Hasta La Creative!

Eileen McKenna, an avertising executive whose career spanned agencies such as Wells Rich Green and McCann, New York, died from cancer last week at her home in Greenwich Conn. She was 61. Ms. McKenna was also a child actress famous for her appearance in the first spot for the Xerox 914 copier.

Ms. McKenna began her career in advertising at a young age. She appeared in several commercials and TV shows in the early days of TV, making history with the Xerox ad; she was also the first child to be featured in the “Breck Girl” campaign that ran for more than 40 years and won “Breck Girl of the Year” honors. Both classic campaigns are featured at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

In her adult life, Ms. McKenna went on to work as an account supervisor at Wells Rich Greene. In her 2002 autobiography, “A Big Life (in Advertising),” Mary Wells Lawrence referred to Ms. McKenna as “the absolute best” for her work on the TWA account. Most recently she worked as a senior account manager at McCann New York, primarily on L’Oreal, where she mentored young people beginning their careers in advertising.

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