Photo courtesy of Deone Jhanke.
Diane Gershuny, the public relations and marketing maven of Long Beach that altered the city’s perception of Retro Row, passed away Monday after her battle with esophageal cancer finally came to an end.
Diane took on many roles: a fine arts graduate, a journalist, an editor, and even a corporate powerhouse for Fender (she was, after all, an audiophile of epic proportions, particularly noting her love for the Long Beach music scene after she saw Peter Case, Dave Alvin, and Pete Yorn at Fingerprints).
However, her role work within Long Beach became particularly prominent when, at the start of 2009, she took on the role of becoming the moniker OC Weekly handed her: “Media Maven” of the city’s beloved 4th Street stretch between Cherry and Junipero avenues known as Retro Row.
“Her commitment to 4th became her all,” said Portfolio Coffeehouse and Berlin owner Kerstin Kansteiner, who approached Diane to take on the job of promoting 4th Street. “She devoted time to 4th as if she owned all the stores on Retro Row… My heart aches when I think of her and there are many things I wish I still had time to do. Rarely do you meet somebody—and befriend someone so quickly—like Diane.”
Her persistent work ethic essentially moved the respected neighborhood from well-known locally to regionally respected and visited by tourists—and all done with the overwhelming generosity that her comrades and fellow business owners repeatedly describe her as.
“Diane was such a generous and dedicated community enthusiast, and a true and tireless supporter of the arts,” said Zombie Walk founder and creator Logan Crow. “She was instrumental in my resolve to form the Long Beach Cinematheque, as we both felt the need for the development of film culture and diverse cinematic experiences in our community, and from the very beginning she volunteered so much time and attention in helping us develop our brand and our event attendance.
Making Long Beach a better place was Diane’s ultimate desire—and she succeeded not just barely, but extraordinarily.
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Many Long Beachers lament how the city often talks the talk but fails to walk the walk, a point that Diane often shrugged at in favor of proving said point wrong by taking action. Week after week, month after month, Diane not only helped to promote existing events—she was key in making the famed Long Beach Zombie Walk grow beyond the parameters of its initial jaunt down Retro Row—but in creating events that fostered culture, art, and lively living.
“I have always credited the growth and success of the Long Beach Zombie Walk to Diane’s marketing efforts,” continued Crow. “We started hearing from publications and websites I could only dream of recognizing us, and it was all due to her tenacious outreach and belief in the event as a potential annual institution… Diane enriched the community by helping make amazing and diverse experiences happen any way she could, and her impact will no doubt be exponential and infinite. I will miss Diane, and will never forget her.”
Diane’s investment in creating for and within Long Beach has never been underestimated by the 4th Street community, who threw her a benefit in 2010 to help raise funds for her medical bills. But the larger Long Beach community, poses Fingerprints owner Rand Foster, may not understand what has been lost.
“The hardest part, when trying to get my head around Diane’s passing,” said Foster, “is that she was quietly generous, with both her time and her talents. That makes me think that—beyond her immediate circle of friends and family—it will be a while before Long Beach as a whole recognizes what a true champion we’ve lost. I will miss her friendship, but also her passion and enthusiasm for making Long Beach a better place.”