CEO Scott Belcher surprised the Telecommunications Industry Association’s Dallas convention-goers during TIA’s annual dinner on Tuesday by presenting Ernest Jones’ widow, Kathy Jones, with a special award recognizing the much-beloved engineer posthumously for his lifetime contribution to the communications industry. Jones died in an accident in October, 2015, while atop an Oklahoma City TV tower.
“Ernie was a structural expert and a tireless worker for the communications industry. He was the driving force to broaden TIA standards to include safety, standardized construction nomenclature, and established standard rigging plans,” TIA said. “His contributions to the TR-14 committee research included details which created the strength theory incorporated into our industry standards.”
“He was always willing to discuss safety, engineering and any aspect of the tower industry with his peers. As great as his engineering capabilities were, Ernie’s greatest contributions were his willingness to engage with any party regarding all manners of topics (especially safety) and consistently maintain a high level of integrity, courtesy and respect,” TIA added. “He was genuine, professional and deeply respected by all who knew him, and his contributions to the tower industry will forever be remembered.”
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