Illinois Institute of Technology Renames Student Radio Station in Honor of Alumnus A. Sidney Katz
Chicago, IL — December 22, 2010 — Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is pleased to announce the renaming of the university’s WIIT radio facility to the A. Sidney Katz Radio Studio, in recognition of and with gratitude to the generosity of A. Sidney Katz, a 1962 electrical engineering alumnus. The studio broadcasts as WIIT 88.9-FM in Chicago, and as radio.iit.edu on the web.
During his time as a student at IIT, Katz worked as an engineering technician and a part-time math tutor, while hosting a DJ program at the student radio station which was then housed in the basement of a campus fraternity house. After graduating from IIT, Katz served as an engineering technician with Filmotype Corp., and as a patent examiner in the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, D.C. He earned a law degree from George Washington University in 1966 and later went on to co-found the Chicago-based intellectual property firm, Welsh & Katz, Ltd. In 2008, after 25 years of business, Welsh & Katz, Ltd., then a 45-lawyer firm specializing in the high-technology, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical fields, merged with Husch Blackwell LLP, a general practice firm of approximately 600 attorneys, with offices in 14 cities. After the merger, Husch Blackwell doubled the size of its intellectual property practice group and increased its intellectual property litigation capabilities.
As managing partner of Husch Blackwell’s Chicago office, which practices as Husch Blackwell Welsh Katz, Katz is currently engaged in client counseling, licensing, and litigation concerning all areas of intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, and copyrights. He also serves as the chairman of the National IP Group at the firm.
Katz is a widely respected and cited author in the field of intellectual property law and the recipient of numerous awards including the Award of Distinction from the Patent Resources Group, the Torch of Learning Award from Hebrew University, and the Judge Learned Hand Human Relations Award from the AJC. He is a member of the International Board of Governors of Hebrew University, and was recently made an Honorary Fellow of the university. Katz is also on the IP Advisory Board to the Dean at the George Washington University Law School. A Life Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, he has received significant recognition for his work in the protection of computer programs and video games under copyright laws.
A dedication ceremony will be held at noon on Thursday, February 17, outside of the radio station in the McCormick Tribune Campus Center. For more information on this generous gift by Sid Katz, please contact Stuart Gold at sgold@iit.edu or (312) 567-5062. For more information about IIT’s student radio station, please visit the IIT radio blog.
Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,700 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT's interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment. Visit www.iit.edu.
