College of Communication Awards Harold Burson the Arthur W. Page Lifetime Achievement Award In Public Relations

The College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin presented Harold Burson, co-founder of Burson-Marsteller, a worldwide public relations firm, with the inaugural Arthur W. Page Lifetime Achievement Award In Public Relations at the Headliner's Club in Austin, Texas, on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2002. The Page Award, presented to public relations professionals who have made a significant contribution to the profession, was awarded to Burson based on his ongoing contributions to the public relations industry, and his continued support of academic institutions dedicated to educating future public relations professionals. Arthur W. Page, for whom the award is named, was the first corporate vice president of public relations, and worked for AT&T from 1927 to 1946. He believed that public relations should be part of the corporate decision-making process, and that the public relations department should not only interpret the company to its publics, but also the publics to the company. Page died in Sept. 1960, shortly before his 77th birthday.

He is considered "the father of corporate public relations." Burson co-founded Burson-Marsteller -- the world's largest public relations firm, with offices in 35 countries -- with Bill Marsteller in New York in 1953. Throughout his career, Burson has contributed more than fifty years of service as a counselor to corporate CEO's, government leaders and public sector institutions. Harold Burson, at the age of 80, is still regarded as one of the world's most preeminent public relations counselors today.

In addition, on Friday Burson delivered the first lecture in the Arthur W. Page Lecture Series to students, faculty, staff and Austin-area public relations professionals. The lecture, titled "A Decent Respect" addressed the beginning of the public relations profession, how public relations has evolved in the 20th century's business environment, as well as the state of the public relations industry today.

1/31/2002