in other places with different media. I’ll move to Atlanta and work with the people there, but probably not in the Utah market at all.

Seeley: Because it’s really, how much market do we have here?

Kimball: Exactly.

Seeley: But I do think you need, is not go in and have ideas set in your mind, but be aware. They are the media, and you are doing a service for them and they’re doing a service for you. Now, has anybody been in this before?

Kimball: Yes. Lots of people.

Seeley: So they’ve had it. Well, that could be good, it could be bad (chuckles). Do you know any of the fellas?

Kimball: Uh huh. I’ve met a number of people in my field and I’ve done my research a little bit.

Seeley: Well, I think that’s what you have to do because one person who others don’t like can really cure it for you. But you won’t.

Kimball: Did you see any instances of that when you were working in the ad agency?

Seeley: We had some. Advertising is a terrible business. It really is. It’s cutthroat because all the time you have clients, there’s somebody trying to get that client away from you. And when we were about to close, I think it was 1980’s, there were other ad agencies after these clients. But with you it sounds like it’s an ongoing thing. You should know by fall whether you have the job or not?

Kimball: Yes.

Seeley: One thing, you’ve been around. It isn’t like you come from the sticks or the boonies or what. But I would be careful, just be careful. Because they can just ruin you. Not that I think they will, but you have to be careful. And then if you’re in it permanently, with your research and that, you’ll know what’s coming to you. I’m trying to think. The thing, when we first had our agency it was right down town San Diego in the Spreckles (sp?) building. And the fellas might come and they’d say “let’s go get a cup of coffee downstairs.” Well that was fine for Frank, but I always had orange juice. And I would have such an appetite for lunch that I had to watch because I was gaining weight. Also, are the ones you are working with much older or about your age or younger?

Kimball: There’s not many that are much younger than I am, but there’s a lot my age and a lot that are older so there’s a mix.

Seeley: It’s a mix. And, David, you’re smart enough to recognize things. And you have a nice personality meeting and that. I’m not prejudice one bit (laughs). It’s just, there might be days that you’re weary, and others it’s just great. But I’m quite impressed with what you’re doing. Now, is there anything else you need to know?

Kimball: What kind of clients did you have? What was it like working with all these different people? What exactly did you do for the advertising agency?

Seeley: We mainly had car dealers. We had 25 car dealers during the time. Then we had a large furniture store, Gustafsons (sp?). And after Frank joined the Church, they were really nice people, and at Christmas time they’d have a Christmas party for all of the people that worked for them. And they’d have pony rides, and I don’t know. But, with Frank, when he joined the Church he started having priesthood jobs and they were very interested. They were Swedish, but they were very interested that Frank had joined the Church. And Frank kept telling them “If you won’t be open on Sunday, you’ll do better.” Now, the owners could see that, maybe. But the ones that worked there didn’t want to because they were afraid they’d have no business at all. But finally, why, they did do it and they made twice the money. See? And so, they were like our family. That was a good account. The car dealers, some of them are really strange, and some of them wanted to do their own commercials.

Kimball: That’s not a good idea?

Seeley: Well, it would if some did well, but some of them didn’t. You more or less have to go ahead with what they’re doing. And then at that time, the Mexican station did not have an office in San Diego so you had to drive all the way down to Tijuana and then up Goat Hill to the station there. And then there were little boys with telephone poles that they pulled across; the road was dirt, and you had to pay them a dollar. I mean, it was really interesting (chuckles). And then when you got to the station you had to join their union, which cost ten dollars.

Kimball: Did you have to do that every time you went?

Seeley: Every time you went. Then, finally, right now they have an office, or maybe even a TV area where you go. When we moved to San Diego, they were a very small place, and when the fleet went out there were stores that just closed until they came back in. But, we never had anybody who was obnoxious and you’d wish they wouldn’t really come around, but I think you won’t have to be out long in this and you’ll have an idea of what’s going to happen. But with us, see, having the agency, you see we did all the work. We had a wonderful artist and at that time we used to have our color, now see in the 50’s color was hard to get done right. And so we had a fine artist that would do our color commercials. And he, we felt sorry for him because he was an excellent artist and we tried to get a showing for him in La Hoya, but La Hoya people are very snobbish. And so he got a job as curator of the Bishop Museum in Honolulu and he stayed there for years. And so, I took care of the office. That was all. But that sometimes meant getting in the car and driving quite a number of miles to a client. But we just really never had any trouble with them. For one thing we started out when San Diego was growing. You could knock on the door and walk right in to the mayor. And see with the Navy there that was a different thing. We didn’t have a lot to do with the Navy. And the Marines have a Marine recruit area there. I think the newspapers and TV took care when activities were on so we didn’t have to do that. But the clients we had, we had for years and years and years. And it spoiled me, David, because when we went down there I was just learning to drive. And I had to drive from Los Angeles to San Diego in my car with a trailer with some things in all the way down there. I’ll tell you, I was petrified (laughs). But San Diego is a much bigger place, but you’ll be, now you’ll be in Atlanta. Aren’t they like a hub for a lot of places.

Kimball: Yeah.

Seeley: Can you think of anything, and now is there anything you should wear certain things?

Kimball: Sure, there’s a dress code and what not. But if I work for the American Junior Golf Association they’ll actually provide me with what I need.

Seeley: Well now that would be a perk, wouldn’t it? I wasn’t as fond as Frank was of the ad agency because I also had children to watch. But they were good. And then in 1960 I had Christina, which was a big surprise to everybody. But,I was real fortunate. A good friend of mine in the Church had a small girl, and her mother and dad took care of her and they said they’d take care of Christina so it did help me because I had to be down there. And then when Frank went back to school for three years I ran the office and had to make the decisions myself and drive all over. And so, I just learned a lot of things, that, I’m trying to think, I don’t use anymore (chuckles).