History of the Annual Bryce Harlow Foundation Award Dinner

On June 3, 1981, about 150 of Bryce Harlow's friends and admirers attended a dinner to honor him for his 40 years of outstanding public and private endeavors and for his contributions to the advancement of the profession of Washington corporate representation. That dinner was called the Bryce N. Harlow Recognition Dinner. Emmett Hines, head of the Washington office for Armstrong World Industries, served as master of ceremonies and remarks were made by many of Harlow's friends and colleagues. Even Sally Studebaker, Bryce's able assistant for so many years at Procter & Gamble and who would later become his wife, spoke in tribute to the honoree. President Ronald Reagan could not attend but sent his best wishes through a letter that was read from the podium.

The following year, the Foundation held a second dinner and awarded its first award, named the Bryce Harlow Business-Government Relations Award, to John Harper, former CEO of Alcoa. 450 guests from the corporate representative community attended the event at the Capitol Hilton Hotel and the Bryce Harlow Award Dinner was launched. The dinner has continued for decades, outgrowing several favorite Washington ballrooms, including the Capitol Hilton and the Willard Hotel. Currently the event is held at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill and draws an overflow crowd of advocacy professionals, members of Congress, and congressional staff. Jeffrey Birnbaum of The Washington Post called the dinner, "the premier social event for Washington's lobbyists."

Past recipients of the Bryce Harlow Award

Past recipients of the Business-Government Relations Award