On behalf of the International Hearing Society, President Jim Ogurek accepts a $10,000 contribution to aid IHS advocacy against hearing aid telemarketing from Greg Nedelec of the National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences:

At the conclusion of the International Hearing Society Convention Saturday afternoon, members gathered for a luncheon and awards presentation and I was there to do more than just rub shoulders and enjoy the food. Charged with presenting The Hearing Review Professional Leadership Award for 2008, it was a task for which I was up into the late evening hours following the first presidential debate pulling together a tribute speech to the recipient IHS President Jim Ogurek -- a fine fellow who by that time I had the pleasure of knowing for all of about 72 hours when we met for the first time and then golfed together that previous Wednesday.

He was as gracious in play then as he was in accepting the award today and on behalf of The Hearing Review and it's editor Karl Strom he has my congratulations and appreciation.

The text of my speech follows: 

Like Henry the Eighth said to his wives: I won't keep you long.

Good afternoon. My name is Will Campbell and I’m the editor of Hearing Products Report magazine, sister publication to The Hearing Review whose annual Professional Leadership Award I am here to present today to a gentleman I’d like to say I go way back with, but truth is we only go back to Wednesday at about 12:45,  when we found ourselves in the same foursome right before the golf tournament started.

But the game of golf, and one played on such a demanding course – especially to someone like myself with so little skill – can sometimes seem to take a lifetime and in it you can learn a lot about a fellow. For instance with the exception of the rare good shot I learned about myself that I really had no business being out there with real golfers. And about our recipient I learned he was entirely congenial, gracious, encouraging, patient, and could really wallop the ball.

But on to the task at hand: The Hearing Review Professional Leadership Award is presented annually to an individual whose outstanding contributions to the field have advanced the status of hearing care professionals, while providing excellent service to those suffering from hearing loss, and I thank the International Hearing Society and its members for providing the opportunity to make this presentation.

Past recipients of this award -- and please stand or wave or hoot if you are present -- include Jon Durkin, Alan Lowell, Sam Hopmeier, Kathy Harvey, Floyd Willoughby, Scott Austin, Dr. Richard Nodar, John Letts, Harlan Cato, and Denny Dingler. Without doubt an esteemed group of leaders in the profession.

The person joining them as this year’s honoree comes with his own distinguishing resume:

A second-generation hearing instrument specialist,  and a licensed hearing instrument dispenser since 1977, he is president of Hearing Solutions, serving 13 Wisconsin counties since 1984.  He received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and his master’s degree in applied economics from Marquette University. He has also served numerous posts on both the Wisconsin Hearing and Speech Examining Board and the Wisconsin Alliance of Hearing Professionals. An IHS member since 1991, previous service includes his work as its treasurer and central region governor and presently as its president.

So on behalf of The Hearing Review and its editor Karl Strom, it’s my pleasure to present the 2008 Professional Leadership Award to Jim Ogurek.

At the Miracell booth, Max Chartrand, PhD, discusses the benefits of the product with a group of attendees:

At  drawing held in the International Hearing Society booth, IHS President Jim Ogurek presents winner Marta Camacho with her prize:  free registration to the 2009 IHS Convention scheduled for October 14-18 in San Diego: 

Things were busy in the MedRx booth: 

At the Energizer Booth, North America Sales Manager Dick Freeman, discusses hearing aid batteries with an attendee:

At first glance, the title of the convention’s keynote address – 9/11: Lessons In Leadership – seemed a bit incongruous for a hearing convention. But if you were here and missed Richard “Pitch” Picciotto, a New York City Fire Department battalion commander who was between the sixth and seventh floors of the World Trade Center’s North Tower when it collapsed, you missed an outspoken presentation that was as harrowing as it was inspirational – a life and death saga of leadership in the midst of the most dire circumstances.

On the morning of that unforgettable day, Picciotto answered the call heard around the world. In minutes he was at ground zero of the worst terrorist attack on American soil, acting boldly to save innocent lives as the twin towers of the World Trade Center began to burn—and then to buckle. Already a veteran of terrorist attacks, Picciotto fought a similar battle at the World Trade Center Bombing in 1993.

Eight years later, he found himself again inside the North Tower. Burdened by an eerie sense of familiarity, he focused his concentration on the rescue efforts at hand. But it was there in the smoky stairwells where he heard and felt the South Tower collapse; where he made the call for firemen and rescue workers to evacuate, while he stayed behind with a skeleton team of men to assist a group of disabled and infirm civilians in their struggle to evacuate the inferno. And it was there in the rubble of the North Tower where Picciotto found himself buried—for more than four hours after the building's collapse.

Having discovered that members of his team and a 59-year-old grandmother also were alive nearby, he and his men used their radios to send out Mayday calls until making contact with a firefighter on the ground and a search party was dispatched. When the light finally appeared about four stories above, he climbed upwards, reached the top and saw the "unfathomable, mind-boggling destruction." And even then, it was not until after he organized the rescue of the others that he walked across the rubble to safety.

It was a remarkable opportunity provided by the IHS to be a part of capacity auditorium crowd that had the honor of hearing this hero’s moving story upclose and personal.

As seen through the spotty window of my hotel room at the Westin: 

Recovering from a combination of red-eye flying, jetlag, golf course over-exertion and just overall fatigue, I decided the best thing to do in the relative quiet day before the convention opened was to reinvigorate myself with a walk around Savannah's enthralling historic district, and that included lunch at the famed Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room.

Here's a few snapshots:

The fabulous fountain found at Forsyth Park.

These guys can play: Dick Freeman, left, and Dennis Burrows
look on as Jim Ogurek prepares to drive off the 16th tee.

Well, thank goodness for the shotgun scramble golf format of play. And thank goodness for the patience and encouragement of my teammates, Dick Freeman, Jim Ogurek, and Dennis Burrows who were very kind to say I contributed to our overall score of 68 -- one shot off the winning team score. Had we been playing golf the traditional way the only 68 I'd have been in the vicinity of would have been the air temperature. In terms of contributing I confess I did hit the occasional straight drive, and my tee shot off the 200-yard par-three third hole did find the green, but any glimpses of consistency and talent on the front nine completely disappeared on the back nine-- complicated by absolute exhaustion, low blood-sugar, and the complete lack of a game (or a way to hit putts too strongly).

There were times in between the bawdy jokes and my bad shots that Dennis rightfully questioned my mental abilities or lack thereof and/or the effectivness of the seizure medication he couldn't help but assume I must be on, but it was always with a smile. Always quick to congratulate me if I hit a good shot, and quiet whenever I didn't, if I was going to play so badly it couldn't have been with a greater group of guys.

Other photos from the round can be viewed here.