2001 Award Recipient

The Writers Guild of America, west has chosen past WGAw President George Kirgo to receive its annual Morgan Cox Award at the Guild's 53rd awards ceremony on Sunday, March 4, 2001.

The Morgan Cox Award is presented to "that member or group of members whose vital ideas, continuing efforts and personal sacrifice best exemplify the ideal of service to the Guild." Previous recipients of the Morgan Cox Award include Alfred L. and Helen Levitt, Melville Shavelson, Irma Kalish and Del Reisman in recent years and earlier recipients Leonard Spigelgass and Allen Rivkin. Last year's recipient was Ann Marcus.

"As President of the Writers Guild of America, west from 1987 to 1991, George Kirgo led us through a difficult time--the 1988 strike," said John Wells, President of the WGAw, "Over the years, he has devoted himself tirelessly to the Guild and the interests of its members. He is a real treasure to our Guild and we are pleased to honor him at this time."

George Kirgo has been a screen and television writer since 1954. He has been the Vice President of the Writers Guild Foundation since 1995. Kirgo was a Board member from 1985 to 1987, and became President of the Writers Guild of America, west in 1987, shortly before the 1988 strike.

In addition, he has been involved with the Writers Guild Awards show since 1970, on the show's writing staff from 1979 to 1998, and producing the show for the past three years. He has been on the Blacklist Credits Committee since 1996 and participated in the Executive Director Search in 1998. He was on the President's Committee on the Professional Status of Writers, chairing the committee from 1988 to 1991.

Kirgo is a founding member of the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and received the President's Award from P.E.N. in 1988.

His writing credits include the feature films Red Line 7000 (1965), co-written with Howard Hawks, Spinout (1966), co-written with Theodore J. Flicker, for which he was nominated for a Writers Guild Award, as well as Don't Make Waves (1967) and Voices (1973). He has also written or co-written 15 movies of the week, including The Man in the Santa Claus Suit (1978), Angel on My Shoulder (1980), also nominated for a Writers Guild Award, and The Kid With the Broken Halo (1982), as well as episodic television, including My Mother the Car, Adam's Rib, Room 222, The Governor and JJ and Love, American Style.

Kirgo is married to Angela Wales Kirgo, former Executive Director of the Australian Writers Guild, who is currently program director of the Writers Guild Foundation.

Morgan B. Cox, for whom this award is named, devoted much of his professional life to serving the Writers Guild--in particular he helped ensure that television writers were included under the Writers Guild's jurisdiction. He died in 1968.