The annual Wally Russell Lifetime Achievement Award was founded in 1992 to honor an individual exhibiting a strong sense of leadership, a commitment to technological innovation, and a career of service to the lighting industry. The prestigious award was established in memory of Wally Russell, an industry pioneer whose career influenced generations of industry professionals. Bornhorst will receive the Award at the LDI/ESTA awards ceremony on 3 November, at the LDI industry trade show in Orlando, Florida.
Bornhorst began his career as a touring sound engineer and console designer for Showco, originally the parent company of Vari-Lite. In 1980, Bornhorst helped solve the problem of how to produce a commercially viable remote-controlled spotlight. Bornhorst's engineering team combined pivoting dichroic filters, the MARC 350 arc lamp, and a single digital data link to produce the first automated light. A year later, 50 Vari*Lite VL1 luminaires were being used on tour with Genesis. Bornhorst was also instrumental in developing the Vari*Lite Series 200 and Series 300 systems, the VL5, VL6 and VL7 family of luminaires, which introduced revolutionary color and an 8:1 zoom, and most recently the Series 2000 luminaires. Bornhorst received an EMMY Award for outstanding Achievement in Engineering for the Series 200 system in 1991, and a second EMMY Award in 1994 for the VL5 wash luminaire.
Past winners of the Wally Russell Lifetime Achievement Award include: Stan Miller in 2000; Don Stern in 1999; Bran Ferren in 1998; Fred Bentham in 1997; Francis DeVerna in 1996; Tharon Musser in 1995; George van Buren in 1994; Charles Altman in 1993; and Wally Russell in 1992 (in memorial).
