Inductee Name: Shail Mahanti
Short Lighting Career Bio:
Mr. Shail Mahanti dedicated his entire career to the embodiment of science into practice for the benefit of people. And Lighting was one of the fields he became an expert in, as a designer, a mentor, and a job opportunity enabler for multiple generations of practitioners.
In 1960, Shail, a young man born in India, graduated from the prestigious Faraday House of Electrical Engineering College in London, UK, a school created to train engineers in power generation and distribution, at a time before engineering was widely taught at universities. Three years later he emigrated to Canada and became a highly respected professional electrical engineer. Mr. Mahanti contributed significantly to the field of lighting and electrical design in buildings, leaving an indelible mark on those he worked with. Along his 60 years of activity, he held partner or leadership positions with many important consulting companies such as: D.W. Thomson, Mahanti and Chiu Engineering, and Integral Engineering.
IES Involvement and Awards/ Accomplishments:
Mr. Shail Mahanti joined the IES in 1977 and actively participated in the development of the BC Section. He held most of the board positions over the years, including the Presidency in 1983. Beside his highly regarded knowledge and work experience in lighting design, project management, and implementation, Mr. Shail Mahanti possessed excellent social skills. His leadership on the Board of Directors of the BC section has contributed over the years to bring cohesion between generational and profession/ activity differences among the members.
Mr. Mahanti was nominated in 2016 for The Section Meritorious Service Award. He remained involved across the years in the activities of the Board until he passed away in 2023 at the age of 84. The IES was not the only technical society Shail had longtime involvement with, as he was a significant contributor to CIE and IEEE. Shail was also a pillar of the community, dedicating over 35 years to Rotary where he made lasting connections. His commitment to service and camaraderie enriched the lives of many.
One statement on how important is lighting in your career/life:
“Light will not just impact our perceptions, but also our mind, our emotions, and our overall well-being”.
Inductee Name: Ian Ashdown
Short Lighting Career Bio:
Ian Ashdown is Senior Scientist for SunTracker Technologies Ltd., where he is developing horticultural lighting design software for greenhouses and vertical farms. Having formerly been Senior Scientist for Philips Ledalite, TIR Systems, Cooledge Lighting, and Lighting Analysts, he has some four decades of experience in lighting design, research and development. He currently holds 140 US patents and patent applications, and has written 42 academic papers, 100 technical articles, and the book “Radiosity: A Programmer’s Perspective.” He is an IES fellow, recipient of the 2017 IES Medal, chair of the IES Horticultural Lighting committee, a CIE/CNC Advisory Member, and an active member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of British Columbia. He passed away in 2023.
IES Involvement and Awards/Accomplishments:
His professional and personal interests have two common themes: an enduring love of mathematics and an endless fascination with light. These have led to explorations ranging from photometric theory and eigenanalysis to genetic algorithms and holographic techniques.
Ian last work on several projects involving intelligent lighting controls real-time dynamic lighting design software, horticultural electric lighting, and daylighting. When he is not working, he prefers to hike at elevations above 8,000 feet in the Canadian Rockies, where you can almost see his home in West Vancouver some 500 miles
Inductee Name: Betty Lou Pacey
Short Lighting Career Bio:
Betty Lou leaves a great legacy of leadership and contribution to the lighting industry as the President and CEO of BL Lighting, a very successful Vancouver lighting manufacturer of fiber optic and LED custom installations.
Betty Lou’s career in lighting all began in the fall of 1985 having boarded an airplane to Asia where a series of the world’s largest trade-shows were about to take place. Among the many creations the world’s market had to offer, Betty Lou was drawn to LEDs. “There is no such thing as a turning point, no point in waiting for anything to happen. I just said that’s it, I chose lighting… Like with most things, you begin something, it develops into a passion and you forever continue to do it”.
A pioneer of manufacturing and using fiber optic since 1986, Mrs. Pacey was an enthusiastic early-adopter and implementer of revolutionary lighting technologies like LEDs and LED optical/laser systems. Mrs. Pacey is remembered as actively involved in the leadership of professional associations like the Illuminating Engineering Society, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters of BC, or BC Electrical Association and charities like the Light’s of Hope of the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation.IES Involvement and Awards/Accomplishments:
An IES member since 1999, Mrs. Pacey was a very active and prominent member of the Board of Directors of the Vancouver (and the former British Columbia) section. Her leadership contributed over the years to bring cohesion between generational and profession/ activity differences among the members. As Chair of Membership, Mrs. Pacey’s was instrumental in increasing the Vancouver Section’s membership by 50% in the last ten years. More noteworthy is that Betty Lou continued to promote the IES work and vision to practitioners around the world during her participation to numerous lighting trade shows with her products.
One statement on how important is lighting in your career/life:
“Lighting is the essence of life: without light, there is nothing”.
