Former Ketchum president ran Onorato, Murphy campaigns
An “unforgettable character” with integrity and sharp instincts, Gerald “Jerry” Voros could work a room and zero in on a problem and always bring out the best of those around him.
“He had the ability to make you want to be your best,” recalled Dan Onorato, a Democrat who counted on Mr. Voros to chair his campaigns for Allegheny County executive and governor. “He had a gift for people. Jerry liked working with people, and he appreciated talented people.”
Mr. Voros also managed the campaigns of former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy, served as president of Ketchum Communications and worked as a volunteer for numerous boards and organizations in the area.
Mr. Voros, 88, of Shadyside, died Monday, several days after suffering a stroke.
He was born in Milwaukee and earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Marquette University in 1951.
He joined the Marine
Corps after college and served in the Korean War until 1953.
In November 1958, Mr. Voros married Carla Olson in Salt Lake City. She died in 2002, and Mr. Voros married Jane Shorall in 2004.
During the early years of his career, he worked as a newspaper reporter in Idaho, Washington and Utah before transitioning into the public relations industry.
In the early 1960s, he worked for public relations agencies in Denver and Chicago before accepting a job in 1966 as an account executive for what was then Ketchum MacLeod & Grove. The public relations firm would eventually become Ketchum Communications, one of the largest private employers in Pittsburgh in its heyday.
Mr. Voros was named president in 1979 and continued in that role until his retirement in 1992.
“Jerry was someone that everyone looked up to,” said former Ketchum executive Bob Butter. “His PR skills were unparalleled. He could define a situation quickly
and figure out what to do.”
As a former reporter, Mr. Voros appreciated good writing, Mr. Butter said, and he led by example.
“He was one of those unforgettable characters who everyone trusted,” Mr. Butter said. “He was a man of great integrity — someone who was insightful, wise, generous and had good instincts.”
Even after his retirement, Mr. Voros often got together with former co-workers and helped to plan reunions, Mr. Butter said.
“He rose through the ranks at Ketchum, but he never lost touch of what got him to the top of the organization,”
he said. “He stayed in touch with people who he worked with.”
As a civilian aide to the U.S. Army, Mr. Voros volunteered to train public affairs staff members for jobs at the Pentagon, and he also gave his time and expertise to the Boy Scouts of America, where he served as chair of the international committee and organized several world jamborees.
Mr. Voros chaired a number of local government boards, including the Pittsburgh Parking Authority, the Pittsburgh Housing Authority and the Allegheny Regional Asset District, where he served as one of the original members of the board, formed in 1994.
He was a generous person by nature, Mr. Onorato said.
“Jerry was one of the greatest people I ever met,” Mr. Onorato said. “He was a giver of his time, his money, his energy and his thoughts.”
Mr. Voros also volunteered on the boards of several local organizations, including the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy,
the Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind and Catholic Charities.
His expertise in the political arena helped launch the parks conservancy in 1996, founder Meg Cheever said.
“He was an early supporter of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy,” Ms. Cheever said. “It was helpful to us in navigating political waters to have somebody as savvy as Jerry supporting us. He was also very strategic.”
His service with the World Affairs Council also had a major impact, president Angelica Ocampo said.
“He really was critical in working to make sure the council could achieve sustainability,” Ms. Ocampo said. “He believed deeply in the mission of the council.”
A family man who loved to brag about his children and grandchildren, Mr. Voros was also a good friend and mentor, Ms. Ocampo said.
“He was one of the those people who are larger than life,” she said. “There was always a moment of laughter being with him. He didn’t suffer fools lightly, but he
was witty and funny and smart.”
Mr. Onorato said he would remember Mr. Voros as someone who was trustworthy with sage advice.
“He was a confidant of mine — somebody I trusted with everything I did. He was someone I could bounce any idea off,” he said. “Jerry had a personality that was contagious. You would always want to be around him.”
In addition to his wife, Mr. Voros is survived by his daughters, Bergen Peterson of Vermillion, S.D., and Marta Dash of McCandless; his sons, John of Marshfield, Wis., Andrew of Brentwood, Calif., and Matthew of Seattle; a brother, Thomas of Sun City, Ariz.; 11 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are private.
Memorial donations are suggested to the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh at https://www.worldpittsburgh.org.