Chronicle’s legendary Pam Rudy retires after 30 years
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pam Rudy relaxes with Biscuit.
After working at the Larchmont Chronicle for 30 years, Advertising Director Pam Rudy has retired. Her lengthy tenure started with a random encounter with Jane Gilman, co-founder and former editor of the paper.
As an entrenched local and lifelong resident of South Gramercy Place, Rudy graduated from Los Angeles High and went on to receive a master’s degree in education from Occidental College. She married, worked as a teacher and then left the workforce to start a family.
As her children grew, Rudy worked for a marketing firm. Rudy had never met Gilman, but Gilman was so active in the neighborhood that Rudy knew who she was. Her future boss saw Rudy out one day and asked her to come in for a meeting. According to Rudy, “The interview lasted five minutes. She hired me as the receptionist with a computer! From then on, it was all Larchmont Chronicle, all the time.”
She soon moved up to selling classified ads, and when Dawne Goodwin, Chronicle co-founder, retired, Rudy became head of advertising.
Over the years, Gilman and Rudy became a treasured team. They did song-and-dance routines promoting the newspaper at annual Miracle Mile Chamber of Commerce meetings. With Gilman’s encouragement, Rudy joined the Wilshire Rotary Club and in 1997 was named president. She launched the yearly pumpkin patch and Christmas tree lot on Larchmont Boulevard, hosted by Wilshire Rotary. “I stood in line in downtown L.A. to get the permits to use the lot,” Rudy said. “So many people depend on the lots.”
“I really enjoyed my job,” Rudy continued. And working with Gilman for over 20 of those 30 years—Gilman retired in 2015—they became very good friends and still are to this day. “Amazing is the word for Jane. She made things fun, and I learned so much from her,” commented Rudy.
The ever-cheery, colorfully dressed and upbeat Rudy is ready for the next chapter. She’s selling her childhood home and moving to Orange County with her partner, Pierre Debbaudt, and their two dogs. She will be closer to her son and his wife and more involved with her two granddaughters. She’s trying to convince her daughter to move down to Orange County from Northern California with her two sons. Now that sounds like a perfect scenario.
We will miss Pam’s perpetual smile at the Chronicle, but we wish her the best of times in her new adventures.
Category: People
