The George B.
Rea Award, longest-standing
of the student awards, is presented to the top student in the Graphic
Communications major (formerly Advertising Design and Production)
at Mohawk Valley Community College, as determined by faculty members
there. It was first awarded
in 1973. The Rea award
was established in 1972 as a memorial to the Club’s 1969-70 president
and 1968 Ad Man of the Year. Among
many other community activities, George taught part-time at MVCC. He
was Director of Advertising and later Vice President of Marketing
for Utica Mutual Insurance Company. He
has been acknowledged as a mentor of many other Ad Club leaders.
The Floyd Eckerson
Award was created in late 1982 upon the death of the Club’s
1971-72 President and 1972 Ad Man of the Year. Floyd’s
career in local television sales and management at both WKTV and WUTR
prompted the Board to name in his memory the award given to a Broadcasting
major at Herkimer County Community College. The award was first presented
in May 1982, then named for Floyd in 1983.
The Ray Simon
Award is presented to the top Senior public relations/journalism
student at Utica College, as selected by the PR/J faculty members.
The award was created in 1982 and originally named the Utica College
Award. In 1985, the name
was changed by the Board to recognize the brilliant teaching career
of the well-known public relations professor and author, Ray Simon,
who retired from full-time teaching that year.
The
William J. Heiderich Award
is
given to the most promising student volunteer at WPNR, Utica College’s
student radio station. The award was established on the 50th
anniversary of Bill’s employment with WIBX Radio, and was funded by
the radio station and his colleagues and co-workers. Bill’s long history
of successful sales and management at the station will be difficult
to equal.
