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Douglas Leigh

Douglas Leigh. “A man who thinks in a dimension beyond the expected.”. Early Years.

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Douglas Leigh

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  1. Douglas Leigh “A man who thinks in a dimension beyond the expected.”

  2. Early Years • Born in Anniston, Alabama in 1907, Leigh later moved to Greenville, where he attended Greenville High School. As a GHS student, he served as advertising agent of the yearbook and ran a magazine agency in his spare time. • He went to the University of Florida but dropped out in 1927 after he bought $2,000 worth of yearbook advertising and sold it for a profit of $5,000. • After quitting his job with a Birmingham advertising firm, Leigh moved to New York City, where he began his own company in 1929, Douglas Leigh Inc.

  3. Establishing a Legacy • In exchange for free room and board and a $50 a month pay, Leigh designed a billboard for the St. Moritz Hotel. This provided him with a Central Park South address with which to begin business. • Leigh’s first major work was a 15-foot wide coffee cup for A&P. From there, he created a blinking penguin for Kool cigarettes, a clown tossing quoits in the shape of the Ballantine ale logo, and an animated cartoon for Old Gold cigarettes. • Known as the “sign king of Broadway,” he designed such famous creations as the massive Pepsi waterfall, the Camel cigarette sign which puffed out 5-foot rings of smoke, and the Times Square display for Coca-Cola which donned the phrase “Thirst knows no season,” and featured a small house with rain, sun, snow, and cloud pictures to be shown in accordance with the forecast.

  4. Later Accomplishments • Leigh was hired as the executive for multiple projects, including helping the Navy, organizing lighting for the 1976 Democratic Party Presidential Convention, and handling advertising for the NYC bus system. • He was involved with Manhattan real estate, including buying the Allied Chemicals building, and he served on the NYC Broadway Association for 13 years. • Leigh was also the principal consultant on city projects for the New York World Fair from 1964 to 1965 as well as the lighting executive for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

  5. Personal Life • Leigh and his wife Elsie are the parents of two daughters and four stepchildren. They also have eight grandchildren. • In his later years, Leigh divided his time between Oyster Bay, Long Island; Palm Beach, Florida; and New York City.

  6. Click on the speaker icon to the right. Interview: Stepdaughter Prudence Blair 1.What was his best memory at Greenville High? Douglas was very fond of the school and was always excited to be there. He was very involved in his advertising business which helped lead him into his future career. What was your best memory of him? I loved that he was a very low key man and always acted like a Southern gentleman. Also, he was an extremely creative and driven individual. 2. What were his plans, goals, dreams? His dream was always to go to New York City because he knew that was where he wanted to be. He arrived there with only 15 dollars and was determined to make it work. He was always motivated in his pursuit to be successful.

  7. Interview…continued 3. Who was his greatest mentor? He always looked up to Harry Helmsley, a man who he met in the NYC development business. He was also very fond of Donald Trump’s father. How did he influence you? He never let his success go to his head. He taught our family how to handle success gracefully and how to be humble. He was such a warm person and always a gentleman. 4. What was his greatest accomplishment? If I had to say, it would be his work on the Atlanta Olympics. He was hired to work on projects for lighting the entire city.

  8. By Allen and Clair Allen conducted the interview and got the information from the GHS Wall of Fame. Clair researched on the internet and recorded the interview. Both put together the PowerPoint presentation.

  9. References • Leigh, Douglas. Greenville High School Wall of Fame plaque. • "Douglas Leigh." Wikipedia. 5 May 2008. 17 May 2008 (photograph). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Leigh • Gray, Christopher. "Streetscapes / Douglas Leigh, Sign Maker; the Man Behind Times Square's Smoke Rings." New York Times. 16 May 2008 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9504EFDA123DF937A15753C1A96E958260 • Martin, Douglas. "Douglas Leigh, the Man Who Lit Up Broadway, Dies At 92." New York Times. 16 Dec. 1999. 16 May 2008 <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE2DB1730F935A25751C1A96F958260>

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