LAS VEGAS – The 2013 Parnelli Awards, which celebrated the achievements of individuals and companies involved in the live production industry at the Mirage in Las Vegas Nov. 23, also paused in remembrance of those who passed away in the past year.
Dr. Amar Bose, 83. He was founder and chairman of Bose Corporation, design engineer, holder of many patents, and professor at MIT for more than four decades. In addition to his work in consumer audio products, he created the 901 Direct/Reflecting P.A., the L1 system, and RoomMatch array module P.A.
Craig Dains, 26, died from heart disease. He was an account executive at The Healy Group, a representative of American DJ, Elation Professional, Acclaim Lighting and other brands.
Timothy Dorwart. Dorwart was named CEO of Community Professional Loudspeakers in March. Prior to that he held director and VP positions with Bose Corporation and DMX Music.
Imero “Immie” Fiorentino, 85. He founded Imero Fiorentino Associates (IFA) in 1960. He worked extensively in television, working on conventions and Presidential debates involving every U.S. President since Eisenhower. He also led creative teams designing lighting for Disney’s Epcot in Orlando, Howard Hughes’ “Spruce Goose” in the Los Angeles area, the 1991 renovation of Madison Square Garden in New York, and Neil Diamond’s world tours along a wide range of elaborate corporate events.
Mark Fisher, 66. He was founder and managing director of Stufish, and played a key role in the creation of some of the most complex and successful stadium rock shows ever produced, for artists ranging from Pink Floyd to U2 to the Rolling Stones and many others. Along with his involvement in such memorable touring designs as Pink Floyd’s wall, U2’s 360° claw and AC/DC’s locomotive, Fisher helped dream up and engineer staging elements for KÀ by Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. More recently he worked with the likes of Lady Gaga, Madonna, and Metallica on their tours.
Barry Fey, 73. Fey was a music promoter who produced milestone events including Led Zeppelin’s first U.S. concert, the final performance of Jimi Hendrix and numerous shows featuring The Who and the Rolling Stones.
Russell “Skip” Gildersleeve, 57, died Sept. 17th. Affectionately known as “Slider,” he was a longtime road crewmember and sound engineer for Rush and other bands including Steely Dan, Brian Setzer, and fellow Detroit natives Kid Rock and Bob Seger.
Michele Hessman-Ross, died April 17 after a long battle with cancer. Wife of Stuart Ross of Red Light Management, a founding member of the Event Safety Alliance (ESA).
K.C. Hooper, 57, died of cancer. He was a product specialist for Apollo Design Technology with more than 30 years of industry experience, and had previously worked as an account executive at Rosco.
Marshall Holmes, 55, died of a heart attack Sept. 25, 2013 while traveling after the load-out of a Luis Miguel show. The veteran touring crewmember had a long career supporting various touring productions for artists ranging from Miguel to Midnight Oil and The Tubes, among others.
John Lathrop, 55. He was West Coast account manager for Ultratec Special Effects. He was also a proud volunteer fire fighter and master of southern-style barbecue.
Barbara “Bea” Oliver, died March 4 following complications from liver failure. She was a production and touring veteran with Oakland, CA IATSE Local 107, and toured with The Jacksons, Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Natalie Cole, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and many others.
Barry Rackover, 66. The longtime live event professional had recently retired from PRG, and while he provided lighting and production support for rock concerts, it was with the corporate event market where he made his mark.
Edwin Shirley, 64, died of cancer. He was a co-founder of Edwin Shirley Trucking (EST Trucking) and the driving force for a variety of other businesses supporting stage and screen performers with staging, trucking, crew buses, freight forwarding, rehearsal space and film production.
Troels Volver*, 58. The longtime executive with Martin Professional died Jan. 3, 2013, after a short illness. Volver joined Martin in 1994 and served as CEO, spearheaded the company’s push into Singapore in 1996 and the U.S. market in 1998. After 2005, Volver worked as a Denmark-based export executive for companies including SGM.
James Thomas “Jack” Warlitner, Jr. Known as “Jack the Rigger,” Warlitner had a reputation as “the man willing to do anything, for anyone, at any time,” for major tours in the 1970s including Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, KISS, ZZ Top, and many more.
David Whitehead, 50, from cancer. After founding Stage Electrics in 1979, Whitehead made it his life’s work, bringing to it his abiding passion for lighting design.
Frank Willard, 58. He joined Syracuse Scenery in 1975 and was its representative as a founding member of the Theatrical Dealers Association (now PLASA). Willard also was an ETCP-certified rigger and a member of JR Clancy’s dealer advisory board.
Ian “Woody” Woodhouse died of cancer. He was a veteran of Australia’s pro audio industry who had spent the last seven years with Technical Audio Group (TAG).
Troels Volver’s name and photo were regrettably not included in the screen roll of remembrances during the 2013 Parnelli Awards program and also in the Parnelli Awards program. PLSN’s editorial staff and the Parnelli production team sincerely regret the omission. To read more about Troels Volver’s life and impact on the industry, go to http://plsn.com/wp/current-issue/49-features/10598.
