August 24, 2009

Compliment Guys return to Purdue, praising passersby

Compliment Guys
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The Purdue "Compliment Guys" have appeared on "Good Morning America," "Fox & Friends" and "Today," and have been featured in newspapers that include The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times.

The duo recently completed a Kodak-sponsored national tour that allowed them to deliver compliments from New Orleans to New York.

This week's compliments session marks one year since the first Wednesday that Westcott, a civil engineering student from Plainfield, Ill., first ventured out to give compliments to strangers.

"I just wanted to make my part of the world a slightly better place to live in," Westcott said. "I never imagined the impact this simple idea would have across the nation."

Cameron Brown, a management student from Toledo, joins Westcott every Wednesday in front of Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry.

"It's never hard to think of a compliment; there is something good in everyone. It just takes a second to look," Brown said. "Giving compliments is the highlight of my week. It's been encouraging to see others begin to do the same."

Writer: Jim Schenke, (765) 494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu

Sources: Brett Westcott, bwestcot@purdue.edu

Cameron Brown, cebrown@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: YouTube videos of the duo in action can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/user/PurdueUniversity#play/
user/6F07AC91F7B40762 . Broadcast-quality video is available by contacting Jim Schenke, Purdue News Service, at 765-494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu

PHOTO CAPTION:
The Purdue Compliment Guys, Brett Westcott (left) and Cameron Brown, traveled this summer from New Orleans to New York on their Kodak-sponsored BrightSide Tour, delivering compliments wherever they stopped, including a Major League Baseball game in Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy of Kodak)

A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2009/complimentguys-kodak.jpg

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