Scholarships

FPRA Pensacola Chapter annually awards $500 scholarships to student FPRA members seeking a degree in Public Relations from the University of West Florida.

The next deadline to submit a scholarship application will be in Spring 2021. Application coming soon. For more information, email fprapensacola@gmail.com.

Pensacola Chapter Scholarships

Horace W. "Pete" Olcott Scholarship

Horace W. "Pete" Olcott, Manager of Public Relations at Gulf Power Company, founded the Miracle Strip, now Pensacola Chapter of FPRA in 1957. He moved to Pensacola in 1952 to begin his career with Gulf Power Company, where he remained until his retirement.

During his lifetime, Mr. Olcott was active in the Pensacola community. Among his varied interests were the Pensacola Symphony, the Chamber of Commerce and the Pensacola Historical Society. One of his more visible efforts was in the placement of the statue of Andrew Jackson in Plaza Ferdinand in downtown Pensacola.

This scholarship is named for Mr. Olcott in grateful appreciation for his dedication to and his love for the public relations profession.

Lt. Col. John W. Dillin, APR, CPRC Scholarship

Lt. Col. John W. Dillin, APR, CPRC was the founding president of the Florida Public Relations Association. In 1938, Lt. Col. Dillin, publicity director of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, coordinated a meeting with 45 interested publicity and media executives in Tampa to discuss forming an organization dealing with publicity and public relations. As a result, the Florida Association of Publicity Relations Directors (later changed to the Florida Public Relations Association) was born.

Executive meetings were held throughout the year in several locations in the state prior to the first annual meeting in St. Augustine. Chapters, including student chapters at several universities, were formed throughout the state with its membership numbering more than 1,000.

Because of his vision and desire to establish a statewide organization to enable public relations practitioners to "do our jobs better," and his dedication to the public relations field, we name this scholarship for Lt. Colonel John W.  Dillin, APR, CPRC.

Scott R. Harrington, APR, CPRC Scholarship

Scott R. Harrington has been dedicated to both the Florida Public Relations Association and the public relations field since he began working with Gulf Power Company in 1978.

He has served the Pensacola Chapter as president on two occasions, as well as on the State Executive Committee as vice president during the 1980s, also serving as Annual Conference and Golden Image chair. In August 2000, he was sworn in as Counselors' Network chair, again serving on the Executive Committee. From 2001-2003, Harrington served as FPRA's Vice President Member Services on the Executive Committee.

Both accredited and certified, he was the 1998 recipient of the Lt. Col. John W. Dillin Award, the highest award bestowed on an individual by FPRA, for contributions to the association and the public relations profession.

Scott retired from Gulf Power in 2004. Because of his dedication to FPRA and his involvement in "growing our own" public relations professionals through student involvement, internships and scholarships, we name this scholarship for Scott R. Harrington, APR, CPRC.

Eileen M. Perrigo, APR Scholarship

Eileen M. Perrigo was the driving force in teaching hundreds of public relations students at the University of West Florida.

As a faculty member in the department of Communication Arts at UWF, Eileen taught PR for 23 years. She integrated the students into the Pensacola FPRA chapter so they could network for future internships and job opportunities. She selected students to serve as student liaisons for the Pensacola FPRA chapter. Her PR Campaigns classes won numerous Golden Image awards for their PR efforts within the state of Florida.

As former president of the Pensacola chapter, Eileen received the state’s Doris Fleischman “unsung hero” award for her continuous support and dedication to FPRA.

Eileen retired in 2014. Because of her commitment to FPRA and preparing future public relations professionals at the University of West Florida, we name this scholarship for Eileen M. Perrigo, APR.