January 22, 2004

RICHMOND, Va. - Dominion will honor nine prominent African-Americans Thursday at its 14th annual "Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership." The honorees are renowned for their accomplishments and leadership.

Dominion's "Strong Men & Women" program highlights the accomplishments of selected African-American role models and tells their stories through an educational series that is distributed to more than 12,000 schools across Dominion's natural gas and electric franchise service areas in Virginia, northeastern North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

"These nine exemplary individuals personify the importance of believing in self - in setting high goals and striving to achieve them," said Thos. E. Capps, chairman and chief executive officer. "Through our honorees, we hope to show young people that no dream is unattainable if it's matched by equal amounts of desire and hard work."

A team of company employees selects each year's "Strong Men & Women" honorees. Judges look for candidates who have demonstrated leadership and courage in public life. Past honorees include Colin Powell, U.S. Secretary of State; Shirley A. Jackson, former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman; L. Douglas Wilder, former Virginia governor; and Cathy L. Hughes, founder and chairperson of Radio One Inc.

The 2004 honorees are:

• The Honorable Patricia Ann Blackmon - First African-American female judge on the Ohio Court of Appeals, Cleveland, Ohio.
• Herman I. Boone - Retired football coach at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va. Boone and his team were made most famous in the movie "Remember the Titans."
• The Honorable Pamela Bridgewater - Deputy Assistant Secretary - Bureau of African Affairs, Washington, D.C.
• Dr. Leonard L. Edloe - First African-American chairman of the Greater Richmond Retail Merchants Association and noted local pharmacist, Richmond, Va.
• Dr. Helen S. Faison - First African-American female high school principal in the Pittsburgh School District, Pittsburgh, Pa.
• The Honorable James W. Holley III - First African-American mayor of Portsmouth, Va.
• Brig. Gen. Bert W. Holmes - First African-American brigadier general in the Virginia National Guard, Virginia Beach, Va.
• The Honorable Annie Brown Kennedy - First African-American woman to serve in the North Carolina legislature and second African-American female lawyer in North Carolina, Winston-Salem, N.C.
• Dr. Marie V. McDemmond - President of Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Va., the first African-American female president of a four-year college in Virginia.

African-American high school seniors also participate by entering an essay-writing competition about an African-American leader featured in the "Strong Men & Women" series. Winners receive a $750 U.S. Savings Bond and their schools receive a $1,000 cash award.

This year's essay winners, selected from 82 entries, are:

• Donell Hargrove, Jr.
  Monacan High School, Richmond, Va.
• Crystal E. Williams
  Governor's School for the Arts, Norfolk, Va.
• Walter Williams
  Stonewall Jackson High School, Prince William County, Va.
• Jamal Strange
  Roanoke High School, Robertsonville, N.C.
• Mae A. Ensley
  Cleveland School of the Arts, Cleveland, Ohio
• Gerald Henley, II
  Martin Luther King, Jr. High School, Cleveland, Ohio

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 more than 24,000 megawatts of generation. Dominion also serves 5.3 million retail energy customers in nine states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.

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