March 3, 2005

Earl Hutto to receive Distinguished Leadership Award from Troy University

TROY , Ala. — Former Congressman Earl Hutto, of Pensacola , will be honored Saturday, March 12 with Troy University ’s sixth annual Distinguished Leadership Award.

Hutto, a 1949 TROY graduate and the recipient of an honorary degree from the University in 1983, will receive the award from Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor, at an awards banquet to be held in the Trojan Center ballrooms beginning at 6 p.m.

The banquet is held in conjunction with the fifth annual Alumni, Parents and Friends/Irish Week celebration at Troy University . Tickets for the banquet are $20 each. The evening’s events will include a reception beginning at 5 p.m., dinner, an awards presentation ceremony and a post-dinner dance. For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at 334-670-3318.

The Distinguished Leadership Award was created to recognize the achievements of TROY alumni and friends who have distinguished themselves through exemplary work, philanthropy, leadership and service to their profession, community and alma mater.

“We are very excited that we will be able to have Earl Hutto come back to campus to receive this award,” said Faith Ward, director of alumni affairs. “Earl is the only member of the TROY family who has had the distinction of serving in Congress. We are extremely pleased to honor him for his accomplishments with our Distinguished Leadership Award.”

Following his graduation from TROY , Hutto, a native of Dale County, Ala., taught business subjects at Cottonwood High School before doing graduate work in broadcasting at Northwestern University and NBC in Chicago . Returning to Alabama , he spent many years in broadcasting with radio and television stations in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, including stints as sports director for WEAR-TV in Pensacola , WSFA-TV in Montgomery and WJHG-TV in Panama City . He later owned and operated the Earl Hutto Advertising Agency.

In 1972, Hutto was elected to the first of three terms in the Florida House of Representatives. He was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1978, serving 16 years until his retirement in 1995. In 1997, Hutto released his autobiography, “Captain Supreme Goes to Washington .”

Hutto and his wife, the former Nancy Myers of Oviedo , Fla. , reside in Pensacola . The couple has two daughters, Lori Hutto and Amy Stubblefield, and two granddaughters, Ellie and Abbie.

Past winners of the Distinguished Leadership Award are McDowell Lee, secretary of the Alabama Senate; Bob Howell, longtime television reporter and anchor; the late Earl Watson, former TROY athletic director; Harrel McKinney, founder of Alabama Reference Laboratories and sponsor of the McKinney Medical Technology Scholarship at Troy University; and, Earl Johnson, former Andalusia mayor and the driving force behind the Bibb Graves Quadrangle renovation project.

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Earl Hutto

Earl Hutto, a native of Dale County, Ala., graduated from Dale County High School in Ozark and served in the U.S. Navy before attending Troy University on the GI Bill. He graduated from TROY in 1949 with a degree in Business and English-Education.

Hutto taught business subjects at Cottonwood High School for two years, but an interest in broadcasting, fueled by his work at Troy radio station WTBF during his college days, led him to pursue graduate work at Northwestern University and NBC Chicago.

Returning to Alabama , Hutto worked for three years as program director, sports director and announcer for WDIG in Dothan before landing a job as sports director and announcer for WEAR-TV in Pensacola . While in Pensacola , Hutto founded and served as president and majority stockholder of WPEX-FM, which is now WMEZ.

From there, Hutto moved to Montgomery’s WSFA-TV where he served as sports director and did the statewide telecast of the Auburn football review with Coach Shug Jordan. He later served as sports director and state news editor of WJHG-TV in Panama City , Fla. , and also owned and operated the Earl Hutto Advertising Agency.

In 1972, Hutto was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, serving for three terms. After his six years in the Florida Legislature, he was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1978 and served 16 years until his retirement in January 1995.

During his tenure in the Florida Legislature, Hutto was named Legislator of the Year by the Florida Association of Retarded Citizens, the Florida Community College Association and the Sunshine State Association of the Blind. While in Congress, he received the Guardian of Small Business Award from the National Federation of Independent Business in 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992 and 1994, the Watchdog of the Treasury Awards for six straight terms and the American Security Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1980, he received Troy University ’s Alumnus of the Year Award and was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from TROY in 1983.

Hutto is married to the former Nancy Myers of Oviedo , Fla. The couple resides in Pensacola , Fla. and has two daughters and two granddaughters.