TEI honors Ray Rossi and Phil Cohen: meritorious chapter and committee award recipients also recognized.

• Position: Tax Executives Institute

During TEI's 66th Annual Conference, awards were presented to two members for sustained outstanding service to the Institute. Raymond G. Rossi of the Santa Clara Valley Chapter, former Institute president, was given Honorary Membership, and Philip G. Cohen of the New York Chapter, was presented with TEI's President's Award.

The awards were presented by TEI's current president, David M. Penney, as part of the festivities at the Tuesday night banquet. Before calling Messrs. Rossi and Cohen to the stage, Mr. Penney called attention to the following list of winners of the Institute's Meritorious Committee Service Awards and Meritorious Chapter Service Awards:

COMMITTEE Federal Tax Philip G. Cohen State & Local Tax Tov B. Haueisen CHAPTER Carolinas Marcus S. Shore Indiana Vincent J. Akers Minnesota Diane L. Flottemesch Montreal Jean-Pierre Morier Honorary Membership for Ray Rossi

In presenting the Honorary Membership Award to Mr. Rossi, David Penney noted that, having joined TEI in 1986, Ray Rossi has done it all: "He served as President of the Santa Clara Valley Chapter and as a Regional Vice President. He has served on the Executive Committee. He was active in TEI's committees, in particular as a member of several committees, including the International Tax Committee, which he chaired from 1990 to 1992. And he chaired a special task force on advocacy."

Mr. Penney explained that Mr. Rossi's plan of action during his presidency was focused on communication and member service. "To advance these twin objectives, he established working groups on Engaging, Empowering and Enhancing Member Value. During his term, TEI inaugurated its Senior Tax Executive Conference, and we developed a 'How To' advocacy guide to demonstrate how easy--and measured--becoming involved could be." Mr. Penney added, that Mr. Rossi's contributions continued unabated after he completed his term. He became a fixture on the Institute's Tax Reform Task Force, contributing his insights and perspective. In short, Mr. Penney concluded, "Ray has always had 'an extra gear' for TEI. He has rendered outstanding service to TEI through a long career. During his 25 years as a member, he has demonstrated his professionalism, leadership, facility with complex tax issues, and a unique ability to set priorities and target key issues."

In accepting the award, Mr. Rossi said the following:

Thank you, Dave (Penney), and congratulations on serving as TEI's president. I am especially pleased to be...