Contact: Allison Matthews
The Southern Public Relations Federation will dedicate a new hall of fame and honor its inaugural members Friday [April 15] during a public program at Mississippi State's Mitchell Memorial Library.
The 2 p.m. ceremony will take place just outside the third-floor John Grisham Room.
The recognition program represents a partnership among SPRF, the university's communication department and MSU Libraries, with an induction ceremony for new selections to be held on campus each spring.
John Forde, communication department head and SPRF board member, said he was flattered when the organization's board asked MSU to serve as the hall of fame's permanent location.
Forde said the Starkville campus is near the center of the four-state SPRF region, which includes Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Northwest Florida. The network of approximately 1,500 public relations professionals includes the Starkville/MSU Chapter of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi. (For more, visit http://sprflanterns.org/sprf/index.php.)
Forde said SPRF president Adam Kelley of Birmingham, Ala., had the idea for a hall of fame to recognize the accomplishments, commitment and leadership of distinguished public relations practitioners and educators in the Southeast.
The inaugural class of inductees includes the late Philip R. Forrest Jr. of Mobile, Ala., Rex Kelly of Gulfport and William "Bill" Michelet of Baton Rouge, La.
"These three professionals were recognized initially as the first hall of fame class during the SPRF Annual Conference in September in Baton Rouge," Forde said. "I am especially excited about this event because Rex and Bill have both been mentors to me personally and to countless others." (For specific award criteria, visit http://sprf.org/awards/hall-of-fame/.)