The Star-Telegram was one of 10 U.S. companies honored Nov. 8 in New York for supporting community arts organizations and events. The newspaper received the BCA Ten award, sponsored by the Business Committee for the Arts and Forbes magazine. And the nonprofit North Texas Business for Culture and the Arts, an 18-year-old group of corporate arts supporters, has honored the paper for its support of the Fort Worth Opera and the Fort Worth Symphony, including its recent financial backing for a new opera. In addition to $60,000 in cash, the newspaper donated $30,000 in ad space to promote the production.
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NEW MEMBERS
PRSA ... Laura Thomas, American Red Cross ... Todd Howard, Paige Hendricks Public Relations ... Jane Christie, Odin Clack, Alexia Cuellar, Becky Harper, Erayne Hill, Beatriz Mince and Sharon Parker, all Fort Worth Independent School District
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PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Marc Flake, Greater Fort Worth PRSA
2006 was a banner year for the Greater Fort Worth Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The high quality of our monthly programs, the relevance of our two professional development programs, the activity of our special interest groups and an outstanding community service project all made an impact.
The chapter starts 2007 with about 190 members. PRSA national recognized us in 2006 for having the most people for a chapter our size participate in one of the monthly membership promotions, and for being the fastest growing medium-sized chapter in the organization.
As membership chair, I could sit back and take the accolades for these honors, but I really must give credit where credit is due -- to the board members and committee chairs. Building on the momentum generated by previous boards, these 32 individuals came together under the leadership of president Holly Ellman to provide an exciting year of events that make us the professional organization of choice among local PR practitioners.
The 2007 board and committee chairs are committed to enhancing this experience for our members. We know that you have several choices on where to spend your limited membership funds. We aim to provide the best value for your dues dollar.
First up in January will be a visit from Star-Telegram managing editor Larry Lutz, who will discuss the S-T's reasons for revamping its print and online products and provide an insider's perspective on what the newspaper hopes to achieve with the changes. I look forward to seeing you there.
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PRESIDENT'S COLUMN
Ken Roberts, IABC Fort Worth
I hope you and your family had a great holiday season and you're relaxed and ready to jump into 2007.
IABC Fort Worth does not meet in December, but several of us enjoyed the Dec. 6 party and gift drawing benefiting the JPS children's library. Renewing old friendships and making fresh contacts with colleagues was more than enough to rate the evening a success. Throw in good food and a very successful night of collecting books and raising money for the library, and the event stands as one of the best of the holiday season.
This annual benefit is jointly sponsored by IABC, SPJ and PRSA. A huge thank you to Amy Yancey, who represented IABC on the planning team. I heard from other members of the team how much they appreciated Amy's and IABC's involvement this year.
As we begin 2007 we look forward to providing you outstanding professional development, networking opportunities and a measure of fun. Betsy Boyett, our president-elect and programming chair, is finalizing a stellar lineup of programs and speakers.
Member or guest, you're always welcome at IABC Fort Worth. I look forward to seeing you at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23, at the Petroleum Club.
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OVER & OUT
John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ
Never been to an SPJ meeting? Come to the one this month, and if you're thinking about joining, we'll buy the barbecue. "The first one's on us," we call it. Such a deal. ...
The fun matched the haul at the December book benefit jolly-up at Coors, with 60 revelers in attendance, increased participation from IABC and PRSA, emcee Bob Ray Sanders energizing the crowd, and 859 books being donated to JPS, which valued them at a whopping $4,295. Good job, Kay Pirtle (the very best at organizing this sort of gig); Leroy Wilson and Wilson's Barbecue; Janet Neff, Martha Earngey and the JPS Health Network/Partners Together for Health crew; Donna Darovich and Johnell Kelley for taking pictures; gift-drawing raffle grabbers Rebecca Bosquez, Mary Dulle, Amanda Kowalski, Carol Murray, Angie Summers, Amy Yancey, Kay Pirtle, Gayle Reaves-King, Linda P. Campbell, Eddye Gallagher, Kristin Sullivan, Carolyn Poirot and Kelly Drawdy; and contributors/merchants Jeff Prince, Julian Haber, Paul and Paula LaRocque, Alcon Labs, Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Avon, Bass Performance Hall, Ben & Jerry's, Billy Bob's Texas, Blue Mesa, Build-a-Bear Workshop, Cafe Express, CBS 11/KTXA, Circle Theatre, Dallas Stars, Fort Worth Cats, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, Fort Worth Sister Cities International, Fort Worth Weekly, Fort Worth Zoo, Four Star Coffee Bar, J.J.'s House, JoS. A. Bank, Jubilee Theatre, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, NRH2O Family Water Park, Panache Day Spa & Salon, Pompeii Salon & Day Spa, Put a Cork In It, Mrs. Renfro's Foods, Six Flags Over Texas, Star-Telegram, Tarrant County College, D'Vine Wine, TCU men's basketball, Texas Star Golf Course and Vending Nut Co. of Fort Worth. Now that's a party! ...
Democrats and Republicans reportedly are planning closed-door "bipartisan caucuses" aimed at breaking Senate gridlock and speeding up business. These caucuses would expand the reasons lawmakers could give to call executive sessions (i.e., secret meetings). SPJ national president Christine Tatum criticized the idea in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Secret meetings, she wrote, only "fuel suspicion that lawmakers consider themselves above public accountability -- and that special interests, not the will of the people, dictate law and public policy." Thought this is why the people elected enough Democrats to retake control of Congress. The people wanted more accountability. Maybe I misunderstood.
Closing words: "It is so easy to [write] about the beautiful, but it takes more genius to say, in proper style, 'Close the door.' " -- Gustave Flaubert ... "Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image; but he who destroys a good book kills reason itself." -- John Milton ... "Never lend books, for no one ever returns them; the only books I have in my library are those which people have lent me." -- Anatole France ... "It is possible to believe that all the human mind has ever accomplished is but the dream before the awakening." -- H.G. Wells ... "If you want to make enemies, try to change something." -- Woodrow Wilson ... "This is the way it works. The drummer should watch my hips and the bass player should watch my shoulders." -- Bo Diddley, to the pick-up musicians he played with in the 1970s, when he was so down and out that he was doing one-night jobs for $200 and the cost of a hotel room
Closing words II, GOP worst-fears division: "I say to my conservative friends, someday there will be a liberal Democrat president and a liberal Democrat Congress. Why? Because history shows it goes back and forth. I don't know if it's a hundred years from now, but it will happen. And do we want a bunch of liberal judges approved by the Senate of the United States with 51 votes if the Democrats are in the majority?" -- Sen. John McCain on "Hardball," April 19, 2005
Closing words III, special too-late-now entry: "I feel like we should let Saddam out of jail and say, 'Sorry, we didn't realize you were so brutal because you had to be.' It's going to take someone either exceptionally cruel or exceptionally intelligent to rule this country." -- a member of a U.S. Special Operations unit to Newsweek after a hard day's fighting in Fallujah in 2004
