Veteran Automotive Warren Brown Receives
6th Annual Lifetime Legend Award at
2009 International Car of the Year Awards
For Immediate Release
DETROIT - January 10, 2009 - Veteran automotive journalist Warren Brown, automotive writer for The Washington Post, became the sixth recipient of ROAD & TRAVEL Magazine's (RTM) annual Lifetime Legend Award. Sponsored by Ford Motor Company, RTM honored Brown during the 13th annual International Car of the Year Awards (ICOTY) on January 10, 2009 at the MGM Grand Detroit.
For nearly 30 years Brown has been writing his “On Wheels” automotive column in Washington D.C., giving readers the benefit of his wisdom and firsthand experience behind the wheel of vehicles from around the world. He also performs regular video test drives and weekly radio reports, leaving listeners with no excuse for not having the answers they need when it comes to buying a new car.
“Warren is one of the most gifted and loved journalists in our industry,” said ICOTY Producer Courtney Caldwell. “We are honored to present this much-deserved Lifetime Legend Award to him.”
Writing is not Brown’s only passion. His lifelong fight for equality has had a profound impact on where he is today. From letters written as a teenager to Louisiana Governor Davis complaining about the State's refusal to pay black teachers in a showdown between the state and the federal government over the integration of the state’s public schools, to the book he co-authored with friend and former Washington Post colleague, Martha McNeil Hamilton, "Black and White and Read All Over: The Story of a Friendship;" Warren continues his fight.
As a writer and a fighter for the things most important to him Warren lives by the mantra, "The more you try to understand, the more you learn. You move beyond physical and social restrictions. It becomes a levee overtopped by possibilities..."
As a self-described “Louisiana boy who loves to write and talk,” Brown graduated from Xavier University in New Orleans and received his master’s degree in journalism in 1970 from the Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.
Sponsors for the 2009 black-tie gala included: Ford Motor Company, Bridgestone, Chrysler LLC, General Motors Corporation, State Farm, Subaru of America, American Honda, Audi of America, Hyundai of America, Mazda NA Operations, BorgWarner Inc., Continental, Mercedes-Benz USA, and U-Haul International.
2009 media partners include Edmunds.com, MSN Autos, Yahoo! Autos, Consumer Guide Automotive, Autobytel/MyRide.com, ROAD & TRAVEL Magazine, AOL Autos, and Earth, Wind & Power Blogazine all of which will provide post event coverage.
About ICOTY
The ICOTY Awards were founded in 1996 by Courtney Caldwell, editor-in-chief of RTM. Coined the “Academy Awards of Cars,” ICOTY has become the largest auto awards show production in the United States. Its unique theme was created to celebrate the emotional connection between car and consumer and to recognize automakers that most successfully accomplish that goal through the design and marketing of their vehicles. Today, many automakers use the ‘emotional connection’ theme in their marketing and advertising campaigns.
Media Contact: Courtney Caldwell
Phone: (248) 561-5660
