Dominion Honors Nine In 12th Annual Strong
Men & Women Educational Series
RICHMOND, Va. – Nine prominent African-Americans renowned
for their accomplishments and leadership will be honored today by Dominion as
part of its 12th annual Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership educational
series.
Dominion will honor this year’s recipients at an awards ceremony
at 7 p.m. at the Richmond Marriott Hotel.
Strong Men & Women highlights the accomplishments of African-American
business, entertainment and political leaders and converts their stories into
an educational series that is distributed during Black History Month to more
than 12,000 schools across Dominion's service area in Virginia, northeastern
North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
“Dominion is proud to recognize these outstanding
role models,” said Edgar M. Roach Jr., president and chief executive officer.
“By bringing these leaders to the forefront, we hope young people can see for
themselves that success can be attained through persistence, hard work and integrity.”
The 2002 honorees are:
The Honorable Ralph Campbell Jr. -- The State Auditor
for North Carolina, Campbell is the first African-American in North Carolina
to win a statewide, elected constitutional office. He also is a member of
the Council of State of North Carolina.
Edwin L. Edwards Sr. -- Edwards is one of the first
African-Americans to own a television station in the top 20 market.
Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Jr. (Ret.) -- Gravely
is the first African-American admiral and the first African-American to command
a U.S. fleet.
Dr. Gregory T. Hinton -- Hinton is a professor
of law at Fairmont State College in Fairmont, W.Va., and former mayor of that
city.
Elaine R. Jones -- Jones is president and director-counsel
of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc., the nation’s oldest
law firm fighting for equal rights and justice for people of color, women
and the poor.
The Honorable Jerrauld C. Jones -- Jones is a member
of the Virginia House of Delegates and the first African-American clerk of
the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Jewell Jackson McCabe -- McCabe is the founder
and chairman of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, a leadership forum
that engages professional black women in a network to meet their career needs
and the needs of their communities, and to facilitate their access to mainstream
America.
The Honorable Louis Stokes -- Stokes was the first
African-American elected to Congress from the state of Ohio and the first
African-American to retire from the House of Representatives, having completed
30 years of service.
Melissa Ward -- Ward was the first African-American
female captain in commercial aviation. She is one of only eight female African-American
pilots at United Airlines, and one of only 12 nationwide.
African-American high school students also participated in
the Strong Men & Women program. In September, seniors were invited to write
essays about an African-American leader featured in the Strong Men & Women series.
Winners receive a $750 U.S. Savings Bond and their schools receive a $1,000
cash award.
This year’s essay winners are:
Dominique Brown
Dinwiddie High School, Dinwiddie, Va.
Joyván Malbon Lake Taylor High School, Norfolk, Va.
Diamond White Hayfield High School, Alexandria, Va.
Kristle R. Goodwyn Weldon High School, Weldon, N.C.
Information about Strong Men & Women can be found on the
Internet at www.dom.com, keyword “strong.”
Dominion is one of the nation’s largest producers of energy,
with a production capability of more than 3 trillion British thermal unit of
energy per day. Dominion serves nearly 4 million retail natural gas and electric
customers in five states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company’s
Web site at www.dom.com.
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Editor's note: Biographies of the honorees
and copies of the winning essays will be available at the awards ceremony. Photographs
will be available after Jan. 24. B-roll, sound bites and media kits will be
on hand for television stations.
