Dominion Honors Nine In 16th Annual Strong Men
& Women: Excellence In Leadership Educational Series
RICHMOND, Va. – Dominion, one of the nation’s
largest energy producers, will honor nine prominent African-Americans renowned
for their accomplishments and leadership Wednesday in its 16th annual "Strong
Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership" educational series.
"Strong
Men & Women" highlights the accomplishments of selected African-American
role models and tells their stories in an educational series that is distributed
during Black History Month to more than 12,000 schools across Dominion's retail
electric and natural gas service areas in Virginia, northeastern North Carolina,
Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. More than 180 African-American leaders
have been honored in the program’s history.
"By bringing the stories of these inspirational leaders
to the forefront, we want young people to realize that success in life can be
achieved," said Thomas F. Farrell II, Dominion president and chief executive
officer. "We believe all students would want to follow in the footsteps
of these exemplary individuals."
The 2006 honorees are:
Diana E. Bajoie, New Orleans, La. –
First African-American woman elected to the Louisiana State Senate.
Howard L. Baugh, Richmond, Va. –
One of the original Tuskegee Airmen, America's first black military airmen
who were trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama and served during World
War II in North Africa, Sicily and Italy.
Nathan Davis, Pittsburgh, Pa. –
Founder and head of the first school of jazz, University of Pittsburgh.
Francis M. Foster Sr., Richmond, Va. –
Noted Richmond historian.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Cleveland, Ohio
– First African-American woman elected to Congress from Ohio.
Robert P. Madison, Cleveland, Ohio –
President and chief executive officer of the first African-American architectural
firm in Ohio.
Elliott "Ellie" Mannette, Morgantown,
W.Va. – Principal innovator and designer of the modern steel drum.
Edward J. Perkins, Norman, Okla. -- First
African-American director-general, United Foreign Service, and first African-American
to serve as U.S. ambassador to Australia.
Daphne Maxwell Reid, Free Union, Va. –
First African-American woman on the cover of Glamour magazine, former model,
actress and entrepreneur.
Dominion also sponsored an essay-writing contest among African-American
high school seniors in its electric retail service areas. The students were
required to write about a leader featured in the "Strong Men & Women"
series. Winners received a laptop computer and their schools received a $1,000
cash award.
Delano Green – James Monroe High
School, Fredericksburg, Va.
Daniella Jones – Salem High School,
Virginia Beach, Va.
Desiree Smith – Stonewall Jackson
High School, Prince William County, Va.
Cederick Moore – Southside High
School, Chocowinity, 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 an energy portfolio of about 28,100 megawatts of generation. Dominion also
serves retail energy customers in nine states. For more information about Dominion,
visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.
MEDIA ADVISORY: Dominion’s annual
recognition of African-American men and women leaders occurs Wednesday, Jan.
18, 2006, 7 p.m., at the Richmond Marriott Hotel, 500 East Broad Street, Richmond,
Va. Biographies of the honorees and copies of the winning essays will be available
at the awards ceremony. Video b-roll, sound bites and media kits will be on
hand.
