Edward Block

Block_EdwardSCHRANZ LECTURER 1979

Edward M. Block was cited by PR Week as one of the 100 Most Influential Public Relations People of the 20th Century.  In 1997, Mr. Block was awarded the Gold Anvil – the highest recognition conferred by the 18,000-member Public Relations Society of America.  In 1993, he received both the Lifetime Achievement Award from Inside PR and the Hall of Fame Award of the Arthur W. Page Society.

From 1988 until 1996, he was President of the Block, MacDonald Group, Inc. – consultants to a number of multinational corporations.  PR News chose him as Public Relations Professional of the Year in 1980. Mr. Block served as Senior Vice President – Public Relations, Advertising and Employee Information for the AT&T Corporation for 12 years until his retirement in 1986.  He led corporate communications during AT&T’s historic divestiture of the Bell Telephone Companies and its expansion into international markets.  In the six years leading up to his retirement, Mr. Block also held the additional post of Assistant to the Chairman of the Board and was a member of the Office of the Chairman.  He twice received the Blue Ribbon Award from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in 1961 and 1962.  He has also been the recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Award, presented by the Texas Manufacturers’ Association. Business Week named Block as one of the top Ten Names in Corporate PR. Mr. Block attended the University of Notre Dame and Dartmouth College. He earned his journalism degree at St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas, where he also received an honorary doctorate.

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