[starbox] It is that time of year when some of our favorite television shows are pre-empted by awards shows. Every facet of the entertainment business seems to need a couple of prime time hours to celebrate their accomplishments over the last 12 months. In the gear trade we tend to take a bit longer to judge success, and no one wants to see our folks walk the red carpet. A feature on many of these shows is worth emulating, however. The Grammies had a nice tribute to musicians who “left us” in 2013. I recognized the kid from Glee and Pete Seeger, but not many of the others. Perhaps it is my age showing that others were unknown to me, but I am sure their fans, friends, families, and co-workers appreciated the gesture of respect. AGMA has a number of awards for committee chairmen and association officers. The people who win these awards have often devoted 20 years or more to the association; nobody is an overnight sensation in our business. An earlier blog posting mentioned my ongoing research into the development of gear rating methods; I have been collecting documents and names to investigate further. A veritable Gear Guru Hall of Fame, and most of them devoted 40 or more years to the advancement of our trade. Many excellent gear people never get near an AGMA gathering, however, and there ought to be a way to recognize their contributions to their company, shop, or academic institution. You know and work with these folks every day; they are the people who can be relied upon to make the difficult decisions. Ideally they would know they were appreciated while still alive to enjoy it. So if you have a favorite gear person you would like to salute, drop me an e-mail or post a comment.