1996
IFEA chairman, Jack Guthrie said he feels honored to be an IFEA Hall of Fame inductee. "It is a unique honor and privilege to be included in this outstanding group of successful and respected individuals," he said.
Guthrie, CEO of Guthrie/Mayes Public Relations, the largest independently owned PR firm in Kentucky, is perhaps best known for his tremendous contributions to the Kentucky Derby Festival. He served as Executive Vice President and Managing Director to the festival, which, under his direction, grew ten-fold and achieved the national prominence it now enjoys.
Guthrie describes his greatest accomplishment as giving 'rebirth' to the festival at a point in its history when it was practically bankrupt and lowly regarded. In 1969 and 1975, Guthrie was selected as one of Louisville's "Outstanding Young Men" by the Louisville Jaycees. In 1978, he was named "Kentucky's Outstanding Public Relations Executive" by Western Kentucky University.