Celia Cohen

Celia Cohen, the first woman in the state of Kansas to own her own accredited Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) agency, died June 15 in Scottsdale, Ariz., where she lived. She was 93. The cause of death was ovarian cancer, according to her son Steven. Mrs. Cohen opened her public relations agency in Wichita, Kan., in 1969 and operated her business for 21 years. Her clients include non-profit organizations, government agencies, and for-profit companies; she advised elected officials, promoted Wichita State University, the City of Wichita, Wichita Theater Organ, the Wichita performances of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and Vornado, to name a few. Born in Kansas City, Kansas, on April 12, 1923, Mrs. Cohen graduated from Wyandotte High School, where she wrote a column for the high school newspaper, “Fads and Fashions,” in 1940. She attended the University of Oklahoma and the University of Nebraska. Years later she attended and graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism in 1967. In addition to returning to college at a time when homemakers did not, Mrs. Cohen was unusual also in that she owned her own business. Prior to founding her own agency, Mrs. Cohen worked from 1967 to 1969 at Parkinson-Krebbs-Setter, a public relations firm in Wichita. A Wichita resident from 1950 through 1994, Mrs. Cohen was active in the Wichita community. She was a past president of the Kansas chapter of PRSA, president of Wichita Press Women, and president of the Hebrew Congregation Sisterhood. Mrs. Cohen served on the boards of the Wichita State University Alumni Association and United Way of Wichita. In 1994 Mrs. Cohen moved to Scottsdale, where she volunteered at the Mayo Clinic and was a real estate agent. At the age of 82 she was hired as a lobby ambassador at the Westin Kierland Resort Hotel & Spa in Scottsdale. She worked for the Starwood property for 11 years, finishing her last day on May 8, Mothers Day, this year. While at the Westin Kierland Mrs. Cohen received the Arizona Governors Tourism Award in 2011 and 2012. The award is given annually to one individual in the state who best exemplifies Arizona hospitality to visitors, tourists, businesses, and families. Mrs. Cohen was predeceased by her husband and two sons. Her son, Steven, survives her and resides in Herndon, Virginia. Graveside services will be held at the Hebrew Congregation Cemetery in Wichita on Monday, June 20, at 4:30 p.m.. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mrs. Cohens memory to Mayo Clinic Arizona or Temple Solel in Paradise Valley, Arizona.