REGINALD Denny was named best-mannered person of 1993 by the National League of Junior Cotillions (NLJC) for ''his spirit of forgiveness in the face of adversity''.
The Charlotte, North Carolina-based league, an etiquette and social training programme for teenagers, ranked former president George Bush second for ''honouring the office of the presidency with dignity''.
''The annual selections are based on the manner in which an individual has demonstrated social graces,'' said Anne Colvin Winters, NLJC executive director.
''Reginald Denny heads the list because of the unforgettable compassion he showed for his assailants.'' Denny, who was dragged from his lorry and bludgeoned during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, hugged the mothers of his accused attackers during their trial this year.
Also listed were Mother Teresa; retired basketball star Michael Jordan; Vice-President Al Gore; ABC-TV morning show host Charles Gibson; conservative broadcast host and author Rush Limbaugh; author Maya Angelou; television hosts Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford; and the late author Norman Vincent Peale, who died on Sunday.
