2007 NATALIE STUKAS HEARING CONSERVATION AWARD

presented to Dr. Thomas D. Thunder
at the ILAA Convention,
January 26, 2007,
(Chicago, IL)

"I am honored (and some would say "lucky") to be here in this unique position today and to be presenting this award. Unique for two reasons" First, I was Natalie Stukas' professor at Northern Illinois University and I knew her very well-while she was a student, an audiologist, a hearing conservationists and a lovely person. She was terrific in each of those roles. So this award is based in an outstanding heritage as a memorial to a truly remarkable lady.

The second unique reason is that the recipient of this year's award was also a student of mine. I remember talking with him about 1972 when he became an undergraduate major in our department at NIU. After completing his bachelor's degree, he continued on into the Master's program and graduated in 1976. I had the honor and challenge of directing his thesis which had a strong hearing conservation focus. It was entitled, "Ear Protector Attenuation in High and Low Noise Levels." He completed the writing of the project in absentia since he took a job as an audiologist at the Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center in Charlotte, NC. It was an association marked by some stress (for him and me during the writing stages) and with satisfying longevity because of the close friendship we have established. He was successful in completing the thesis and presented the outcome at a noise conference her in Chicago. Shortly thereafter, he published the study in the Journal of the American Industrial Hygiene Association.

He returned to the Chicago area in 1977 and continued his hearing conservation focus as Senior Noise Control Specialist at Sargent and Lundy (Chicago). From 1979-81 he completed graduate studies at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Acoustics and ultimately was certified by the Institute of Noise Control Engineering. In 1981 he became Manager of Acoustic Products for Transco Products, Inc. (Chicago). For one year (1984-85) he was a Field Applications Engineer for Bruel & Kjaer (Hoffman Estates). Them from 1985-87 he was an Acoustical Consultant to Shiner and Associates, Inc. (Skokie).

His biggest occupational leap (as well as financial) was in 1988 when he began his own business, Acoustic Associates, Ltd. (Palatine). It seems he ventured into everything: audiologic examinations, fitting of hearing aids, providing rehabilitative counseling, but began to focus on hearing and acoustical problems including environmental noise, industrial noise control, hearing conservation, hearing protection, mechanical building noise, audibility issues and room acoustics. Then he went back to school and earned his AuD degree in 2002 from the School of Audiology at PCO in Philadelphia. In 2005 he sold off the audiological examination and hearing aid business. He has since focused exclusively on the aspects of acoustics, hearing conservation, record reviews, consultation and teaching.

With 30 years of experience in the fields of hearing and acoustics, he has been called upon to testify as an expert witness in numerous cases involving occupational noise, environmental noise, audibility and hearing loss. The diversity of his experiences gave him a unique perspective on hearing conservation and acoustical issues.

He is on staff at Rush University and NIU and teaches courses in hearing science, audiology, noise assessment, classroom acoustics, psychoacoustics, and hearing conservation. He also teaches on-line courses from the PCO School of Audiology and regularly offers seminars on audiometric testing and hearing conservation strategies. These seminars have been recognized by the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) as the leading course in the Midwest.

Tom and I have had lunch or dinner about every 6 months over the past 30 years. (We usually take turns buying but I think it is his turn to buy next time!) I use to rely on information about hearing conservation from Dr. David Lipscomb but in latter years I have relied in Tom for this guidance.

I know the word "super" is being overused because of the Chicago Bears' game a week from tomorrow, but Tom was a "super" student, is a "super" audiologist, a "super" hearing conservationist, and a "super" person. He is well deserving of this award due to his many endeavors in the areas of hearing conservation. Natalie would be proud of him, as are all of us. Dr. Thunder, would you come forward to receive this award."

-James E. Lankford, PhD