CONTACT: Ralph E. Baker (Release #163)
March 18, 1996
Several United Methodist communicators were among recipients of awards at the Religious Public Relations Council national convention March 14-16 in Dallas.
The annual awards are a memorial to the late Victor DeRose and the late Paul M. Hinkhouse, once leading New York lithographers who shared a concern for excellence in religious communications.
United Methodists who won awards include:
Alma Graham, editor of New World Outlook, for excellence in the national magazine category and magazine features; Anne Merrill Kelly of Washington, in the local and national newspapers category; Cecilia Ann Dailey of United Methodist Communications (UMCom) in the brochures and print advertising categories; and Steve L. Horswill- Johnston of the California Pacific Annual Conference for a brochure.Other UMCom staff winners were:
Letty LaFontaine, national newsletter category; Pamela J. Crosby, writing for a magazine feature story and graphic design; Wil Bane, best of class in non-broadcast audio and video, and two awards for national television/cable specials; William R. Richards best of class in advertising and awards of excellence in advertising on radio and television. Linda Pugh of Washington received an award for television advertising.Wilbur awards for outstanding achievement in public media included: Gramercy Pictures for the film "Dead Men Walking," Warner Brothers for the ER television episode "A Miracle Happens Here," and ABC World News Tonight for its segment "American Agenda: Faith and Healing." Publications receiving Wilbur Awards include: Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News, Greenville (S.C.) News, Greensboro (N.C.) News and Record, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gazette and Life magazine, all for articles or series on religious themes.
The Wilbur awards are named for Marvin C. Wilbur, retired council staff executive and pioneer in religious communications.
Elected to a one-year term as RPRC president was Shirley Whipple Struchen, director of conference services, communication education and the United Methodist Teleconference Connection for UMCom in New York. She succeeds another United Methodist, the Rev. Dan Gangler of Dallas.
The Religious Public Relations Council is an interfaith organization of professional religion communicators founded in 1929. It has approximately 500 members around the United States and Canada.
Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New York, and Washington.
If you need to know how to get more information about this story, call InfoServ at 1-800/251-8140.
Tuesday, April 09, 1996