Obituary: Pioneering advertising copywriter Irene Borden dies at 91

A writer who penned witty ads and lasting slogans, Irene D. Borden was a trailblazing copywriter who rose in the industry at a time when it was dominated by men. She launched her career straight out of high school, heading to Rochester, Minn., in 1943 at age 18 to write copy for KROC Radio. She would go on to write for the in-house ad department at Dayton's department store and other companies while raising three children from her first marriage, spending a portion of that time as a working single mother.

Borden died July 18 at age 91, just weeks after the death of her husband, James.

It was Borden's independence and humor that defined her, said eldest daughter Sandra Wise, of Washington, D.C. But it wasn't lost on Borden's children that she was breaking new ground.

"As I was growing up I was very proud of the fact that my mother was a professional working for Dayton's, and had striven to reach that," Wise said.

A prodigious worker, Borden used her time commuting by bus from Richfield to write, said Wise. She found lasting friendships with the other writers and artists who worked for Dayton's in-house advertising department, and attended reunions years after she left.

Surviving examples of her work include an ad that began, "Sun-time togs inspired by Italy/ for children big and children little-y. …" Another titled "How to be invited on laps," was for plastic-lined Carter knit pants for children.

She also wrote a jingle widely familiar in its day for White Rain shampoo: "Use new White Rain shampoo tonight, and tomorrow your hair will be sunshine bright."

Borden wrote copy at a time when other pioneering ad women made news for taking top positions at ad firms.

"The first thing I thought when I saw 'Mad Men' was ... my mother," said Wise.

Borden's son, Caz Casber, of Vail, Colo., said his mother instilled a strong work ethic.

"She really taught us to pursue our loves," he said. A ski coach and instructor, Casber said he recalls Borden sitting in the Buck Hill chalet with a book while he practiced. Later in life, if he was skiing with one of Borden's grandchildren, he would make a point to call her from the chairlift. "She loved that," he said.

"The Big Balloon," a poem she wrote and read to her children and grandchildren, tells the story of three kids who find and launch a hot-air balloon: "Over pyramids and river beds/ The giant basket swung/ Past shepherd kings and camelmen/ And round the noonday sun. …" The two-page poem ends with the children safely back in bed.

After a year at KROC Radio, Borden took a position at Dayton Co. from 1945 to 1953. She continued to freelance for Dayton's until 1959. She worked for several companies from 1960 to 1984, including several years at Carmichael Lynch in the late 1970s, Wise said.

Borden in later life traveled widely, living in Egypt for four months in the early 1980s. A prolific letter writer, she also maintained a healthy correspondence with friends far and near, said Wise.

Borden moved to Park Rapids, Minn., in the 1980s after marrying James, who died June 30. In addition to her son and daughter, she is survived by another daughter, Tracy Moon of Cottonwood Heights, Utah; three grandchildren, and five stepchildren and their children. Services will be private.