Orlando, Fla. -- Terayon Communication Systems senior
field-applications engineer Jim Kuhns was elected chairman of the Society of Cable
Telecommunications Engineers at the organization's Cable-Tec Expo '99 here last week.
The SCTE board elected Kuhns, its Region 7 director, to
succeed Hugh McCarley, whose term included the search for a new president that eventually
settled on current SCTE chief John Clark.
"It's going to be an interesting year," Kuhns
said. "The society is in excellent shape. Hugh took us through a tough year with
finding a new president."
Kuhns said he wanted to work on strengthening the
connections between the SCTE's certification and training programs. He noted that the
society's strongest growth periods occurred when certification was a hot issue, helping to
drive industry interest in training.
Other officers the SCTE board elected for the 1999-2000
term included Larry Stiffelman of CommScope Inc., the Region 5 director, who was picked as
Western vice chairman, and Wes Burton of MediaOne Group Inc., the Region 10 director, who
was named Eastern vice chairman.
Region 1 director Steve Allen of JCA Technology Inc. was
elected secretary, and Region 8 director Don Shackelford of Time Warner Cable was elected
treasurer.
Chosen as an additional executive-committee member was
Region 2 director Steve Johnson, also of Time Warner Cable.
The SCTE also named Gary Selwitz, formerly an executive at
Raystay Co., as director of certification. In that role, Selwitz will be charged with
improving SCTE certification programs to keep pace with industry advancements.
At its annual awards luncheon, the society presented a
variety of honors to individual members and chapters.
Getting the "Member of the Year Award" was
Antonio Huerta of Telecable, honored for translating several SCTE publications into
Spanish. "Chapter of the Year" went to the SCTE's New England chapter.
Power-supply manufacturer Alpha Technologies Inc. won the
"1999 Chairman's Award" for what the SCTE called its entrepreneurial spirit in
working with cable operators, while Cox Communications Inc. received the "Service in
Technology Award" for its commitment to advancing telecommunications technology.
In addition, the society honored industry members Wayne
McKinney, Austin Coryell, Dave Large and Thomas Polis with induction into its "Hall
of Fame."
Among other individual award winners were Barry
Dillon-Malone, recipient of the "Milton Jerrold Shapp Memorial Scholarship
Award," and Greg McGrath, winner of first place in the "SCTE Field Operations
Award" competition.
Winners of the SCTE's "Gold Safety Awards," given
to recognize dedication in creating safe work environments, were Comcast Corp. systems in
Dover and Georgetown, Del.; and Florence and Mobile, Ala.
In addition, at the society's awards luncheon, the SCTE
paid tribute to Bill Grant, author of industry-standard text Cable Television, who
died in December. Also honored were outgoing chairman McCarley and outgoing board members
Ralph Patterson, Robert Schaeffer and Dennis Quinter.
