Scott Mollman, technical director for the theatre department at the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD. won the Jack Suesse Memorial "Stump The Rigger" trophy at the USITT conference in Cincinnati. The trophy is awarded for the best question or situation that the Stump the Rigger panel cannot correctly answer or identify. This year's winning situation involved the load rating of home made wire rope which had been constructed of baling wire and twisted into shape with a battery operated drill.
The trophy is named for Jack Suesse, an industry icon who passed away in August of 2007. Bill Sapsis, session moderator noted: "Jack was one of the good guys. He wasn't flashy. He didn't make a big deal about his work but he was responsible for many of the rigging innovations we've seen over the past 20 years. He was also a mentor to many people coming up in the business. I met him in 1979 and he was instrumental in shaping the way I approached my career."
The Trophy was introduced in 2008 at the USITT conference in Houston and was awarded to Carla Richters of Dartmouth College. The winner is chosen by acclimation and confirmed by the Stump The Rigger panel. The 2009 panel consisted of Don Dimitroff of Columbus McKinnon Corp, Eric McAfee of J. R.
Clancy, Inc. and Tray Allen of James Thomas Engineering. The moderator was Bill Sapsis of Sapsis Rigging, Inc.