The evening was truly special, with the recognition of individuals who have contributed in a multiplicity of ways to radio communications and broadcasting, education, and even to engineering and the manufacturing of radio communications equipment.
Among the honorees was Ms. Carole J. Perry, who received The President's Award for her outstanding development and advancement of the Amateur Radio Youth Program. Ms. Perry is from Staten Island, and in her acceptance speech, she, as did several others, spoke of the devastation wrought by Superstorm Sandy. She noted that even though some still do not have power they still have strength! Ms. Erin King, who is a freshman at MIT, received the Young Achiever Award. David Buchanan received an award for his contributions to public safety.
I was at the banquet since my husband, Lad Nagurney (the other Professor Nagurney), was one of the five recipients of the Fellow Award. Glenn Bischoff, the Publisher of Urgent Communications, was one of the other Fellow awardees, and I very much enjoyed talking with him about disaster communications and humanitarian logistics.
The keynote speaker was David Sumner, the Chief Executive Officer and Secretary of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). He had recently returned from Vietnam. He was the contact person who had suggested, when I was organizing, under the auspices of the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center Programs, the conference on Humanitarian Logistics: Networks for Africa, that I have Dr. Cosmas Zavazava of the International Telecommunications Union of the United Nations, speak.
David Sumner spoke brilliantly on the importance of communications, especially robust radio communications, in saving people's lives. Brian Williams had been the keynote speaker at last year's banquet, and Walter Cronkite, the year before he passed away..
We had a wonderful group of fascinating people at our banquet table, including Andrew Conte, and his wife, who had spent a year at UMass Amherst on an exchange program from Rutgers. Mr. Conte received the Jack Poppele Award, named after the founder of the radio station WOR and Director of the Voice of America under President Eisenhower.
Below, I have posted some additional photos taken at the New York Athletic Club and of those who attended
Congratulations to all the award recipients and thanks for all that the members have done over one century in communications and in education!
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