Monday, April 22, 2002

WILMINGTON, NC – Progress Energy, Inc. will receive a corporate Razor Walker Award along with seven other extraordinary people being honored by the UNC Wilmington Watson School of Education this year. The recipients will be presented with the distinguished award on Monday, April 29, 2002, during a ceremony at the UNCW Warwick Center Ballroom. Ceremony is by invitation only.

The Razor Walker Award, established in 1993 by the Watson School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, is recognized as one of the state’s most prestigious and unique service awards. The award is presented annually to a select group of individuals and a corporation who have, through commitment and tenacity, made a significant impact on the lives and the education of children in North Carolina.

Past winners of the Razor Walker Award include UNC President Molly Broad, Senator Marc Basnight, the late Coach Leon Brogden, inventors, physicians, a Nobel Prize co-laureate, the founder of a major cultural center, authors and artists, a farmer, an Episcopal minister, a Superior Court judge, a school custodian, corporate executives and state leaders.

The 2002 Razor Walker Award winners are:

Progress Energy, Inc., for investing in a better future for the youth of North Carolina. Each year, Progress Energy companies fund scholarships at every level and employees donate thousands of hours to helping children through the Communities in Schools program.

Dr. Heyward Bellamy of Wilmington, retired superintendent of the New Hanover County Public School System from 1969 to 1982, for working with many diverse ethnic groups at a critical time in the history of our schools, creating the first alternative school and giving students a representation on the County Board of Education.

Dr. Denis Carter of Wilmington, associate vice chancellor for planning and academic outreach, for co-establishing the College Opportunity Program, which encourages minority students to plan for a college career and for his work in creating a network between UNCW and the community colleges in the state making it possible for more students to obtain a four-year college degree.

Jo Ann Norris of Raleigh, associate executive director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina, for building trust among parents and teachers during the 1960’s, which offered new opportunities for children in that era and fostered the future integration of school faculty in the system and for her lifelong dedication to education reform.

Jose Grave de Peralta of Henderson, a refugee from Cuba, educator and community volunteer, for devoting his professional life to teaching thousands of young rural North Carolinians not only the Spanish language, but instilling in them the appreciation of other cultures and the value of freedom.

Gordon Smith, III of Raleigh, for his vision and work in creating the Raleigh museum, Exploris, which instills in North Carolina students and citizens a tolerance and respect for other cultures. Exploris is the state’s first “global learning center.”

Dr. Marc Sosne of Hampstead, Pender County School superintendent, for challenging the process and looking for inspired alternatives for success in his team of teachers, students and staff. He has also secured almost $4.5 million to help meet the educational needs of the school system, increased student achievement, and reduced dropout rates significantly.

Robert Spearman of Raleigh, attorney, for working years on litigation, to champion the cause of our state’s most economically, deprived population – children in poor counties. Spearman’s work on the Leandro case culminated in the decision to hold the state responsible to see that every child has the opportunity to a basic sound education.

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NOTE TO MEDIA: For photos and complete bios of the award winners, visit the UNCW News and Events page at www.uncwil.edu/news/releases/april02/razor_walker.html. The award ceremony, held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., is open to the media.