[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 126 (Tuesday, September 25, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO OFIELD DUKES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 25, 2001

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ofield Dukes 
of Washington, D.C., who is a recent recipient of the Public Relations 
Society of America's 2001 Gold Anvil Award.
  First awarded in 1948, the Gold Anvil Award is the PRSA's most 
prestigious individual honor and is presented to the public relations 
professional whose contributions to the field have advanced the 
profession. Ofield Duke's accomplishments as a journalist, public 
relations executive, and as a public relations educator speak for his 
recognition as a reputable leader in his field and in the community.
  After receiving three national Newspapers Publishers Association 
awards for editorial, column and feature writing published in the 
Michigan Chronicle in Detroit, Mr. Dukes became a member of the 
Johnson-Humphrey administration in 1964. Later, he would go on to serve 
an additional 3 years on the staff of Vice President Humphrey.
  He opened his first public relations firm in 1969, with Motown as his 
first client and Lever Brothers as his second. In 1975, he was the 
recipient of the Silver Anvil Award. As noted by the Washington Post 
Mr. Dukes is "one of the top public relations persuaders in the city."
  Mr. Dukes assisted in the organization of the Inaugural Congressional 
Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference. He has served on the boards 
of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the Martin Luther King 
Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Mr. Dukes became a 
communications consultant for the Democratic presidential campaign in 
1972 and has been a consultant for every presidential campaign 
thereafter. He is president and founder of the Black Public Relations 
Society of Washington, which was established in 1993.
  Mr. Dukes has served as an adjunct professor at Howard University for 
seventeen years and was instrumental in establishing the University's 
public relations curriculum. For the past eight years, Mr. Dukes has 
been an adjunct professor in the School of Communications at The 
American University. He is responsible for inspiring hundreds of 
students to enter public relations.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me today in honoring 
Ofield Dukes for the incredible services he has provided to his 
students and the field of public relations. I sincerely thank Mr. Dukes 
for his outstanding contributions, congratulate him on becoming a 
recipient of the 2001 Gold Anvil Award, and wish him well in all of his 
future endeavors.

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