Speaking Contest Winners Announced

Speaking contest winners are, from left, Jessi Burgess, Andrew Struletz and Chelsie Wilson.

On Dec. 1, the Department of Mass Communications and Theatre Arts sponsored the sixth annual Gibson Public Speaking Contest. The event was named in honor of Dr. Chester Gibson, who served in the department for more than two decades. 

Competition is fierce. 

Of the hundreds of students studying public speaking, only seven were chosen to take part in the contest. Speech faculty select students to participate based on the quality and effectiveness of their persuasive speeches. 

Judges for the evening were Dr. Bruce Lyon, Ms. Jane Simpson, and Mr. Gary Leftwich. Lyon has served the University of West Georgia in various capacities, most recently in the Ombuds Office. Simpson is university general counsel. Leftwich is director of corporate communications at Southwire; he is also an alumnus of UWG, having graduated with a degree in mass communications.

            Each contestant received a cash prize for their participation.  Receiving $50 for participating (and the titles of their speeches) were Bernell Grizzard (“The Bottled Water Hoax”), Brenden Jonassaint (“Broken by Divorce”), Ferris May (“2 Laws of 2: Reducing Drunk Drivers”), and Daniel Vinson (“Getting What You Want: The Greatest Good”). Andrew Struletz took third place and a $200 prize for “Alcohol Should be Illegal.”  Taking second place and $300 was Jessi Burgess for “Comprehensive Sex Education.”  The first-place winner and recipient of $400 was Chelsie Wilson, whose speech was entitled “The FDA Should Strengthen Their Regulation on Painkillers.”

            Speech faculty (Meda Rollings, Gail Reid, Bruce Daniel, Kelly Williams, and Wendell Stone) hosted the event.  Awards were made possible through the generous support of textbook publisher McGraw-Hill and Dr. Chester and Mrs. Faye Gibson.