Arnold T. Koch

Arnold T. Koch, of Melrose, Mass. died on January 13th at age
90. His career in public relations spanned 40 years developing and implementing
regional and national public relations programs for a wide range of Fortune 100 and 500
companies. He also provided public relations counsel and support for a variety of
smaller, start-up professional service firms, government agencies and non-profit
organizations.
His public relations career began with the General Electric Company and lasted 12
years, including working with the media during the early days of the space program, and
later on the Gemini Spacecraft Fuel Cell program at GE-Lynn. He was a graduate of the
General Electric Professional Management Course and the Sales Analysis Institute.
Later, he headed up the public relations department of Culver Advertising in
Boston and later as executive vice president and part owner of Newsome and Company,
New England’s largest public relations firm. When the firm was acquired by Hill and
Knowlton, the world’s largest public relations firm, he became a vice president and later
a senior consultant. Prior to retirement in 1994, he served in the Weld Administration
for four years as communications director for the Massachusetts Executive Office of
Elder Affairs.
Koch was an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America and a
member of the Counselors Academy. He was a past president of the Publicity Club of
New England, past president of the Rotary Club of Boston, and on the editorial board of
the New England Board of Higher Education. He also served as public relations chairman,
Small Business Association of New England; district chairman, Public Relations Society of
America; board member of the Whittier St. Neighborhood Health Center, District
Representative, Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, and served on the Massachusetts Bar
Association, Public Image Task Force.
Koch was a regular columnist for the Melrose Free Press, Melrose Weekly News,
the Boston Business Journal and Ad East Magazine. He graduated from Colgate
University in 1953 and attended Columbia University Law School before being drafted in
the U. S. Army where he served as a code interceptor with the Army Security Agency.
For many years, as a sideline, he managed major jazz artists who appeared in
major clubs around the country including the 1964 New York World’s Fair, television
shows such as “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts”, where he was the winning talent scout,
“Arthur Godfrey & His Friends”, “Chance of A Life Time”, and “Hootenany”. He is on the
Advisory Committee of the American Big Band Preservation Society.
A resident of Melrose since 1965, he was a past president of the Citywide PTA,
vice president of the Melrose High School PTA, former Deacon, First Congregational
Church, and for ten years, chairman, Melrose Republican City Committee. In 1976, he
was a delegate to the Republican National Convention.
Besides his wife Larisa Koch, he leaves two sons, Carter Koch of Millis, MA and Chris
Koch of Los Angeles, CA. His eldest son, Jeffrey Koch, died in 1993. He leaves his
daughters, Jennifer Lutz of Dennis, MA and Katerina Avramenko of Swampscott, MA.
Also, eight grandchildren: Eric, Allison and Stuart Parker, Molly and Cynthia Koch, Mimi
and Meseret Koch, Nicholas and Andrew Avramenko, as well as his former wife, Lenore
Tagan of Harwichport, MA.
Services and burial will be private. Contributions in Arnold’s name may be made to
the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, Box 760715, Melrose, MA 02176.