Notable and Quotable

When Disaster Strikes, PR Pro Gets the Word Out

While others flee hurricanes, fires, and floods, J. Suzanne Horsley ’93 rushes in. During the past decade, the self-proclaimed “disaster junkie” and national Red Cross public affairs volunteer has deployed to some of the country’s worst weather-torn areas, including New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and portions of North Dakota and Arkansas after floods. So when a massive tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa, Ala., the city where she lives and works, last April, Horsley was ready to help. She coordinated public information efforts and participated in more than 50 interviews. Horsley, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama, assembled a team of advertising and public relations students to create a website, write news releases, and produce online content for the local Red Cross chapter. The disaster brought a swirl of attention to Horsley. In August, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication gave her its SuPRStar Award for Excellence in Community … [Read more...]

Philly Honors Philanthropist

Being the mother of six and the grandmother of 15, as well as the owner of 25 thoroughbred horses, might seem like a lot to handle. But for Elizabeth “Betty” Ranny Moran ’53it isn’t nearly enough. The consummate philanthropist, who finds leftover time, energy, and funds to pour into an array of causes, was honored last year on National Philanthropy Day with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the greater Philadelphia chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. “Here is a woman who is truly a philanthropist in heart and action,” Herb Moelis, president and founder of Thoroughbred Charities of America, said of Moran in County Lines online magazine. “All one needs to do is ask, and Betty steps forward.” A champion squash player and avid foxhunter, Moran owns Brushwood Stables in Malvern, Pa., and was a founding member of the Chester County Community Foundation. She has served on the boards of the Chester County Food Bank, Bryn Clovis Charity Foundation, Paoli … [Read more...]