Harmanizing Audio

Dave McCurdy, president of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA), announced last week that Dr. Sidney Harman, executive chairman of Harman International Industries, has been selected to receive EIA's prestigious Medal of Honor for 2002.

Each year, the Electronic Industries Alliance presents the EIA Medal of Honor to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the electronics industry. The recipient is honored at EIA's Government-Industry Dinner, which is held in conjunction with EIA's annual Spring Conference.

The EIA says Harman embodies the qualities the organization seeks when awarding its Medal of Honor and was chosen as this year's recipient for his "unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and human development, both in the electronics industry and the greater community."

As founder of Harman International, Harman was one of a handful of pioneers who are credited with creating the high fidelity audio industry. Harman developed the first integrated receiver nearly 50 years ago, and steadily grew his company into an audio powerhouse in the home, professional, and automotive markets. He was also one of the first inductees into the Consumer Electronics Association's Hall of Fame.

McCurdy explains that Harman's selection is a result of his "commitment to progressive management at every level, his promotion of the arts as integral in business, and his remarkable vision in anticipating, interpreting, and giving life to the opportunities in digital technology."

Dr. Harman will join 51 past recipients of the award including last year's recipient, Dr. Felix Zandman of Vishay Intertechnologies, and notable industry pioneers such as David Sarnoff (1952, Radio Corporation of America), Paul V. Galvin (1956, Motorola), David Packard (1974, Hewlett Packard Co.), Sanford McDonnell (1986, McDonnell Douglas Corp.), Norman Augustine (1994, Martin Marietta Corp.), C. Michael Armstrong (1997, Hughes Electronics Corp.), and Richard McGinn (1999, Lucent Technologies).

This year's Government-Industry Dinner will be held at 7pm, Tuesday, April 23 at the Grand Hyatt Washington. Individuals interested in attending the G-I Dinner or registering for the EIA Spring Conference should visit the events section of EIA's Website for more information.

X