HARRISBURG (March 2, 2004) � The Pennsylvania Bar Association Conference of County Bar Leaders (CCBL) will honor Greensburg lawyer H. Reginald Belden Jr. with the 2004 Gilbert Nurick Award for his long history of service and dedication to the Pennsylvania and Westmoreland Bar associations. The award will be presented during the 38th annual seminar of the CCBL in Hershey on March 5.

The Gilbert Nurick Award, which is named for the late Harrisburg lawyer who served as PBA president, is presented to a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) who exhibits dedication and service to the leadership and promotion of the organized bar and its activities. Although the award is not intended to be an annual accolade, it has been presented every year since it was given to Gilbert Nurick in 1991.

�This award is designed to recognize those bar leaders who have gone above and beyond what is expected,� PBA President Thomas M. Golden said. �The PBA is pleased to honor Reg for his outstanding dedication to the entire legal profession. He is a pioneer in bar leadership and is a true mentor for lawyers across the commonwealth.�

In nominating Belden for the award, Westmoreland Bar Association (WBA) President Aaron M. Kress said, �Reg�s love for the profession and his respect for fellow attorneys are legendary, not just in Westmoreland County, but throughout the state and beyond. His commitment to leadership development within the WBA as an association continues to provide service to its community and its membership.�

In 2001, Belden, of the Greensburg firm of Belden Law, became the 107th president of the PBA. He followed in the footsteps of his late father, H. Reginald Belden, who was PBA president in 1971. It was only the second time in PBA history that a father and a son served as president.

A former Zone Six Governor on the PBA Board of Governors and chair of the PBA House of Delegates, Belden also was chair of the PBA Young Lawyers Division and chair of the PBA Centennial Celebration. He served as president of the WBA in 1986.

A former president of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law Alumni Association, Belden is a member of the American College and Westmoreland Academy of Trial Lawyers, a trustee of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Historical Society and a life fellow of the American and Pennsylvania Bar foundations.

Belden is an active member of the Greensburg community and served as president of the Westmoreland Symphony and Westmoreland Society. He also was the vice chair of the Westmoreland Trust and the vice president of the Greensburg Area Cultural Council.

Belden is a graduate of Lafayette College and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.