PR Society Praises Designer : Hirshberg Handed Honesty Honor

Attention! An honest man has been found in San Diego.

Gerald P. Hirshberg, chairman of the San Diego Unified Port District commission’s art advisory committee and design director for Nissan Design International, is that man.

On Wednesday, the San Diego chapter of the Public Relations Society of America gave Hirshberg a gold-colored lantern known as the Diogenes Award. The award, named for the Greek philosopher who sought an honest man, is given annually to a San Diegan “who has demonstrated unusual appreciation of the necessity for candor with the press and public,” said Sue Raney, society president.

As chairman of the art committee, Hirshberg was largely responsible for recommending that Ellsworth Kelly’s designs be used for sculptures at Embarcadero Park. The Kelly designs were subjected to considerable criticism, and the artist eventually withdrew his designs.

The five-member Diogenes Award panel, all members of the media, praised Hirshberg for the way he handled the pressure “from those who found the sculptures offensive and those who simply wanted a San Diego artist chosen for the job.”

Hirshberg said, “You can’t go out and do something to get this . . . I was recognized for who I am and not for what I did, and that makes me feel pretty good.”

Hirshberg said he doesn’t know any other way to be with people but candid, which is why he won the award.

“It’s impossible for me to change my language from one person to another,” he said.

He also said he realized that misquotes in the media would sometimes occur, but it didn’t seem to bother him much.

“The media and the press, they’re just people,” he said.