Updated June 2026. Part of EPR's PR industry obituary archive — preserving the records of practitioners who shaped the modern public relations profession.
Long Haul PR Professional Alvin R. Busse Passes Away at 82
One of the field's top executives, founder of one of the first million-dollar public relations agencies in Houston, Alvin R. Busse — Al to his close friends — passed away on July 26th, 2010.
His story was indeed impressive: a graduate of Indiana State University who served in the US Army in Korea and Japan, his professional career in public relations lasted 52 years. He shortly followed his wife, Barbara, who passed away earlier in the same year, after a marriage of 36 years.
"His professional career was just incredible," said Jane Powell, who worked for Busse in the 1980s and remained friends until his death. "I was really fortunate to be able to work for him and learn so much from such a talent in the industry."
"He was upbeat, always in a good mood," Powell said. "He never seemed to have bad moods. He was always a lot of fun."
A key member of his community, Busse, 82 at the time of his death, was a frequent author of letters to the editors of the Houston Post and Chronicle. Beyond public relations and writing, he enjoyed vintage wine and traveling, making most of his trips together with his wife. Busse served on several boards, including the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston Ballet Foundation, and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation among others. A deacon at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, his efforts were one of the main reasons the 1986 U.S. Olympic Festival was brought to Houston.
An inspiring leader to those working for him, Busse enforced a memorable policy: whenever employees were late for work, he deducted a nickel from their earnings. The money thus collected later funded parties or office fellowships. He was also a published author — his memoirs, An Ordinary Man. An Extraordinary Life, were published in 2002.
Our condolences continue to go to his relatives, his stepdaughter, and his stepson.
