People at the heart of life’s successes
By Chris Michlewicz; photo courtesy of WiesnerMedia
Pat Wiesner
For all of his achievements in the world of magazine publishing, Pat Wiesner considers his family to be the greatest success of his life.
At the center of this success is his marriage to his wife of 61 years, Janet. They met at a party following a Notre Dame football game in 1958. Ever since then, they’ve been each other’s constant champions.
Just as he shares tidbits of wisdom in his new book (see related story page 18), Wiesner imparts a lesson on how to maintain a strong relationship with your spouse.
“People say a marriage should be 50-50. I’d say it’s more like 100-100,” said Wiesner, a Village at Castle Pines resident for 21 years. “It’s invaluable having her there. She’s my biggest cheerleader and supporter.”
His career in publishing began with a magazine called Mobile Radio Technology. Wiesner and a few partners launched the magazine to fill what they perceived to be a gap in that market. It turned out their instincts were dead on, and Mobile Radio Technology turned out to be an instant success. It was the first of 38 publications Wiesner would oversee. At 85, he’s now semi-retired; he and Janet own a chocolate business based in Honduras, and he spent the last couple years putting his book together.
“Forty percent of people in the business world – or any world, I suppose – say they’d like to write a book, but only about 1% do,” he said. “If you do it, it’s a big kick.”
Wiesner is an accomplished pilot with well over 3,000 hours in the cockpit as a civilian. He’s owned and flown at least a dozen planes, including a World War II-era DC-3, a Beechcraft Staggerwing, and a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (think an Alaskan bush plane with floats). It took eight years to restore, and when he entered it into an air show in the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Air Show, it took first place.
Wiesner also served on the board of directors for several charitable organizations, including Wings Over the Rockies, a nonprofit air and space museum that runs a research library and offers kids programming.
Retired publisher Pat Wiesner has been married to his wife, Janet, for 61 years. The couple have six children, 17 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Wiesner remains an avid reader and still consults on matters related to his former publishing company, Wiesner Media, which his son, Dan, now runs. He also spends time with his six children, 17 grandchildren and one great-grandson, often watching the grandkids play in baseball games.
Now that travel has opened up, he and Janet plan on resuming their frequent trips to see shows at the Santa Fe Opera. Aside from that, the couple will continue wintering in Florida and enjoying the rest of the year in the “quiet, beautiful and friendly” confines of the Village.
