Bruce K. Berger’s career reflects a deep commitment to strengthening the communications profession through education, research, mentorship and service. In his acceptance remarks, he shares reflections on his career and the people and experiences that shaped his journey.
A video of Bruce’s acceptance speech will be added to this page soon.
Good evening and thank you: Thank you all for that warm welcome and for being with us tonight. I want to thank Darcy for that kind Intro, and Kelly Green for coordinating my visit. I also want to thank longtime friend and colleague, Bill Heyman, for nominating me for this award, and the Nomination Committee for selecting me for the award.
I’m deeply honored with this Distinguished Service Award. I will always cherish it because it is so special! I’ve long believed and expressed to many others that Page is the premiere ethical communications leadership development ORG. It’s also the richest collection of 100s of the best and brightest minds in our field. So, I’m deeply thankful for this award by this great ORG.
I’m also delighted tonight to see some familiar Page faces, which I haven’t seen for far too long. My wife, Joan, a former nurse who’s unable to travel, and I were active in a handful of professional ORGs, even after we retired 13 years ago. Then about 8 years ago we put the brakes on due to some serious medical and health issues across our large families. So, we’ve spent a lot more time recently with family—and far less with ORGS. So, seeing good friends tonight makes it even more special.
My blended corporate and educational careers brought me in touch with a great mix of leaders around the world. In my 20 years in the corporate PR world, much of my work was INTL. I worked on diverse projects in more than 30 countries, including 3 years in Brussels where I worked with our operations in Europe, Africa and the ME.
Then, after 20 years in corporate PR, which I loved, I decided at the very young age of 50, to shift from practicing PR to teaching PR. Some friends thought I was nuts. But I earned a doctorate, built my research skills, and taught PR and Comm students: our future leaders. I wanted them to start earlier on leadership skills in PR. And it was in my 2nd year of teaching that I first met one of the most inspiring PR leaders I’ve ever known.
So, my brief talk tonight is in the form of a tribute—a very special tribute to this great lady in PR who strongly and positively influenced me… and some of you…and thousands of others in our field.
She was often referred to as the 1st Lady in Public Relations, and the PR Icon. Of course, I’m speaking about Betsy Anne Plank, whom many of you knew and worked with and loved and respected like I did.
She was the 1st woman named President of the Publicity Club of Chicago in 1963. In 1965 as a social activist, Betsy participated in the final stage of that widely televised and long Civil Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
In 1967 she helped create the PR Student Society of America. She was the 1st woman named President of PRSA in 1973. PR News named her one of the top 40 PR leaders in the world in 1978. She achieved so many firsts in her 63-year career.
She also richly embodied the Page Principles.
+ She was passionate about her work and highly ethical.
+ She lived life with love and laughter.
+ She listened closely to others.
+ She treated everyone with respect.
+ She expressed empathy and gave hope to all.
If you want the full story of this incredible lady, I urge you to read a recent book about Betsy written by PR professor & historian, Dr. Karla Gower, at UA. The book is simply titled: Betsy Anne Plank.
I first met Betsy in 2000, when she received an award at the University of Alabama, where she’d earned a degree in 1944. I was just beginning some PR leadership research projects, of which there were few back then. Betsy was intrigued with the studies. We talked a lot about them, and PR education, and that was the beginning of a wonderful 10-year relationship.
In 2005 we launched the Plank Center for Leadership in PR, which gave us more opportunities to work together to enrich leadership in students and young professionals. That was our overriding goal then at the Center: drive leadership capabilities in young people.
Though I was a seasoned pro when I met Betsy, I learned from her—not just through her words, but more through her actions and behaviors. I have many learning stories, but tonight I’ll share just two brief stories which capture some of Betsy’s rich heart and insights.
1. A “bite of hope” story: I attended a PRSSA conference with Betsy in 2004. We were walking down a hall between sessions when a young lady literally sprinted down the hall toward Betsy and slid to a stop in front of her. Her eyes were filled with tears. “Miss Plank, you don’t know me,” she said, “but may I please speak with you sometime today? I need help with a huge problem.”
Betsy smiled, reached out, touched the young lady’s arm, and said: “Of course, my dear. I’m always here for you. Let’s go right over there and sit down and talk now.” She pointed at two chairs along the hallway wall, nodded at me, then walked over and sat down with the young lady.
I went on to the next session. And when I walked back down that hallway an hour later, Betsy and the student were still together. No tears now. The young lady was smiling and laughing. When I later asked Betsy about that student, she said: “Oh, that young lady she just needed a bite…of hope.” That was Betsy, folks: giving bites of hope to others. She listened to and valued everyone. Whether she knew them or not was irrelevant. If they asked for help, she’d help to the extent she could.
2. Story of “passing the rock”: During one of Betsy’s visits to Alabama, I invited her to speak to doctoral students in my seminar on leadership. Eight students sat around a circular table. After I introduced Betsy, she opened her big bright red purse and lifted out a baseball-sized rock and sat it in the center of the table. It was a shiny, polished black rock. She then went around the table and asked each student exactly what they saw. Each said they saw a rock, a shiny rock, or a polished rock.
Betsy smiled and said, “Sorry to tell you, but you’re all wrong. Look again and look very closely this time. From where you’re seated, each of you sees part of a rock, not the whole rock. To get the full picture, you must pass the rock and let each share his or her view of it.
When everyone participates, you get a much fuller, richer picture of the opportunity or problem you’re dealing with, and you’ll make a far better decision. So, in teams always pass the rock for richer and wiser decisions.”
The last time I talked with Betsy was just a few weeks before she passed at age 86 in 2010. At the end our brief conversation, I asked her what life lessons she’d like me to pass on and try to carry forward. She named four:
Ladies and gentlemen, Betsy Anne Plank was a truly wonderful lady, a great leader and role model in our field, and a person who shared her heart with virtually all. This little lady made many of us bigger and better leaders. Her mentorship, kindness, and forever paying it forward were at the center of her lasting legacy.
I ask you all to please help make this a collective tribute to Betsy tonight by joining me in a round of applause for this little, great big Lady!
Thank you to the Page Society for this meaningful and moving award tonight. And please, let’s keep on keeping on:
THANK YOU ALL!