11-17-1995 Powell Receives Enron Prize for Public Service

By Lia Unrau

Rice News Staff

Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, was awarded the first Enron Prize for Distinguished Public Service Monday during the Inaugural Annual Conference of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy.

Powell was chosen for his service to his country at
the highest level in both military and civilian positions
and for his contributions to foreign policy and national
security.

James A. Baker, III, the 61st secretary of state, and
Kenneth Lay, chairman and chief executive officer of Enron Corp., presented the award at a ceremony prior to the afternoon panel discussion on politico-military factors and the future of warfare.

"I am deeply honored to be the first recipient of the
Enron Prize for Distinguished Public Service," Powell
said. In his remarks, he thanked both the Baker Institute and Enron Corp., and referred to the press conference he held last week announcing he would not run for president in 1996.

"It was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever
had to make in my life," Powell said. "I have elected at
this time to continue my service to the nation in my
private life. But I want to continue to speak out on the
issues of the day. And so I am pleased to begin this new phase of my life right here at the Inaugural Conference of the Baker Institute. It's a good place to start it."

Powell said the institute represents a very successful
collaboration between the corporate leaders in Houston and the leaders of Rice University.

Powell said we are now moving from a world of danger to a world in which, with the end of the Cold War and containment, "we have lost the rules that gave us the means to make appropriate choices.

"New rules are needed. So there will be new elements of power, new ways of competing and the ideas and structure that we will need to deal with this new world will emerge from places of learning, places of study and places of introspection, such as the Baker Institute. I predict this will be one of the leading institutions of
that kind," he said.

The inscription on the prize states: "In recognition
of his outstanding contributions to the foreign policy and national security of the United States of America The James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy Awards the Enron Prize for Distinguished Public Service to General Colin L. Powell (retired) at Rice University, November 1995."

The Enron Prize is made possible by a generous gift
from the Enron Corp., which has established an endowment for the prize. It recognizes outstanding individuals for their contributions to public service and will be awarded during each annual conference of the Baker Institute.

Enron, with approximately $13 billion in assets,
operates one of the largest natural gas transmission
systems in the world, totaling 44,000 miles on two
continents. It is the largest purchaser and marketer of
long-term natural gas supplies in North America and
produces and markets natural gas liquids worldwide.

Powell's story is one of a New York boy from a poor
immigrant family who found his calling in the Army, rose high through the ranks, and became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a four-star general close to three presidents.

While he was attending the City College of New York,
the uniformed Reserve Officers Training Corps caught his eye, and he enrolled. After graduating in 1958 with a
geology degree, Powell received a commission as a second Army lieutenant.

He served two tours in Vietnam from 1962-63 and 1968- 69, and was awarded a Purple Heart. Upon his return, he earned a master's degree from George Washington University. The next year he was honored with a White House Fellowship.

Powell's assignments in Washington, D.C., included
duty as senior military assistant to the deputy secretary
of defense and as military assistant to the secretary of
defense. He served as executive assistant to the secretary of energy under the Carter Administration for a brief period.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan appointed Powell as the assistant to the president for National Security
Affairs. In 1989, President George Bush named him the 12th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the most powerful military position in the world. Powell was the architect of Operation Desert Shield in the Middle East and led Operation Desert Storm to defeat the Iraqis in March 1991.

After 35 years in uniform, Powell retired from the
U.S. Army on Sept. 30, 1993, and began writing his
memoirs, My American Journey, which were published by Random House in September 1995.