Dominion Honors Nine In 14th Annual
"Strong Men & Women" Educational Series
RICHMOND, Va. - Dominion will honor nine prominent
African-Americans Thursday at its 14th annual "Strong Men & Women:
Excellence in Leadership." The honorees are renowned for their accomplishments
and leadership.
Dominion's "Strong Men & Women"
program highlights the accomplishments of selected African-American role models
and tells their stories through an educational series that is distributed to
more than 12,000 schools across Dominion's natural gas and electric franchise
service areas in Virginia, northeastern North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and
West Virginia.
"These nine exemplary individuals personify
the importance of believing in self - in setting high goals and striving to
achieve them," said Thos. E. Capps, chairman and chief executive officer.
"Through our honorees, we hope to show young people that no dream is unattainable
if it's matched by equal amounts of desire and hard work."
A team of company employees selects each year's
"Strong Men & Women" honorees. Judges look for candidates who
have demonstrated leadership and courage in public life. Past honorees include
Colin Powell, U.S. Secretary of State; Shirley A. Jackson, former U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission chairman; L. Douglas Wilder, former Virginia governor;
and Cathy L. Hughes, founder and chairperson of Radio One Inc.
The Honorable Patricia Ann Blackmon - First African-American
female judge on the Ohio Court of Appeals, Cleveland, Ohio.
Herman I. Boone - Retired football coach at T.C.
Williams High School in Alexandria, Va. Boone and his team were made most
famous in the movie "Remember the Titans."
The Honorable Pamela Bridgewater - Deputy Assistant
Secretary - Bureau of African Affairs, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Leonard L. Edloe - First African-American chairman
of the Greater Richmond Retail Merchants Association and noted local pharmacist,
Richmond, Va.
Dr. Helen S. Faison - First African-American female
high school principal in the Pittsburgh School District, Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Honorable James W. Holley III - First African-American
mayor of Portsmouth, Va.
Brig. Gen. Bert W. Holmes - First African-American
brigadier general in the Virginia National Guard, Virginia Beach, Va.
The Honorable Annie Brown Kennedy - First African-American
woman to serve in the North Carolina legislature and second African-American
female lawyer in North Carolina, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Dr. Marie V. McDemmond - President of Norfolk State
University in Norfolk, Va., the first African-American female president of
a four-year college in Virginia.
African-American high school seniors also participate
by entering an essay-writing competition 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, selected from 82 entries, are:
Donell Hargrove, Jr.
Monacan High School, Richmond, Va.
Crystal E. Williams
Governor's School for the Arts, Norfolk, Va.
Walter Williams
Stonewall Jackson High School, Prince William County, Va.
Jamal Strange
Roanoke High School, Robertsonville, N.C.
Mae A. Ensley
Cleveland School of the Arts, Cleveland, Ohio
Gerald Henley, II
Martin Luther King, Jr. High School, Cleveland, Ohio
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers
of energy with an energy portfolio of more than 24,000 megawatts of generation.
Dominion also serves 5.3 million retail energy customers in nine states. For
more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.
