Spencer to make a trip to Cleveland

EAST LIVERPOOL - The first ever recipient of the Senator Howard M. Metzenbaum Citizen Award back in 1995 will be headed to this year's ceremony honoring television personality Phil Donahue.

"It's an honor to have received the first Howard Metzenbaum award, and now to see Mr. Donahue added to the list of recipients just adds to that honor," Alonzo Spencer said.

Spencer, a retired steel worker and resident in the East End of East Liverpool, will travel to Cleveland - Donahue's home town - to take part in this year's event.

"He's, by far, the most well known of all the recipients that have come down through the years," Spencer said. "I've enjoyed all of his television shows, and he has helped entertain but, more importantly, educated the public on a variety of issues."

Spencer said he was not quite sure how the process worked when he was chosen as the first recipient, but he said it was quite an honor to be selected.

"I guess WTI was the main issue during that time, and I was working with Greenpeace and was active throughout the country with trips to California and Washington, D.C.," Spencer said.

For the last 15 years, Spencer has been intimately involved with a battle to stop the WTI incinerator, also located in the East End. Spencer is the founder and is still the president of Save Our County, Inc., a local environmental group.

A lifetime member of the NAACP, Spencer has also served as president of that organization's local chapter and as president of the Youngstown chapter of the ACLU.

In 1995, Spencer was awarded the Metzenbaum Award for his tireless and selfless leadership in the fight to protect the health and safety of all Ohioans.

The Metzenbaum Award is the highest honor given by Ohio Citizen Action, the state's largest environmental organization. Since 1995, the award has been presented to Ohioans who best reflect Senator Metzenbaum's example of principled tenacity, according to the group's Web site.

This year's award will be presented by Senator Metzenbaum's daughter, Susan Hyatt.

Ohio Citizen Action has practiced door-to-door democracy across Ohio since 1975. The organization is known for its pioneering roles in passing toxic chemical right-to-know laws and in developing "good neighbor campaigns," which use the power of community organizing to convince major industries to prevent pollution at their facilities, according to a press release from the organization.

Donahue began his broadcast career at Cleveland's NBC affiliate and launched his audience participation television talk show in Dayton in 1967. The show, which was honored with 20 daytime EMMY awards, ran for 29 years.

Spencer said he will be making the trip Sept. 14 with his wife, Rosalie.