Gagie and Robeck to receive Tony Griffin Award
May 3, 2001
KALAMAZOO -- A WMU faculty member and a former University administrator will be honored Tuesday, May 8, for their achievements in the field of public relations.
George Robeck, associate professor of communication, and Martin R. "Joe" Gagie, former executive director of public relations and communications, will both receive the Tony Griffin Golden Word Award during a dinner at the Fetzer Center. The award is co-sponsored by InterCom-The Association of Professional Communicators and by Professional Women Communicators.
The Tony Griffin Golden Word Award was established in 1998 and is given annually to an individual or organization in Southwest Michigan in recognition of significant contributions to the field of professional communication. The award is named in memory of Anthony E. "Tony" Griffin, long-time news director for WMUK, the University's public radio station. Griffin succumbed to cancer at age 51 in December 1997.
A faculty member for the past 32 years, Robeck has influenced many current WMU students or graduates who now work in the field of communication. He conceived and developed WMU's public relations program, which was implemented in the Department of Communication in 1982, and he has coordinated the department's internship program and served as advisor for the student Public Relations Organization.
Gagie, who retired in 1996 after more than 22 years of service, was active in a variety of roles with community organizations, including the Kalamazoo County Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Kalamazoo United Way.
Media contact: Cheryl Roland, 616 387-8400, cheryl.roland@wmich.edu