The Jules Horton International Student Achievement Award

As many of you know, Jules Horton passed away at the age of 87 at his home in New York City in February 2007. We will always remember him for his imagination, quick wit and anecdotal story telling.  It is with great honor that the Principals of HLB Lighting Design have proudly organized the "Jules Horton International Student Achievement Award" to honor the memory of Jules as the founder of our firm and a leader in our industry.  We have selected The Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Education because of its long established endeavor to support college-level lighting programs that enable students to learn lighting and our industry.

Jules always appreciated the opportunities he was given to come to the US as a student of engineering at Columbia University where he received his Masters degree.  He continually appreciated the opportunities and his experiences at the International House Residence where he began to forge his career in lighting design.  As he completed his studies it was his intention to return to Poland, but because he was given a financial incentive to remain in the US through his achievements, our profession benefited from his dedication to lighting for over 40 years.  It is our intent to give a $5,000 annual award to an international student who has achieved outstanding performance in his or her pursuit of a career in lighting in the US and is enrolled in one of the dedicated lighting programs participating in the Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Education. We believe that this award should financially assist the student in the process of immigration to the US which will benefit the lighting design profession given the current limitations and financial hardship for students to obtain the H1-B visa necessary to work in the US.

Participation:

We encourage all eligible students to participate.  If you are interested in this program please

email the Nuckolls Fund.

Recipients:

It is with great pleasure that we announce our first annual recipient of the Jules Horton International Student Achievement Award.  Rui Qi, a student at RPI's Lighting Research Center was nominated by her faculty at RPI for her distinguished accomplishments. 

"The Board felt Rui possesses the qualities and scholastic excellence that embody the spirit of this award, and we are thrilled to be able to support Rui in her pursuit of an exciting career in lighting design" said Barbara Horton, President of HLB.  

Contribution:

HLB Lighting Design has made an initial contribution of $25,000 in 2007 and a subsequent contribution of $10,000 in 2008 towards a $200,000 commitment over two years in Jules Horton's memory.  We are seeking contributions from family, friends, and professional colleagues in the industry to honor his commitment to education and appreciation of the opportunities he was given when he immigrated to the US.  We thank the following supporters for their generous contributions so far:

  • Frank Conti/Enterprise Lighting
  • IESNY
  • Jeff Milham
  • Lightolier
  • Winona Lighting
  • International Lights
  • Kurt Versen
  • Edison Price
  • Barbara Horton
  • Stephen Lees

If you would like to make a contribution to the Jules Horton International Student Achievement Award, please click here:  Jules Horton ISAA Contribution Form