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Date
08/01/03
Contact: Katherine Garner, (214) 977-6658
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2003 JAMES MADISON AWARD RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED
The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas will present
the 2003 James Madison Award to Katherine (Missy)
Minter Cary and Vanessa E. Curry, Sept. 5, in Austin,
Texas. The James Madison Award was created to honor individuals
whose appreciation and respect for the First Amendment and
open government have been demonstrated by exemplary actions,
words or deeds.
Missy Cary is an assistant attorney general with the
position of chief of the Open Records Division for the Office
of the Attorney General and previously served as the public
information coordinator. Cary is board certified in administrative
law with extensive experience in labor and employment law.
As general counsel, she has advised state agencies on the
Open Meetings and Public Information Acts as well as provided
legal advice on personnel practices and policies. She has
represented state agencies in federal and state litigation
as well as in investigations and administrative proceedings.
"Missy’s
dedication to public information is outstanding," Katherine
Garner, executive director of the Foundation said. "She
has been instrumental in continuing to educate the public
about open government and has worked closely with the Foundation
on the Open Government seminars we sponsor together."
Vanessa
E. Curry is a known champion of First Amendment rights
and an accomplished journalist. As a reporter and a photographer,
Curry has covered city and county governments, courts and
school districts. Currently, she is the student newspaper
advisor at the University of Texas at Tyler, where she also
teaches journalism classes.
In 1998, the Associated Press awarded Curry first place for
investigative reporting and freedom of information for her
report on Rusk State Hospital. She is a three-time winner
of the State Bar of Texas Gavel Award and two-time Dallas
Press Club Katie Award winner.
"By passing on the importance of having access to government
to her students, Vanessa is training a new generation about
public information," Garner said. "Her work on an
audit of government agencies in East Texas is a great example
of her passion for the subject."
The awards will be presented during the John Henry Faulk
Awards Luncheon, Friday, Sept. 5, at the InterContinental
Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Austin. The luncheon is part of the
2003 Bernard and Audre Rapoport FOI State Conference. Admittance
to the John Henry Faulk Awards Luncheon is included with the
conference registration fee. For more information on the conference
or the luncheon, call (214) 977-6658 or visit www.foift.org.
The purpose of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas
is to encourage, sponsor and facilitate a greater appreciation,
knowledge and understanding of the First Amendment. Working
to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in
public, the FOIFT has successfully helped citizens access
open meetings and documents that should be a matter of public
record.
Since 1978, the Foundation’s goal has been to educate
media and legal professionals, educators, students, public
and business officials and individual citizens about their
rights and responsibilities as citizens in our democracy.
The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas is a nonprofit
501 (C) (3) organization supported through grants and tax-deductible
donations from private citizens, corporations and foundations.
For more information, call (214) 977-6658, or visit our web
page, www.foift.org.
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