January 17, 2006

RICHMOND, Va. – Dominion, one of the nation’s largest energy producers, will honor nine prominent African-Americans renowned for their accomplishments and leadership Wednesday in its 16th annual "Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership" educational series.

"Strong Men & Women" highlights the accomplishments of selected African-American role models and tells their stories in an educational series that is distributed during Black History Month to more than 12,000 schools across Dominion's retail electric and natural gas service areas in Virginia, northeastern North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. More than 180 African-American leaders have been honored in the program’s history.

"By bringing the stories of these inspirational leaders to the forefront, we want young people to realize that success in life can be achieved," said Thomas F. Farrell II, Dominion president and chief executive officer. "We believe all students would want to follow in the footsteps of these exemplary individuals."

The 2006 honorees are:

• Diana E. Bajoie, New Orleans, La. – First African-American woman elected to the Louisiana State Senate.
• Howard L. Baugh, Richmond, Va. – One of the original Tuskegee Airmen, America's first black military airmen who were trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama and served during World War II in North Africa, Sicily and Italy.
• Nathan Davis, Pittsburgh, Pa. – Founder and head of the first school of jazz, University of Pittsburgh.
• Francis M. Foster Sr., Richmond, Va. – Noted Richmond historian.
• Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Cleveland, Ohio – First African-American woman elected to Congress from Ohio.
• Robert P. Madison, Cleveland, Ohio – President and chief executive officer of the first African-American architectural firm in Ohio.
• Elliott "Ellie" Mannette, Morgantown, W.Va. – Principal innovator and designer of the modern steel drum.
• Edward J. Perkins, Norman, Okla. -- First African-American director-general, United Foreign Service, and first African-American to serve as U.S. ambassador to Australia.
• Daphne Maxwell Reid, Free Union, Va. – First African-American woman on the cover of Glamour magazine, former model, actress and entrepreneur.

Dominion also sponsored an essay-writing contest among African-American high school seniors in its electric retail service areas. The students were required to write about a leader featured in the "Strong Men & Women" series. Winners received a laptop computer and their schools received a $1,000 cash award.

This year’s essay winners are:

• Delano Green – James Monroe High School, Fredericksburg, Va.
• Daniella Jones – Salem High School, Virginia Beach, Va.
• Desiree Smith – Stonewall Jackson High School, Prince William County, Va.
• Cederick Moore – Southside High School, Chocowinity, N.C.

Information about "Strong Men & Women" can be found on the Internet at www.dom.com, keyword "strong."

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with an energy portfolio of about 28,100 megawatts of generation. Dominion also serves retail energy customers in nine states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Dominion’s annual recognition of African-American men and women leaders occurs Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006, 7 p.m., at the Richmond Marriott Hotel, 500 East Broad Street, Richmond, Va. Biographies of the honorees and copies of the winning essays will be available at the awards ceremony. Video b-roll, sound bites and media kits will be on hand.

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