The passing of Sally Steele Metzger left behind not only a loving family and many admirers in the community organizations she was active in and the many entertainment venues in which she performed.
She left behind something more. Something qualitative, not quantitative. One can always add up who was more active, and who less. This does not touch the quality of Sally Steele Metzger that spoke of a different level of commitment.
For those in the public relations field, the dominant style today is to represent the client — but also oneself. PR has become a stepping stone. It’s still about the client, the organization, the non profit, the business, but it’s also heavily about self-promotion.
Sally Steele Metzger’s 25-year tenure as the head of marketing at Rose Medical Center was about the hospital. It was always front and center. Its successes, its challenges, its growth, its physicians, its research were not about Sally Steele Metzger or the way she crafted the image of the hospital. It was only about the hospital.
She came from an age when the task of advancing something of value, outside oneself, was intrinsically valuable and self-fulfilling. The name at the end of the press release was there just to provide validity to the information therein and the source for further information. The heart of the matter was the information itself. The institution. The advancement of health. The challenges to the health field. The fundraising events — always the focus on the client.
It was a different mentality. A different kind of fulfillment. A different kind of life goal. A different understanding of what is important.
No doubt, there remain PR professionals of this style today, but they are overwhelmed by the image-seeking that seems to grab almost everyone in this age of instant, visual communication. To say that Sally Steele Metzger was of the “old school” is not to date her, but to celebrate her values, her service, her nature.
All of that is deeply missed with her passing.
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