Clayton A. Stahlka

December 8th, 1922 - November 20th, 2021

Born in Buffalo, Clayton A. Stahlka was a staunch Buffalo booster. A graduate of Bennett High School and State Teachers College’s Albright Art Institute, Clayt held Art Director positions at local advertising agencies, was advertising manager of R.G. Wright Company, Director of Advertising & Marketing for Morrison Steel Products and Vice President of Sales for Hoffman Printing. He started his one-man advertising agency in 1958 in Snyder, later partnering with Bob Faller and Al Klenk.

Clayt served four years in World War II as an Army Sergeant, combat engineer ---fighting a year and a half in the European theatre of war under General Patton.

Design was of great importance and his creativity and tenacity propelled his little company into a highly respected national advertising/marketing firm. He affiliated his agency with advertising firms around the world through the Transworld Advertising Agency Network (TAAN) of which he became its Governor. In 1971, Mr. Stahlka received the coveted American Advertising Federation’s Silver Medal Award for exceptional creative leadership. His agency received numerous awards for winning ad campaigns within the TAAN Network of agencies, The Art Director’s Club of Buffalo, The Niagara Frontier Advertising Association and Buffalo Evening News ad competitions.

In 1972, Clayt traveled to Tokyo inaugurating a work exchange program with a Japanese ad agency. Knowing the Japanese were on the cutting edge of what was to become the ‘quality revolution’ in the U.S., he brought a group of Japanese businessmen to Buffalo to exchange quality management ideas with local business leaders.

His proudest advertising accomplishment was competing with large New York City ad agencies and winning the Bank of New York account (located on Wall Street) ---opening its first Western New York branch office of the Niagara Frontier Bank of New York. In 1974, Clayt sold his ad agency and began a new career in management consulting lasting twelve years. He ended his working career as President of the Deltran Division of American Precision Industries receiving Xerox’s Supplier of the Year Award. In retirement, he authored three books, published a nationally distributed newsletter on self-management and kept his artistic design talent alive by completing over four dozen paintings.

Clayton served as President of the Niagara Frontier Advertising Group, Governor of the Transworld Agency Network, Chairman of Communications for United Way of Buffalo & Erie County’s annual campaigns and volunteered with Housing Opportunities Made Equal, Rosary Hill College, Buffalo Chamber of Commerce and served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Amherst Community Church. Clayt also served on the Council of the American Management Association and taught communications skills at Erie Community College, UBs night school program and Niagara University.

In addition to his wife Wendy, survivors include a son Clay, two daughters, Krisann and Ariana and a granddaughter Corinne. A celebration of his life will be held next Spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to The Children’s Guild Foundation, 726 Exchange Street, Suite 1016, Buffalo, NY 14210. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.DenglerRobertsPernaWilliamsville.com for the Stahlka family.