The McClure School is proud to present the Strowger Award to" innovators in communication."

MCI founder and former Chief Executive Officer William McGowan was given the first Strowger Award for Innovation in Communication in 1991. McGowan, credited as the catalyst for introducing competition in the long-distance telephone industry, was selected in part because "he changed the face of the communication industry," the award says.

Dr. Vinton Cerf, known as the "Father of the Internet," received the Strowger Award as part of Communication Week 2001 events. Dr. Cerf was the School's keynote speaker, addressing issues relating to the current state, and future, of the Internet.

The 2004 recipient of the Srowger Award was Dr. Lawrence G. Roberts, responsible for the design, initiation, planning and development of ARPANET, the world's first major packet network and predecessor to the Internet. Dr. Roberts gave the keynote speech during Communication Week on "The Past and Future of the Internet."