Peter Happe, left, was congratulated as a new Fellow of the Institute by Tim Kelly, left. Mr. Kelly presented Mr. Happe with his Fellows plaque as part of the ceremony where new Fellows, whose names are kept secret until the presentation ceremony, are announced. Current Fellows can be seen in the background.

Photo/Tom Thatcher

Introductory remarks from Tim Kelly
USITT Fellow

For the past 18 years, Pete Happe has been a principal theatrical systems designer for Walt Disney Imagineering. He has provided complete theatre consulting and design services for Disney's Animal Kingdom, Tokyo Disney Seas, Walt Disney Studio Park in Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland.

Pete's skills in entertainment technology, design and management have been selflessly shared through his extensive work on various ESTA committees. He is currently on the ESTA working group studying Rigging Technical Standards and is a task group member for E1.22, Fire Safety Curtain Systems; E1.6-1, Powered Winch Hoist Systems; and E1.6-2, Purpose Designed Serial Manufactured Electric Chain Hoists in the Entertainment Industry.

In the mid-1970s, Pete was one of the founders of the Rocky Mountain Regional Section of USITT and served as a section officer for many years. Pete served as Vice-President for Commissions, bringing his managerial skills to bear in assisting the Commissions to move toward establishing standards. With 30-plus years of active involvement in USITT and the entertainment industry, Pete is a "go to" guy for many who have questions of complex technical theatre issues. He readily gives of his experience and expertise in the interest of making our profession a safer and more creatively innovative place to work.

USITT Fellows elected six new members who were announced at the 2008 Annual Conference. The introductions of, Debra Krajec, and Richard Thomas also appear in this issue. The introductions of Joe Aldridge, Jerry Gorrell, and Bobbi Owen appeared in the April issue.

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