Contact: Katherine Garner, Executive Director

214/977-6658

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas

To Honor Bill and Diana Hobby

         Former Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby and his wife Diana will be honored in March for their contributions to the state of Texas as part of the 30 th anniversary observance of the state's first open records act.

The Hobbys will receive the 2003 John Henry Faulk Award for Civic Virtue at a special dinner celebration on Tuesday, March 25, 2003, at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas.

         The award is given by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, a First Amendment advocacy organization. Past award recipients include Dolph and Janey Briscoe, Charline and Red McCombs, and Audre and Bernard Rapoport.

The 2003 award coincides with the anniversary of the 1973 passage of the Texas Open Records Act and the 25 th anniversary of the founding of the FOIFT.

“The timing of this award is fitting,” said Foundation president Wanda Garner Cash. “Not only are Bill and Diana Hobby distinguished community leaders, but Bill Hobby was lieutenant governor when the open records act became law in 1973.

“All Texans continue to derive daily benefits from the open records law. It's possibly the most liberating piece of legislation ever passed in this state,” Cash said.

         Hobby, who served as lieutenant governor of Texas longer than anyone else in Texas history, has also served in numerous public service and higher education service positions, such as commissioner of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, commissioner of the Education Commission of the States and chancellor of the University of Houston System, a position he held for only $1 a year.

         Diana Hobby, also a devoted philanthropist, co-edited the academic journal Studies in English Literature , was book editor of The Houston Post and has been a strong supporter of the arts and literature. The Hobbys' devotion to the arts is evident in their recent support in building the new Hobby Center for Performing Arts in Houston. Diana has also been a strong supporter of libraries, and in 1997, the Hobby Foundation made one of the largest donations ever made to a library, allowing an extensive renovation and enlargement of the Fondren Library at Rice University. She also is an honorary board member for the Mental Health Association in Texas.

         The Hobby family has a history of serving Texas. Bill's father, former Gov. William P. Hobby, Sr., was the youngest man elected as Texas governor and held various positions at the Beaumont Enterprise and Houston Post before acquiring both papers. Oveta Culp Hobby, Bill's mother, served as editor, president and publisher of the Houston Post and was the first commander of the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps.

         In support of the FOIFT, Bill and Diana have established the Education Fund, which will become part of the Foundation's permanent endowment. The Education Fund will help to support the FOIFT's continuing education efforts for the citizens of Texas with regard to the First Amendment as   well as their rights and responsibilities   under the state's access laws.

         The Foundation's Award for Civic Virtue is named after John Henry Faulk (1913-1990), who studied and fought for the freedoms provided by the First Amendment after government blacklisting in the 1950s and 60s challenged his own freedoms.

         The award is given to individuals who, like Faulk, selflessly help others and represent the finest traditions of philanthropy, Cash said.

The FOIFT, founded in 1978, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that works to protect and advance public access to government. The Foundation is supported through grants from private citizens, corporations, foundations and tax deductible donations.

The Foundation offers resources for government access, including a free FOI Hotline staffed by First Amendment attorneys, a quarterly newsletter and customized educational programs for schools, organizations and government agencies.

For more information about the FOIFT or the John Henry Faulk Award for Civic Virtue, please call 214.977.6658 or write 400 S. Record St., Suite 240, Dallas, Texas 75202. Details are also available at the Foundation's Web site, www.foift.org.

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