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Tech Firms To Honor Sept. 11 Victims
by Bara Vaida
September 11 will be a somber day across the country as individuals and companies remember the tragic terrorist attacks of a year ago. Many high-tech companies lost employees on the hijacked airplanes and in the World Trade Center, and those companies are planning special memorials or moments of silence in their honor.
At Akamai Technologies headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., the company plans on Wednesday to hold a private memorial service to honor Daniel Lewin, the 31-year-old co-founder and chief technology officer who was killed on one of the planes that crashed in New York City. The company also created a scholarship fund for students pursuing careers in science.
"We at Akamai miss Danny and will honor his legacy. ... This has been a very difficult year," a spokesman for the firm said.
At San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco Systems, which lost 43-year-old strategic alliance program manager Suzanne Calley on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, a voluntary, company-wide moment of silence will be held in all offices. Cisco also plans to encourage its employees to volunteer for and donate to local charities, is organizing a day-long blood drive, will provide counseling services and will dedicate its company 2002 annual report to Calley.
Compaq Computer, which has merged with Hewlett-Packard, lost five employees -- Jeffrey Coombs, a global services technology consultant, and four others who were in the trade center for a conference. Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and President Michael Capellas sent a joint e-mail to employees calling for a voluntary moment of silence and organized several "low key" ceremonies for employees to honor those killed.
Netegrity, a Waltham, Mass., based Web security software company, lost its chief financial officer, James Hayden, who died on one of the planes. The company plans to hold a memorial service at its headquarters to "celebrate Hayden's life," a spokeswoman said. The company also has created a memorial fund in his name.
Sun Microsystems lost Phil Rosenzweig, director of the company's software organization, and Oracle lost sales accountant Todd Beamer. Avid Technology, CompuWare, MRV Communications and Metrocall also lost employees on the planes.
Microsoft did not lose any employees, but President Steve Ballmer sent an e-mail to employees suggesting ways to honor the Sept. 11 victims, including encouraging donations to charities. Microsoft has given the Red Cross $350,000 in software to help it improve communications systems and is supporting a national blood-drive awareness campaign.
Cyber-Security Event Tops California Calendar
Richard Clarke, head of the White House Cyber Security Office, and Howard Schmidt, vice chairman of the president's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, are traveling to the West Coast next week to unveil the national cyber-security plan on Sept. 18 at Stanford University. TechNet, the bipartisan lobbying group, is helping to organize a reception the evening before in Palo Alto, where the two are expected to discuss the plan.
In other California news, Kevin Ryan, the U.S. attorney for the northern district of California, announced the reorganization and management of his office, Tech Law Journal reported. Ross Nadel is to remain chief of the computer hacking and intellectual property unit. He has held the position since the unit was created in 2000. Elizabeth De La Vega is to remain as chief of the San Jose branch office, with Eumi Choi as deputy chief. The other section chiefs will be Hannah Horsley for appellate cases, Patrick Robbins for securities fraud, Miranda Kane for white-collar crime and Steven Gruel for major crimes.
John Glenn, a former astronaut and Democratic senator from Ohio, will lead a discussion at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., to celebrate the lab's 50th anniversary. Glenn's discussion is part of a host of events next week that aim to honor the lab's role in conducting research in biology, climate modeling, and astrophysics and fusion energy. The lab's mission, since its inception in 1952, has been to ensure national security and to apply science and technology to "important issues of our time."
Firms Hire E-Commerce, Copyright Lobbyists
Mark Buse, former staff director of the Senate Commerce Committee when John McCain, R-Ariz., was chairman, has been hired to lobby on competition in the travel services industry for the Interactive Travel Services Association. Buse is a lobbyist for ML Strategies The association, which includes Travelocity, Sabre and Expedia as its members, has raised questions with lawmakers and regulators about whether the online travel site Orbitz has violated antitrust laws.
In other lobbying news, Michael Fine of Powell Goldstein Frazer & Murphy has been hired by Chanel, Rolex Watch USA, Hit Entertainment, Coach, Calvin Klein, Nike and Louis Vuitton to lobby on the protection of intellectual property on the Internet, according to Federal Election Commission documents analyzed by Political Moneyline, a nonpartisan Web site.
New And Familiar Faces In Government
James Freeman, a technology commentator for USA Today and former news producer, has joined the office of Republican Policy Committee Chairman Christopher Cox, R-Calif., as legislative director. Freeman produced the series "TechnoPolitics" for PBS. He will assume day-to-day legislative operations from Peter Uhlmann, who has worked on legislation for Cox since 1991. Uhlmann is now chief of staff.
At the FCC, meanwhile, Shellie Blakeney has been named legal adviser to FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau chief Thomas Sugrue. Blakeney will advise Sugrue on wireless regulatory issues, including matters before the bureau's public safety and private wireless division. Previously, Blakeney was attorney adviser in that division. She joined the FCC in 1998.
And the FBI has named Tina Jonas as chief financial officer and assistant director of the finance division. Jonas previously served as budget examiner for the White House Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President, National Security Division and intelligence branch from 1991 to 1995. Her duties included the formulation of the president's budget. Most recently, she served as a deputy Defense secretary.
Correction
In the Sept. 4 People Column, we reported that TechNet held a fundraiser for Rep. Phil Crane, R-Ill., on Aug. 22 in Palo Alto, Calif. The event, though scheduled for that date, did not occur.
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