Jay Hill: A Gentle Man

Charismatic. Gatsby-esque. A gentleman who knew how to smile.
Those were just some of the words chosen by colleagues and friends to describe Jay Hill, co-founder of Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, who died at his home in Dedham, Mass., on Friday after a near decade-long fight with prostate cancer.
“All of the advantages of up-country life and none of the horse manure, ” said Hill, Holliday vice chairman Dick Pantano, quoting from an ad Hill had written early in his career that also described him.
The 67-year-old chairman emeritus of the region’s most acclaimed agency is survived by his wife, Ginny; sons Peter, John and David; and a grandchild.
In a memo to staffers, Hill, Holliday chairman and CEO Jack Connors wrote, “Although we didn’t always agree on everything, no one can ever doubt–no one–that we respected each other and that we each recognized neither of us could have built Hill, Holliday without...