Honors

President, the Cosmos Club – Washington, D.C. (1988, 1989); Chair, the Cosmos Club Foundation (1985-1988).

Chair, Arthur C. Clarke Foundation - Washington, D.C. (2003 - 2016).

President, International Council for Computer Communication - Washington, D.C. and Mumbai [Bombay], India (1999-2002).

Honorary Vice Chairman, International Association of Contract and Commerical Managers - an organization dedicated to professionalism in enterprise management; Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA (2005).

Honorary Academician, International Telecommunication Academy of Russia – an arm of the Russian Academy of Science; elected in Moscow (April, 2002).

Life Fellow - The American Bar Foundation (inducted May 29, 2002).

Secretary of the Army Public Service Medal – awarded for ten years of pro bono service as Counsel to the U.S. Military Academy Bicentennial Commission; West Point (April, 2002).

First Prize, Second Congress of the International Telecommunication Academy of Russia – awarded by a panel of Russian judges for remarks delivered on "The State of the Telecommunications Industry in the United States"; Moscow (April, 2002).

Executive Council, AARP Alabama – elected by State and regional officers and lead volunteers.

National Policy Council, AARP – selected by a Nominations Committee and approved by the Board of Directors after considering a large number of candidates from throughout the country.

Meritorious Service Award – presented for early vision and four decades of leadership in bicycle and pedestrian advocacy by the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycling Professionals, at the Sixteenth ProWalk/ProBike Conference; Chattanooga (September, 2010).

Highlights - Professional
...or, getting a life.

The Harvard Student Legislative Research Bureau (forerunner of the Harvard Journal on Legislation) – (1952-1953) Founding President. While a student, with law school colleagues and the support of Dean Erwin Griswold.

The Payola Hearings – (1959-1960) organized preparation and presentation of testimony by American Broadcasting Company senior management before Congressional Oversight Committees, with successful outcome.

American Federation of Musicians Three-Network Contract – (1959) reorganized thirty-five years of accumulated contract provisions into a fully collated, signed agreement between the Union and ABC, NBC, and CBS.

The First Presidential Campaign Debates – (1960) supervised legal aspects of Kennedy-Nixon debate conducted at the American Broadcasting Company in New York City.

All-Channel Television Reception - while Administrative Assistant to FCC Chairman Newton N. Minow, demonstrated advantages of combined, all-channel television receivers before Congressional committees and trade press, leading to passage of authorizing legislation and consequent equality of access for all U.S. terrestrial broadcasters; with FCC staff engineers, Senator Joseph Pastore, and Senate staff leader Nicholas Zapple.

"The Birth of a Station" – (1961) spearheaded FCC assignment of VHF Channel 13 (now WNET) in the New York metropolitan area to public service; on-scene mediation among financiers, educators, Governor Robert Meyner and other officials; drafted agreements among the parties, organized FCC approval, gained last-minute removal of obstructive litigation from U.S. Supreme Court docket; as Adminstrative Assistant to FCC Chairman Newton N. Minow, with Channel 13 attorney Joseph Iseman, New Jersey state counsel Douglas Hofe, and Communications Law legend Henry Fischer.

Educational Television, Bogota, Columbia – (1963-1964) negotiatied with President Guillermo Leon Valenica and senior government ministers to create first Peace Corps project of its kind; designed system, trained volunteers, supervised gathering and installation of equipment; followed up with a series of Peace Corps ETV and Radio projects in South and Central America, Africa, and Southeast Asia; as Special Assistant to Peace Corps Director Jack H. Vaughn.

Creation of NASDAQ – (1978) resolved issues of antitrust and telecommunications regulation for this new electronic trading system, integrated trading Levels into computerized capabilities; project drafting, moving proposal to active life; with colleague Timothy Waters, law firm of Peabody, Lambert & Meyers; client, The Bunker-Ramo Corporation, for the National Association of Securities Dealers.

Legalization of Communication Satellite Transponder Sales – (1980) led teams from several law firms to obtain FCC order reversing prior doctrine, strengthening aerospace industry by encouraging customer financing of satellite manufacturing and launch projects; with colleague Michael W. Faber, law firm of Peabody, Lambert & Meyers, and Charles Jonscher of Communications Strategies and Planning, Inc., New York and London; client, Citicorp, N.A., pioneer purchaser of satellite transponders.

