The Carolina Alumni
Association named Charles E. Jones, Jr. the recipient of the
Outstanding Black Alumni Award during the annual Homecoming
Awards Dinner and Gala Oct. 24 at the Sheraton Hotel in Columbia.
Jones earned his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism
from USC in 1991.
An accomplished television news journalist and public relations
executive, Jones has earned an out-standing reputation through-out
the state of Florida for his professional and community service
achievements. This West Columbia native has received accolades
from the National Conference of Black Mayors, the Greater
Miami Chamber of Commerce, and the American Cancer Society.
He gathered and reported news stories for WOLO-TV in Columbia,
S.C., WNCT-TV in Greenville, N.C., and WIRB-TV in Palm Bay,
Fla. While working at WNCT-TV he won an award for breaking
news coverage from the North Carolina Associated Press in
1992.
In 1994 Jones entered large-market television when he was
hired to report for WFTV-TV in Orlando, Fla., one of the highest-rated
news stations in the nation. He established WFTV’s Osceola
County bureau and was a member of the Emmy-nominated team
that earned an Edward R. Murrow Award for continuous coverage
of the central Florida wildfires in 1998.
In 1999 he joined the firm of Wragg & Casas Public Relations,
the largest independent full-service firm in Florida. He is
manager of client services in its Miami headquarters.
Jones is known as a leader in South Florida community organizations.
Most recently he was recognized for his leadership role in
launching the Northwest Dade Relay for Life. His dedication
to helping others has benefited numerous community groups
and causes. |
Comments
by Professor Emeritus Jay Latham
"Charles was one of my favorite reporting
students over the 25 years I taught at USC. He was open,
imaginative and self-directed in terms of broadcast journalism.
He came back to the college several times
to talk with students in the Senior Semester and to critique
their work in terms of how it applied to real-life situations.
Charles was (is) a good (kid) who is concerned
about others more than he is with himself, which as the Prophet
Micah says is our duty: To love justice, love mercy and
walk humbly with your God.
Charles is an ultimate example of the kind
of graduate we ought to be turning out.
Fortunately, there are others, too. |
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