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OUR HISTORY

CELEBRATING YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE PROFESSION

In 1979 a group of leading Canadian communications practitioners had the foresight to create an organization dedicated to supporting public relations education and the conduct of original communications research that would increase public knowledge and awareness about the role of communications and public relations. Public relations programs were being established at Canadian colleges and universities and there was much discussion about the conduct of research that would help establish a Canadian body of knowledge. 

 

Led by Canadian PR pioneers Charles Tisdall, APR and George Lawrence, APR, the Communications + Public Relations Foundation* set out in the early years not only to promote awareness of public relations, but also to raise money to sponsor lectures, place public relations text books in public libraries and establish the Communications and Public Relations Resource Information Centre at Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax. 

 

In 1984, The Foundation published a reference text, Public Relations in Canada: Some Perspectives, an anthology about the practice, edited by Walter B. Herbert and John R.G. Jenkins, and published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside. The publication included commentary on the development of formal public relations education programs across Canada. 

 

In 2004, under the leadership of then Foundation Chair Barbara Sheffield, APR, FCPRS, the Foundation launched two projects in partnership with the Canadian Public Relations Society – the Jack Yocom Public Relations Profile Collection and the Diana and Charles Tisdall Lecture in Communications. 

 

Today, this charitable, not-for-profit foundation continues and enriches the work begun by our forward-thinking colleagues. The Foundation’s single original scholarship has expanded to five in addition to to a Prize, an Award and a variety of grants. Along with its dedicated research work, donations to libraries, publication of educational materials and its sponsorship of the annual Diana and Charles Tisdall Lecture in Communications, the Foundation is certainly fulfilling the vision of its founders. 

 

Our thanks to the 1979/80 founding board for its work in establishing the Communications + Public Relations Foundation.

 

*on July 31, 2019, the name of the Foundation was changed to CPRS Foundation.

1979/80 FOUNDING BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

DIRECTOR  

 

HILDA WILSON*,

APR, Toronto

DIRECTOR  

 

CHARLES W. TISDALL*, APR, Toronto

DIRECTOR  

 

FRED H. MOONEN*, APR, Vancouver

DIRECTOR  

 

JACQUES LEFEBVRE*, Montreal

DIRECTOR  

 

CHARLES A. HARRIS*, APR, Montreal

DIRECTOR  

 

LAIRD F. RANKIN,

APR, Winnipeg

DIRECTOR  

 

DAVID G. WOOD*,

APR, Calgary

CHAIRMAN  

 

GORDON GOLDIE*, Toronto

PRESIDENT  

 

RONALD J. COULSON, APR, Regina

VICE-PRESIDENT  

 

C. EDMUND MURRAY, APR, Dartmouth

DIRECTOR  

 

GEORGE A. LAWRENCE*,

APR, Toronto

*, Deceased

SECRETARY-TREASURER  

 

PATRICK H. MACLEOD*, APR, Ottawa

DIRECTOR  

 

NORMAN S. CUTHBERT*, Oakville

To contact the CPRS Foundation for more information:

 

Lindsay Hugenholtz Sherk

Executive Director

Email: info@cprsfoundation.ca

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