An entry from the West Virginia Department of Transportation’s Office of Communications received a major award at the recent Crystal Awards Ceremony held June 17 at the Civic Center in Charleston. Public relations professionals from around the state were honored for their excellence by the West Virginia-Public Relations Society of America.
The book, CROSSINGS-Bridge Building in West Virginia, received a Crystal Award for Special Purpose Publications – Books. This full-color, oversized companion piece to the award winning documentary of the same name, focuses on bridge building and the formidable terrain faced by early settlers and how these transportation barriers have been overcome in West Virginia.
Terry Lively, a 25-plus year veteran of the West Virginia Department of Transportation's Office of Communications and adjunct professor in the Communications Department at WVSU, engineered the funding and production for the hour-long documentary and coffee table book through an FHWA TEA-21 grant. The majority of photographs were done by WVDOT photographer, Eric Steele. With over twenty years in photography, Steele brings to life the breathtaking vistas of some of the State’s most monumental infrastructures discussed in the book.
"This book was a labor of love," said author Carol Melling, retired director of Public Affairs for the Division of Highways. "It summarizes Highways’ greatest achievements over the 35 years I was privileged to learn from some of the country’s top bridge engineers and historic experts."
Chartered on November 10, 1979, the West Virginia Chapter of PRSA is in its 29th year of service to public relations professionals in West Virginia, continuing with the energy and enthusiasm that have built and sustained this chapter. With approximately 150 members, the West Virginia Chapter of PRSA helps members become more valuable to their organizations and clients - and more successful professionally by providing peer-based support, encouraging professional growth through participation in the chapter's meetings and sponsored programs and promoting the highest standards of professional work ethic.
Awards serve as public recognition by your peers of the high caliber of your work. The PRSA-WV Chapter Crystal Awards showcase the best program components and overall public relations campaigns conducted in West Virginia each year. Entries were judged by the Hampton Roads, VA chapter.