VPC celebrates diamond anniversary

By: Bonnie Atwood, VPC historian and past president

What’s blue, has a diamond on its belly button and comes in sizes that VPC members can no longer fit into? The unique denim-and-diamond tote! This was a popular swag bag at the VPC 60th anniversary celebration held May 5 at the University of Richmond.

Following a glitzy evening at the Travinia Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar, the communicators gathered at the university for a day of learning, networking, dining, bidding and honoring the best of the 2017. Oh, wait…make that the best of 60 years! Those cute denim bags were stuffed with a book highlighting the group from when it was formed under the name Virginia Press Women in 1958. This groundbreaking group of 30 Virginia women paved the way for women in journalism. They got sick and tired of being stuck with the society pages, and they broke into hard news, photography, editing and publishing. The Washington Post’s Katharine Graham was an early member of VPW. Honored guests included such notables as Lady Bird Johnson, Patricia Cornwell, Rita Mae Brown and many others.

Now VPC, the group spent the morning listening to such great speakers as Tom Mullen, Anne Dreyfuss and Keith Kaufelt. Linda Fisher Thornton finished the lectures by walking attendees through her “Ethics through 7 Lenses.” Three lucky winners received copies of her book.

After the group scarfed up one of UR’s fabulous lunches, topped off with purple cupcakes, attendees bid on the VPW Foundation’s silent auction, which funds the Agnes Cooke Scholarships to up-and-coming student communicators. VPC honored this year’s winner, who could not attend. VPC held its own in the annual communications contest, with compliments from judges about the high quality of the  work.

It was yet another landmark occasion in the proud history of the VPC. Here’s to the next milestone!