Patric Verrone to Receive WGAW's 2012 Morgan Cox Award

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Patric M. Verrone has been selected to receive the Writers Guild of America, West's 2012 Morgan Cox Award, which recognizes a guild member "whose vital ideas, continuing efforts, and personal sacrifice best exemplify the ideal of service to the Guild." The former WGAW president will be honored at the guild's West Coast awards ceremony Feb. 19 at the Hollywood Palladium.

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A Writers Guild member since 1987, Verrone has written for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Simpsons, The Larry Sanders Show and Futurama, and he served as WGAW president through the 100-day writers strike of 2007-08. As a member of the Animation Writers Caucus Steering Committee, he also helped organize the guild’s first contract for primetime animation writers. Verrone remains active on several committees. A nine-time Emmy nominee, he has won three times.

“Patric Verrone has dedicated much of his professional life in service to this Guild and to its members,” said WGAW president Christopher Keyser. "He is the embodiment of all the qualities that the Morgan Cox Award celebrates and was the unanimous choice of this year's committee. As he has honored us, it is our great pleasure to honor him now."

Previous recipients of the Morgan Cox Award include George Kirgo, Del Reisman, Frank Pierson and Carl Gottlieb.