The T. Howard Foundation's 10th annual fund-raising dinner Monday raised a
record $500,000 to help fund the organization's minority-placement efforts.
Former Black Entertainment Television executive and new T. Howard head Curtis
Symonds said the foundation will place nearly 60 college students in internships
within direct-broadcast satellite and cable companies this summer, nearly a
three-fold increase over 2002's list.
"I think [the dinner] was the beginning of the future and an opportunity for
the industry to see with its own eyes young people of color appreciating the
value of working within this business," Symonds said.
The dinner -- which drew a record 500 attendees to Cipriani restaurant in New
York -- honored late DBS pioneer and T. Howard namesake H. Taylor Howard, who
was killed in a plane crash last year.
Also honored during the black-tie affair was former AOL Time Warner Inc. vice
chairman Ted Turner, who lauded T. Howard for supporting diversity within the
satellite and cable industries.
Turner said he's seeking to make his next fortune from his new chain of
Montana-based bison-meat restaurants "to replace the one I lost" -- an apparent
reference to the $9 billion Turner has lost from AOL Time Warner's sinking
stock.
He also joked to the T. Howard interns that if they can't find jobs within
the cable industry, they could come out to work at his chain of eight
eateries.
