The second in an annual series of public events celebrating the life of the late Charlie Ross took place on April 25, and featured a panel discussion of prominent figures in the public eye. The focus of discussion was "The Media and the Public Trust: The Making and Breaking of Political Heroes."

Charlie Ross was one of the most influential and well respected Vermont public servants of his generation, having been appointed to positions of public trust under presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter. President John F. Kennedy named him a commissioner on the Federal Power Commission (known today as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) in 1961. In this capacity, Ross earned a reputation as a strong advocate for consumers, environmental protection, and the public interest. President Kennedy also appointed him to the International Joint Commission (Canadian-American) in 1962, a position he held for the next 18 years. His 1965 dissenting opinion in a case involving protection of the Hudson River established a critical legal foundation for the environmental movement. He and his fellow commissioners also began the process of cleaning up the Great Lakes, and he played a pivotal role in ensuring that the waterway of Lake Champlain would remain free-flowing, which is crucial to the ecosystem of the basin. In 1968, Ross returned to Vermont and he taught public policy at the University of Vermont for two years in the early '70s. He died in April 2003.

The annual celebration of the life of Charlie Ross is made possible by two of his former students who were inspired by the example of his devotion to public service. Topics for the annual tribute are selected to honor his memory by highlighting public service and the garnering of the public trust as essential to the functioning of a healthy democratic society.

This year's panelists included Howard Dean, chair of the Democratic National Committee, whose run for president in the 2004 national election stands as a signal event in modern presidential campaigns for its innovative use of the Internet in grassroots organizing; Howard Fineman, chief political correspondent for Newsweek magazine and contributor of political commentary for national television; Ron Kaufman, for 25 years an advisor to Republican presidents, governors, members of Congress, and appointed officials; Dotty Lynch, former senior political editor of CBS News and currently a fellow at the JFK School of Government at Harvard and a consultant to CBS News; and Howard Wolfson, a former communications director for senators Hilary Clinton and Charles Schumer and currently a partner at The Glover Park Group, communications consultants. The moderator was Norman Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Research.