Glen Cunningham, the widely respected lighting instrument designer of Lighting & Electronics (L&E), died of cancer on January 31. He was 42.
A graduate of the State University of New York at New Paltz with a degree in technical theatre, Cunningham was affiliated with many tours, for various dance troupes and the musical Annie. He joined L&E's sales division in 1985, and in 1989 became an equipment designer for the Wappingers Falls, NY-based firm. His L&E career also included stints as chief engineer and product manager. According to general manager Bob Partridge, "Cunningham was one of those rare individuals who could translate a designer's abstract product idea into a working prototype." The Runt cyc light, introduced at LDI97, is just one example of Cunningham's handiwork.
Among his many contributions to the L&E product line were the redesign of the Mini-Strip, and the Broad Cyc. Cunningham also developed and supervised the production of the Cranny-Flood and Micro-Fill theatrical instruments. He was also L&E's liaison with Underwriters Laboratories and certified the company's products to various national andinternational safety standards.
Cunningham, who is survived by a wife and two children, was the author of Stage Lighting Revealed: A Design and Execution Handbook, published by Betterway Books. He was an active member of the Entertainment Services and Technology Association's technical standards committees, including the photometrics and control protocol technical working groups.
Cunningham developed the L&E website and posted many items of interest to lighting designers and theatrical electricians. He was also a frequent contributor to the Stagecraft Mailing List and gave freely of his time as a speaker for conferences and training seminars.