James Wyant Wins PBS Leadership Award

James A. Wyant of Pointe Claire, Quebec, a member of the Vermont Public
Television board of directors and chair of VPT's Canadian charitable
organization, was honored with the 2003 Public Television Leadership
Award. John King, president of Vermont Public Television, presented the
award to him Oct. 4 at the PBS Development Conference in Denver, Colo.
The prestigious national award honors volunteers each year for exceptional
work on behalf of public television. He is the first Canadian to win the
award. Wyant's wife, Maureen, herself a longtime volunteer for VPT,
attended the ceremony.
Besides his board work, Wyant hosts fundraising events, opens doors to
corporate support and recruits individual contributions. He is VPT's most
generous individual donor as well.
In his highest profile effort of the year, Wyant worked with VPT staff to
generate the idea and raise funds to broadcast a concert by the Montreal
Chamber Orchestra to commemorate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The concert of the Faure Requiem, which featured the Sainte-Anne Singers,
aired in September. A second program with the Montreal Chamber Orchestra,
featuring pieces not seen in the previous broadcast, will air Wednesday,
Nov. 26, at 10:30 p.m. It includes Hofmann's Sinfonia in F major and J.C.
Bach's Sinfonia in B-flat Major, Opus 3, No. 4.
VPT's John King said, "Jim is a one-man ambassador who bridges the border
between Vermont and Quebec. We are proud of him and deeply grateful for
his devotion to Vermont Public Television."