Two long-time space program communicators were honored with the 2013 Harry Kolcum Memorial News and Communications Award by the National Space Club Florida Committee (NSCFC) during a luncheon at the Radisson Resort at the Port in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Nov. 12.
This year’s recipients were Andrea Farmer, APR, CPRC, senior public relations manager of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which is operated by Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts on behalf of NASA, and John Zarrella, CNN’s Miami correspondent.
“It’s an incredible honor to receive the Kolcum Award,” Farmer said. “It’s like the Emmy for communicators.”
Farmer has inspired support for the space program and told the NASA and Kennedy story for nearly 10 years and was a key player in promoting the opening of the new Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction. She is responsible for community and media relations, including social media, crisis communications and news content.
“This means more to me than any award I’ve received in the past because I was selected by my peers,” Zarrella said. “Recognizing me in this way means everything to me.”
Zarella has been CNN’s Miami correspondent since the bureau was established in December 1983. He is responsible for coverage of news in Florida, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. He is a principal correspondent for CNN’s coverage of the U.S. space program, covering many significant events, including John Glenn’s 1998 return to space and the Mars Pathfinder mission.
He was the correspondent on site during the 1986 Challenger accident and covered the final flights of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.
The Kolcum award recognizes the contributions of professional Florida-based journalists and communicators who inform the public about our nation’s space program with an emphasis on launch and mission operations in Florida. The award is named for the late, veteran aerospace writer who was Cape bureau chief for Aviation Week & Space Technology from 1980 to 1993 and a founding member of the NSCFC.