The trailblazing founder of Ofield Dukes & Associates was the public relations go-to man for African and African-American political figures, civil rights leaders and entertainers; consulted with every Democratic presidential candidate since 1968; and counted Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross as clients, to name just a few.
"We are extremely saddened by the loss of our dear friend," President of the National Association of Black Journalists Gregory Lee Jr. told the Washington Post. "Ofield Dukes revolutionized the public relations industry by increasing the visibility of African Americans working in the field. Mr. Dukes will forever be regarded as a standard bearer for public relations professionals of all races. A true giant in the world of PR, he will truly be missed."
At his company's peak, Dukes had annual billings of more than $1 million. He also had big-name clients like AT&T, CBS Records and the Treasury Department.
"He's an icon, obviously. He's the kind of guy that comes along once in a century," Talbert said.
Mr. Dukes died Wednesday at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, succumbing to multiple myeloma, a form of bone cancer. He was 79.
Born Aug. 8, 1932, in Rutledge, Ala., Mr. Dukes served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954 and earned a journalism degree at Wayne State University in 1958. From there, he went to work at the Michigan Chronicle, becoming an award-winning editorial writer and columnist.
Sam Logan, publisher of the Michigan Chronicle, remembers growing up blocks from Mr. Dukes in Detroit's famed Black Bottom neighborhood. He said their professional paths first crossed at a radio station in Inkster where Logan worked on the business side and Mr. Dukes was "in the other area where people were talking."
Logan said he went to work at the Chronicle in the early 1960s and, again, there was Mr. Dukes. The Chronicle honored Mr. Dukes at its 75th anniversary in November.
"His kind, like that, there ain't no more Ofield Dukeses. ... There will not be another," Logan said.
Mr. Dukes left the Chronicle in 1964 for Washington, D.C., to serve as deputy director of information for the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity under President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1966, he joined Vice President Hubert Humphrey's staff, beginning his career as consultant to every Democratic presidential campaign since 1972, according to his firm's website.
He started his public relations firm, Ofield Dukes & Associates, in 1969. It was there in his office at the National Press Building that Anne Harris, one of Mr. Dukes' three surviving sisters, said he allowed one of his early clients, Alex Haley, to live before spending the next year promoting Haley's seminal book, "Roots."
Motown Records and the Lever Brothers were among Mr. Dukes' first clients, and he helped organize the first Congressional Black Caucus dinner and served on the boards of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Change.
He came to Washington in 1964 as deputy director of public affairs for the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity. From 1966 to 1968, he was a communications adviser to Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey.
Mr. Dukes served on the board of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change and was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. In 2001, he became the first African American to win the Public Relations Society of America’s highest honor, the Gold Anvil Award. He was named to several PR halls of fame.
In 1981, Mr. Dukes launched the Washington North Star, a short-lived newspaper aimed at black readers.
As an adviser to the Congressional Black Caucus, Mr. Dukes worked closely with Rep. Charles Diggs (D-Mich.). He testified at a 1978 trial in which Diggs was convicted of mail fraud and diverting public money to his own use. Mr. Dukes was not charged with any wrongdoing.
Widely known in cultural circles, he was once described by Ebony magazine as “one of the most popular bachelors in Washington.” He often took friends to theatrical productions and was a member of the board of the old D.C. Black Repertory Theater.
A longtime adjunct professor at Howard University and later American University, Mr. Dukes was credited with guiding hundreds of students into public relations.
His marriages to Rosa Trapp and Elaine Sutton ended in divorce.
Survivors include a daughter from his first marriage, Roxi Victorian of Baton Rouge; three sisters; and a grandson.
After helping plan Johnson’s 1965 inauguration, Mr. Dukes became adept at organizing celebrations. He helped coordinate the 1975 inaugural festivities when the District’s first officials elected under home rule took office.
With only 48 hours’ notice, he organized a downtown parade to celebrate the Washington Bullets’ 1978 NBA championship victory. More than 100,000 jubilant spectators turned out.
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