Pat Paton, 81, is the unquestioned dean of public relations practitioners in Kansas City.

There very likely will never be another PR person in the market with as much experience in the field.

How long has he been generating publicity for clients?

Well, today (2/1) marks Paton’s 57th anniversary in PR with his respected “Pat Paton Public Relations” firm. He’s the one with the “PPPR” license plate and the one who knows virtually everyone in the news media today—and in the past five-plus decades.

While Paton has dialed down some of his PR activities you can still see him around town pitching stories for clients. (We profiled him in 2011.)

Today one of his most popular endeavors is helping to grow the “Kansas City Media Legends” group he founded of current and former members of the new media. The group will soon reach 200 members (it’s at 193 now) and meets twice a month for lunch to share stories—some true, some…

When all is said and done Paton never regretted his career choice.

“I really can’t imagine being anything but a PR GUY!” he told Bottom Line.