Ivan L. Preston

Ivan L. Preston, age 79, died at home on Wednesday, March 2, 2011, after a brief illness.   He was born on December 18, 1931 in Bryn Mawr , Pennsylvania, the   son of Kathryn and Albert Preston. He grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, earned a BA at Wooster College in Ohio, and earned his MA and PhD at Michigan State University in Communications.   Ivan was a Journal Communications professor Emeritus in the school of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, serving on faculty from 1968 to 1999.   He specialized in deceptive advertising and was the author of two books and numerous law review articles on the subject.   Ivan served as a consultant and expert witness in advertising litigation for the Federal Trade Commission and other groups.   He was a member of the American Academy of Advertising and served as its president in 1996.   He also received the Paul L. Deutschmann Award for Excellence in Research from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and numerous other awards over the course of his career.   In addition to his career and family life, Ivan had a lifelong enthusiasm for music, history, and the arts.   He had a special love for opera.   Ivan enjoyed traveling.   He approached each trip with intensity and discipline, learning all he could about the geography, language, history, and people in the place he was going to visit.   Ivan is survived by his wife Robbie, his daughters Micaela (John Byrne) Preston, Julie   (Troy) Schilling and Terry (Rhys Roth) Preston; four grandchildren, Brennan, Drew, Sage and Liam; his twin brothers Tom (Molly) Preston and Ted (Jane) Preston and three nieces Cynthia (Jamie) Arch, Stephanie Preston and Hilary Preston.   He was preceded in death by his parents and a nephew Tom Preston. Memorials may be made in Ivan's name to the Madison Opera Guild, the Madison Symphony Orchestra, University of Wisconsin-Madison school of Journalism and Mass Communication, or the ALS Association. There will be a Memorial Gathering to celebrate Ivan's life on Sat. March 26, 2011 from 1:00 until 2:30 p. m. with a Service at 1:30 p. m. at the FIRST UNITARIAN SOCIETY, 900 University Bay Dr. Madison.