Inductee Name: Dixie Hudson
Short Lighting Career Bio:
Dixie Ellen Hudson was born in the Canadian Province of Alberta in 1953. Dixie was destined for a career were art and technology live in symbiosis. An accomplished Highland dancer and bag piper in her youth, she graduated the Bachelor of Interior Design at University of Manitoba in 1978. Soon after she opened her own company D.Hudson Design. In 1979 she started the Interior Design Program at BCIT with 25 students which has grown to 1,100 students and 50 instructors in 40 yrs, becoming one of the best undergraduate profile programs in Canada. Always reaching to improve the educational experience for both the faculty and the students Dixie later obtained the Master of Science, University of New York and graduated in Academy for Leadership and Development. She studied Biomimicry in Africa and Santa Barbara in the USA and successfully completed to be a Biomimicry Specialist. Dixie also lectured around the world in China, Austria, Italy, UK, Dubai and more.
IES Involvement and Awards/Accomplishments:
An IES member since 1990’s, Mrs. Hudson hold various position on the Board of Directors for the British Columbia Section. Having formed so many successful interior decorators Dixie was instrumental in bringing her expertise to the educational program and seminar events and setting a Student IES-BC chapter for many years.
Dixie passed away in 2018 after a long battle with cancer.
One statement on how important is lighting in your career/life:
“My goal is to keep learning all my life and to experience the thrills that travel and culture add to one's make-up”.
Inductee Name: Bernard Crocker
Short Lighting Career Bio:
Bernard Crocker was born in England in 1931. Since graduating engineering in England in the 50’s, Bernard has spent over 40 years in a successful international lighting career than spun over three continents. One outstanding success is his lighting design for the famed Sydney Opera House. Mr. Crocker spent his last two decades of activity at BC Hydro leading many governmental lighting design assistance and energy efficiency incentive programs in British Columbia from the incipience of the Power Smart Program in 1989.
IES Involvement and Awards/Accomplishments:
An IES member since 1977, Mr. Crocker was British Columbia Section’s President also holding numerous board positions. Bernard remained active with the IES Vancouver Board of Directors after his retirement and in 2018 he was awarded The Section Meritorious Service Award. Bernard leaves a great legacy of leadership and contribution to the IES and our industry in general. As the Education Chair in the late 80’s, Mr. Crocker started a solid lighting education program that is a continuing success to the present.
Bernard passed away in 2019 at the age of 88.
One statement on how important is lighting in your career/life:
“Be the light that helps others see.”
Inductee Name: Carl R. Koehler
Short Lighting Career Bio:
Carl R. Koehler was born and raised in Vancouver. Mr. Koehler started his career in electrical engineering as a draftsman, then with “on the job” training, mentoring and with many night school courses he elevated his career into design. Carl took his first lighting fundamentals course in 1968 and has been practicing lighting design ever since. Mr. Koehler’s experience includes designing the lighting systems for industrial projects, commercial projects, institutional projects, street lighting projects along with investigating existing lighting installations of many types of buildings. Carl started his own lighting consulting company CRK Designs Inc. in 1990 to answer the need for a separate lighting design firm within the electrical engineering field.
IES Involvement and Awards/Accomplishments:
Carl R. Koehler joined the Illuminating Engineering Society in 1990 and quickly became active with the local IES section and IES regional activities. Carl has held many regional committee positions along with many positions with the local Vancouver Section such as President, Vice-President and many other positions throughout the years. Mr. Koehler has been active as an instructor with the local IES education programs along with providing educational seminars. Leading and helping in committee work included local seminars, local award programs (The Vision Awards), an “on-ship” tri-regional conference (in 1994), and education fly-ins. He has received many awards, with the latest one being the IES’s Section Meritorious Service Award. Carl was among the first 4 people to achieve his “LC” status in BC..
One statement on how important is lighting in your career/life:
Our goal should always be: “designing a quality lighting system to accommodate the needs of the clients and their facilities”. A quality lighting design provides a positive, happy and safe environment.
Inductee Name: Roy Hughes
Short Lighting Career Bio:
Roy Hughes was born in Winnipeg in 1942. Since graduating from North Dakota State University in 1967, Roy worked for his entire lighting career of over 40 years with BC Hydro in Vancouver. During this time Mr. Hughes hold managing positions in engineering, marketing and customer service. Roy has been leading many governmental lighting design assistance and energy efficiency incentive programs in British Columbia from the incipience of the Power Smart Program in 1989. Roy was also well known for his active involvement with the development of CSA’s lighting efficiency codes and standards where he hold the Chair position for C-419 Energy Efficiency Lighting committee for over 10 years.
IES Involvement and Awards/Accomplishments:
An IES member since 1956, Mr. Hughes was British Columbia Section’s President and a pillar of stability and continuity for the Vancouver IES Board of Directors holding numerous board positions. Roy was heavily involved in board activity also at the Pacific North West Region. Mr. Hughes has been an active instructor with the local IES education programs along with providing educational seminars. During his long career in lighting Roy won numerous IES Lighting Design Awards and remained active with the IES Vancouver Board of Directors long after his retirement until he passed away in 2015 at the age of 72. Roy was among the first 4 people to achieve his “LC” status in BC.
One statement on how important is lighting in your career/life:
“In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.”