Five Receive Robert C. Jeffery Award for Contributions to College of Communication

AUSTIN, Texas – Oct. 9, 2007 – Five people will be recognized by the College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin with the Robert C. Jeffrey Benefactor Award for their contributions of time, labor and philanthropy.

Gene Burd, associate professor in School of Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin, is being honored for his more than 35 years of teaching and his national leadership in urban journalism.

Patricia Ohlendorf (BA ‘74, JD ‘77), vice president for legal affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, is being recognized for her ongoing support of the University of Texas Film Institute, which provides training on independent feature films.

Joe Phillips (BJ ‘72), president and CEO of Tex-Best Travel Centers, Inc., is being recognized for establishing the Griffin Singer Endowed Professorship in Journalism, which enhances the School of Journalism’s undergraduate reporting and editing curriculum by bringing a seasoned newspaper professional onto the faculty.

Theodore H. “Ted” Strauss (BBA ’46), advisory board chairman for the Dallas Region of Texas Regional Bancshares, Inc., is being honored for his support of the Annette Strauss Institute, which works to combat political cynicism and disaffection in the United States.

Judith Zaffirini (BA ‘67, MA ‘70, Ph.D. ‘78), a two-time graduate of the College of Communication, is being honored for her tireless support of higher education in Texas and her success as a communication professional.

Robert C. Jeffrey, who died in 2000, was the third dean of the College of Communication and is considered by many to have been the college’s finest ambassador.

“The Jeffrey Awards are given to those who have gone out of their way to share their time, their labor, their advice, or their treasure with the college,” said Roderick P. Hart, dean of the College of Communication. “The award reflects the spirit of Dean Jeffrey, who was a man of extraordinary warmth and commitment, and who was the finest ambassador this college has ever had.”

The Jeffrey Awards, given to up to five of the college’s special benefactors, will be presented at a Friends-of-the-College dinner Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center on the university campus. University of Texas at Austin President William Powers Jr., will be the featured speaker.

For more information, visit: http://communication.utexas.edu/about/jeffrey/. Jeffrey’s bio is available at: http://www.utexas.edu/faculty/council/2000-2001/memorials/Jeffrey/jeffrey.html

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Contact:
Erin Geisler
(512) 475-8071