Sewickley, PA., October 9, 2006-- The Ben Franklin Society, honor society of the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF), is proud to announce the 2006 Frederick D. Kagy Education Award recipient: the Graphic Communications program at Orleans/Niagara Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in Medina, New York. The award will be presented to program instructor Linda Laney at The Ben Franklin Society Black-Tie Induction and Awards Dinner, Friday, November 10, 2006, at The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, WI. Ms. Laney has been the graphics instructor at Orleans/Niagara Career & Technical Center for the past 16 years. Before accepting her present position in 1990, she spent 16 years at the A.B. Dick Company, working in both their Oakland, California and Buffalo, New York offices. Laney has been recognized with many honors, including the prestigious 2002 Van Hanswyk-Jasser Award presented by the International Printing House Craftsmen, and in 2003 she was named the Printing and Imaging Association of New York State’s Executive of the Year. She is a member of the International Association of Printing House Craftsmen, served two terms as the Buffalo club’s president, and was awarded the Buffalo Craftsman of the Year Award in 1995. Orleans/Niagara BOCES has existed since 1956, offering numerous programs that have benefited the population in vocational and technical training. It has a staff of over 700 and serves 43,000 students. The Graphic Communications program, a two-year curriculum at the Orleans/Niagara Career and Technical Centers, offers students an exciting and rewarding career opportunity. Currently the graphics program is the second in New York to receive the national accreditation (PrintED) and the New York State Standard. The program’s accreditation is in Introduction to Graphic Communications, Press Operations, and Digital File Preparation. The Frederick D. Kagy Education Award of Excellence, established in 1992, honors the distinguished career of Frederick D. Kagy, professor emeritus at Illinois State University. As one of the most active and influential leaders in the field of graphic communications and technology education, Dr. Kagy was an inspiration to thousands of former students and professional colleagues. Schools that receive the Kagy Award can choose up to $1,000 worth of textbooks published by PIA/GATFPress. There is no entry fee for nominating a school, but the nominated school must have a PIA/GATF teacher member on its staff. For more information on how to submit a nomination for the Frederick D. Kagy Education Award of Excellence, please visit www.gain.net or contact the PIA/GATF marketing department at 800-910-4283, ext. 702.