Glenn Verrill, a native New Yorker with a master’s degree from Harvard and a promising record as a young ad executive, arrived in Atlanta in 1964 to take the reins of Burke Dowling Adams Inc., a recent acquisition of the nationally renowned advertising agency, Barton Batten Durstine & Osborn.
Verrill took BBDO’s assignment and ran with it.
Over the next quarter-century he ascended to the presidency of BDA/BBDO and presided over an expanded client list. He paid special attention to an up-and-coming client, Delta Air Lines, fashioning its familiar “Delta is ready when you are” ad campaign.
“Glenn helped Delta Air Lines shape its image and corporate story during its rise from a regional airline to a major national carrier,” said Bob Morrison of Atlanta, a former copywriter at BDA/BBDO.
“Glenn was creative, sure, but lots of copywriters can think of catchy marketing slogans. What made him stand out was his ability to sell clients on ideas. They listened to him,” Morrison said.
He also admired Verrill’s leadership style. As president of the agency, Verrill was what Morrison called “a beneficent dictator.”
“As a result there was no office politics in our shop because no one else had any power,” Morrison said. “Glenn wielded power intelligently and, well, beneficently.”
F. Glenn Verrill, 89, of Atlanta died Monday of pneumonia at Emory University Hospital. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church. H.M. Patterson & Son, Spring Hill, is in charge of arrangements.
A longtime supporter of the High Museum, Verrill deserved a triple-crown rating, said the museum’s director, Michael Shapiro of Atlanta.
“One, as a collector and a contributor, Glenn enhanced our collection of American art. Two, as an advertising-savvy member of our board, he gave guidance to our marketing strategies. Three, as a docent for many years, he helped advance our educational mission,” Shapiro said.
Verrill also committed himself to the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University, starting in 1993. Julie Green, the museum’s senior manager of school programs, said he brought with him a passion for art museums as a place of beauty and adventure.
“As chair of the Docent Guild,” she said, “Glenn planned musical and short theatrical presentations related to our classical collections — always with his characteristic tongue- in-cheek humor. In my experience, Glenn approached everything he did with great enthusiasm and a love of life.”
In addition to his docent activities, Verrill also gave lectures on art to adult education classes as part of the Evenings at Emory program.
Before beginning his advertising career, Verrill was a professional musician, performing with New York City jazz ensembles and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. In retirement, he switched to an electronic bass instrument and played at various Atlanta venues with the New Horizons concert band and small jazz combos.
His wife of 58 years, Jean Demar Verrill, also a docent and arts patron, died in 2004. Survivors include a daughter, Joan Seppala of Vienna, Va.; a son, Gary Verrill of Sutton, Mass.; a brother, Ralph Verrill of Huntington Station, N.Y.; and two grandchildren.
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