BEGA/US, in conjunction with the IALD, is pleased to announce the creation of the Norman Scheer Memorial Scholarship Fund, for the enhancement of education in Lighting Design. Mr. Scheer devoted his life to the lighting industry, and was a well-known and highly respected member of this creative community. His vision helped many projects come to fruition, and by honoring him, we hope to continue his legacy.
Norman Scheer was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He was educated at Brooklyn Technical High School and City College of NY, where he majored in Sales Management. After college he joined the Navy serving as a Lieutenant J.G. Norman worked for General Electric and Jae & Meyer before venturing into self-employment. After about 12 years in a partnership situation, Norman founded High Tech Applications, Inc. in 1983.
Norman consistently studied professional journals and attended association meetings to increase his knowledge of the lighting industry. Among the great many jobs he worked on, the following were particular favorites: Ellis Island, Queens West, American Museum of Natural History, Rose Center for Space, and the Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park. He was also very pleased to be involved in the development of a custom Bollard for the Getty Museum with BEGA/US.
Norman was very well known for seeking out the young people at a specifier’s office to share his knowledge, and to help them get their “sea legs” in the industry. In his own business, one of his greatest pleasures was the successful mentorship of three of his children into leadership positions within the organization.
This award has been designed to encourage and enable highly motivated students the ability to pursue opportunities in education that might otherwise be unavailable to them financially. This $3,000 scholarship will be given annually to lighting design students from New York State and/or a student at an accredited lighting program in New York State. The judges will be given great leeway in awarding the scholarship proceeds, and will have the option of choosing to break the funding into multiple winners when deemed appropriate. In those instances where there is no qualified candidate, a scholarship will not be awarded.
Applicants for the scholarship must be students who are pursuing architectural lighting design as a course of study. The student(s) will be judged on grades, extracurricular activities, a written statement about a personal experience with lighting, and supporting artwork.
Individuals interested in learning more about this scholarship should contact www.iald.org.