Paul Berry’s Irish roots reach back to his great-grandfather, the son of a slave and an Irish horse farmer in Kentucky. Taught to read by his father’s family, Berry’s great-grandfather went on to become a successful businessman and landowner.

One of D.C.’s most respected journalists, Berry received his broadcast training with the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service while stationed in Vietnam. While assigned to the Tuy Hoa Air Force installation, Berry established the first independent FM radio station in South Vietnam.

After leaving the service, Berry worked for four years as an anchor/reporter at WXYZ in Detroit before moving to Channel 7 in 1972. A tireless servant of the Washington community, Berry established two WJLA/community service programs, Crimesolvers and Seven On Your Side.

Berry’s philosophy that “education is the only solution,” is one he acts on continually. He founded the Paul Berry Pro-Am Golf and Tennis Tournament to raise funds for The Neediest Kids, a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to helping disadvantaged children achieve their full potential. His self-proclaimed proudest achievement is the 50th birthday present his wife, Amy, gave him three years ago — the Paul Berry Academic Scholarship Foundation. This foundation offers scholarship funds for outstanding minority students in the Washington metropolitan area and as Berry points out, it operates at “100 percent efficiency” (all volunteer).

Berry’s long record of community involvement has been recognized through such awards as the Humanitarian Award of the National Martin Luther King, Jr., Student Leadership Conference (1986) and the Olender Foundation’s Generous Heart Award (1989). In 1991, he was named Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine. Two mayors of Washington declared a Paul Berry Day in the District.

Of particular interest is the position Berry holds as the vice-president of the D.C. Friends of Ireland, a philanthropic organization that brings as many as 100 children, Catholic and Protestant, from Belfast and Derry to spend a summer away from sectarian pressures. This organization also raises money for The Hole in the Wall Gang established by Paul Newman for children with long-term illnesses. (The Gang has a home in Ireland). In addition, the D.C. Friends contribute money each year to a national basketball arena in Dublin.

Berry’s love for children and his passion for Ireland came together in a 30 minute documentary called Children Living in Troubles. The program compares the effect of violence on children in Northern Ireland and in Northwest Washington, D.C. “It seems to make no difference,” Berry says, “if they are living in the midst of religious issues in Northern Ireland or, like children in D.C., living in a drug world. The impact of violence on children is the same.”

In recognition of Berry’s outstanding commitment to community service, the St. Patrick’s Day Committee of Washington D.C. named him Gael of the Year for 1997 and he will march in this year’s parade. Berry is no stranger to this event. He served as the parade’s emcee the year John Hume was honored. Still, the irony of the honor is not lost on this African-American journalist. When he told his mother about it she replied, “The WHAT of the year?”

The Berry family travel to Ireland often to visit their son’s godparents in Co. Meath.