Richard Kelly Award

1992

Edison Price

The Kelly Board awarded the first Richard Kelly Award. The Award, intended for lighting professionals who embodied the ideals of the Grant in the course of their careers, was given to Kelly’s longtime collaborator and friend, Edison Price. The woman at the left in the photo is Mrs. Richard Kelly.

1994

Jeffrey Milham

In 1994, a second Kelly Award was presented to Jeffrey Milham of Design Decisions. Mr. Milham has been one of the driving forces behind the development of the IALD, Lighting World (the precursor of today’s Lightfair International) and the Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Education. As of 2017, Mr. Milham is the president of the Nuckolls Fund. In 2016, the Fund awarded a total of $60,000 for lighting education grants and student awards at its annual luncheon on April 26 held at Lightfair International in San Diego bringing the total amount of grants and student awards given for lighting education in North America to $995,000.

Mr. Milham is pictured here, in 2010, presenting a $50,000 check to Katherine S. Ankerson, associate dean of University of Nebraska at Lincoln’s College of Architecture and professor in the Interior Design program. The award was used to implement “Lighting Across the Design Curriculum,” a multi-discipline, multi-university approach to lighting education initiated by UN-L.

2003

Harry Gerstel

In 2003, a third Kelly Award was presented to Harry Gerstel, founder of Gotham Lighting Corporation in 1938. Some of Mr. Gerstel’s most notable product innovations included: Early recessed downlight – introduced 1939; Low brightness recessed downlight – patented 1957; Adjustable Accent recessed downlight – patented 1957.

2006

Howard M. Brandston

A fourth Kelly Award was presented to Howard M. Brandston for his ongoing commitment to lighting education. Mr. Brandston is a former Feldman Chair in Lighting at Cooper Union and co-founder of the Lighting Research center at R.P.I.