July 02, 2012 — Coral Gables — The University of Miami and Ambassador Charles (Chuck) Cobb, a member of the UM Board of Trustees, shared the spotlight on June 21 when the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce honored them at the Fifth Annual George Merrick Awards Dinner at the Biltmore Hotel.
Cobb received the George E. Merrick Award, while UM was honored with the first-ever George Merrick Legacy Award, which was accepted on the University’s behalf by Sarah Artecona, assistant vice president in the Division of Business and Finance and past chair of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce.
“The University of Miami is delighted to be recognized as the first Legacy Award recipient,” Artecona said. “We are proud of our efforts to maintain the high standards of our mutual founder George Merrick and believe his legacy as an entrepreneur, visionary, and leader lives on in our University community today.”
The George E. Merrick Award recognizes and celebrates a visionary leader who has made a significant contribution to and set standards for the cultural celebration, promotion, beautification, preservation, and economic growth of Coral Gables. The award is named after the original visionary and founder of the City Beautiful.
“It’s an honor to receive this award as George E. Merrick was my idol, giving me the vision and inspiration to transform the landscape of the University of Miami to what it is today along with other successful projects within the Coral Gables community,” said Ambassador Cobb in his acceptance speech.
