2011 Wireless Hall of Fame Dinner

Dr. Irwin Jacobs (center), co-founder of Qualcomm, Inc. and chairman of the 2011 Wireless Hall of Fame dinner held Oct. 10 in San Diego, introduces four accomplished wireless executives inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame: Clayton Niles, former chairman of Communications Industries and leader in early cellular regulation; Robert Marino, former president of cellular companies in the United States and Argentina and chairman of Syniverse; Constance Pohs, representing her deceased husband, Arnold Pohs, former chairman and CEO of CommNet Cellular, Inc.; and Nick Kauser, former chief technology officer of Rogers Cantel, McCaw Cellular Communications, AT&T Wireless Services, and Clearwire Corp.

Nick Kauser (center) is congratulated by Rob Mechaley (left), founder and CEO of MobileSphere Holdings and Wireless History Foundation board member and Craig McCaw (right), CEO of Eagle River Holdings. Kauser was inducted into the 2011 Wireless Hall of Fame during a celebration held Oct. 10 in San Diego. Kauser is former chief technology officer of Rogers Cantel, McCaw Cellular Communications, AT&T Wireless Services, and Clearwire Corp. A Seattle resident, Kauser built the first nationwide cellular network across both Canada and the United States. He led U.S. standards processes, aggressively explored new technologies, and laid the basis for nationwide automatic roaming.

The Wireless Hall of Fame is sponsored by the independent, non-profit Wireless History Foundation, whose mission is to recognize outstanding individuals in, and chronicle the history of, the wireless industry—one of the most innovative and competitive businesses worldwide.

Jeff Gordon, President & CEO of Syniverse Technologies (left) and Charles Townsend (right), CEO of Aloha Partners and Wireless History Foundation board member, congratulate Robert Marino (center) on his induction into the 2011 Wireless Hall of Fame during a celebration held Oct. 10 in San Diego. A resident of Naples, FL, Marino most recently served as chairman of the board of Syniverse. Early in his distinguished career, he was president and first employee of United TeleSpectrum (now Sprint). He served as president of cellular companies including Compania de Radiocomunicaciones Moviles (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Houston Cellular Telephone Company (now part of AT&T Mobility), and the Northeast Region of Nextel Communications (now Sprint). Later he served as group president of Convergys Information Management Group.

The Wireless Hall of Fame is sponsored by the independent, non-profit Wireless History Foundation, whose mission is to recognize outstanding individuals in, and chronicle the history of, the wireless industry—one of the most innovative and competitive businesses worldwide.

Marty Cooper (left) of Dyna LLC and Charles Townsend, CEO of Aloha Partners and Wireless History Foundation board member, announce Clayton Niles (center) as an inductee into the 2011 Wireless Hall of Fame. Niles is a wireless pioneer and former chairman of Communications Industries (CI), a group of Dallas companies that was the first wireless conglomerate. CI was acquired by Pacific Telesis Group. Niles began his wireless career in 1948 when the business was limited primarily to one-way paging for physicians. He played a crucial role in securing interconnection for early common carriers, mostly small businesses providing radiotelephone service, and convincing the Federal Communications Commission to allow them to compete with large, wireline telephone companies.

The Wireless Hall of Fame is sponsored by the independent, non-profit Wireless History Foundation, whose mission is to recognize outstanding individuals in, and chronicle the history of, the wireless industry—one of the most innovative and competitive businesses worldwide.

Constance Pohs (third from left) and children Wendi and Glenn Pohs accept a  posthumous award for Arnold Pohs, who was inducted into the 2011 Wireless Hall of Fame during a celebration held Oct. 10 in San Diego. Mr. Pohs, who died at age 82 in April, was the chairman of the board and CEO of CommNet Cellular, Inc., a wireless company serving 12 western states. It was acquired by AirTouch, which subsequently was bought by Vodafone. He was former chairman of CTIA-The Wireless Association, the industry’s largest trade association, and chaired the CTIA Wireless Foundation. Mr. Pohs was a strong advocate for rural wireless, building a network of rural systems at a time when others doubted their value. He was a respected leader and strong advocate before the Federal Communications and Congress on industry regulatory and legislative issues.

Arnold and Constance Pohs, married for 60 years, were residents of Denver for many years before moving to Scottsdale. They were long-time supporters of the University of Michigan, their alma mater. In Denver, Mr. Pohs served as a member of the executive board of directors of the Barbara Davis Foundation for Childhood Diabetes, as well as the boards of the Children's Hospital Foundation and the American Diabetes Association Colorado Chapter.

The Wireless Hall of Fame is sponsored by the independent, non-profit Wireless History Foundation, whose mission is to recognize outstanding individuals in, and chronicle the history of, the wireless industry—one of the most innovative and competitive businesses worldwide.

Liz Maxfield (right), Executive Director of the Wireless History Foundation, sponsor of the 2011 Wireless Hall of Fame event in San Diego, talks with WHF board members and wireless leaders Rob Mechaley, Arlene Harris, and Charles Townsend. About 350 industry influencers attended the highly successful celebration, held Oct. 10 at the US Grant Hotel in San Diego the evening prior to the CTIA Enterprise & Applications tradeshow.

Attendees at the 2011 Wireless Hall of Fame reception and dinner included (from left): Martha and Carroll Faulkner, Jackie Moran, Mike Altschul, Michele Farquhar, and Charla Rath.

The 2011 Wireless Hall of Fame inductees including (from left) Clayton Niles, Robert Marino, Constance Pohs (receiving a posthumous award for Arnold Pohs), and Nick Kauser talk with Wireless History Foundation board members Arlene Harris and Rob Mechaley.