Orion Satellite System – (1986-1992) negotiated, drafted first American commercial in-orbit-delivery satellite manufacturing agreement leading to the first private international satellite system authorized to compete with the treaty-based INTELSAT; led team in vendor financing, supported client efforts to open U.K. satellite communication competition; with colleagues (the late) Clive Conley, Michael Faber, Tara Giunta and Timothy Logue, law firm of Reid & Priest LLP; clients British Aerospace Space Systems, PLC, and Kingston Communications, PLC.

The International Communications Law Committee of the Section on Science and Technology, American Bar Association – (1979) co-founded, co-chaired first continuous meetings of U.S. attorneys beginning to specialize in the growing area of international communication with Anne Branscomb.

The International Telecommunications Union Legal Forums – (1983, 1985 and following years) organized the first legal forums sponsored by the ITU, which previously had focused principally on engineering and economic issues; with then ITU Secretary General Richard Butler and ABA colleagues Anne Branscomb, Herbert Marks, Thomas Ramsey, and David Levie.

HighDefinition Television – (1985-1987) anchored legal and lobbying aspects of teams of broadcasters, engineers, economists and government representatives in Washington, New York, Tokyo and ITU in Geneva, dedicated to establishing a world technical standard for HDTV production; law firm of Reid & Priest LLP; clients CBS, Inc. (Joseph Flaherty, EVP) and SONY America, Inc.

Satellite Digital Audio Broadcasting – (1991-2000) secured the first licenses ever issued by the FCC for provision of satellite facilities to radio broadcasters, enabling outreach to underserved regions of the world using dialects unique to those areas; negotiated, drafted satellite manufacturing agreements, financing documents; briefly served on Board of Directors; satellite service initiated to Africa, Asia, planned for South America; with colleagues Tara Giunta and Timothy Logue, law firms of Reid & Priest LLP, then Coudert Brothers LLP; clients, AfriSpace, Inc. and WorldSpace, Inc.

West Point Bicentennial – (1991-2002) although not an Academy graduate, pro bono counsel to the Bicentennial Steering Group of Academy graduates who planned and organized the four-year observance of the 200th anniversary of West Point; conducted with the Superintendent and Academy staff and the Department of the Army; law firms of Reid & Priest LLP, then Coudert Brothers LLP. Chairman, William Raiford of Thomasville, Georgia.

American Bar Association, the Standing Committee on the Law Library of Congress – (2000-2010) Chair; (2010-Present) Special Advisor. An effort embodying the American Bar Association’s growing interest in the protection and enhancement of the world’s largest law library, a focal resource for foreign, international and comparative law; proposals now formulated would combine private funding sources with continued Congressional financing to add a broad mix of services to Congress, the legal profession, the public, States and universities.

International Association for Contract and Commercial Management – (2005-present) Honorary Vice Chair. A highly regarded International organization providing insight to leading-edge contracting and commercial skills and procedures fundamental to managing enterprise and individual risks. Its work insight equips business professionals for implementing best ethical practices in contractual commitments and trading relationships.

Highlights - Personal
...or, getting a life.

United States Marine Corps – (1953-1956) Company Commander. First Batallion, First Marine Regiment, First Marine Division, Korea; command of (and responsibility for) up to 320 Marines, including riflemen and communications specialists; rank of Second Lieutenant, promoted to First Lieutenant upon Division’s return to Camp Pendleton, California. Thereafter, Defense Counsel, Special and General Courts Martial, and Division Legal Assistance Officer.

Democratic Party Congressional campaigns and insurgencies – (1958-1959) Campaign Manager. Led campaigns in New York 17th ("Silk Stocking") district; and in Greenwich Village against Tammany Hall machine, promoting city-wide demise of that institution.

Stevenson for President Draft Movement – (1960) Organizer. With now-famous political consultant David Garth, led volunteer operations in New York City; thereafter opened and directed the Stevenson headquarters at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles; also with David Garth, organized record-breaking demonstration on the Convention floor.

Taking Back the Street – (1968-1971) as early re-integrator of Washington’s Adams-Morgan neighborhood, organized successful multi-racial community organization to combat crime, improve rental housing by acting as resident agents for absentee owners; initiatives attracted coverage by local, national and foreign press and television.

Humphrey for President Campaign – (1968) volunteered first as "Think Tank" speech-writer with now retired Weslyan President Douglas Bennet; thereafter seconded as on-site Director of New York State operations on behalf of the Democratic National Committee; reversed four-point deficit, ended with four-point victory over Richard Nixon in New York State.

District of Columbia City Council – (1972-1975) nominated by President Nixon, confirmed by the Senate; Committees on Government Operations (Chair), Public Safety, and Transportation; presided over Judiciary budgets, negotiated Congressional funding for construction of Carl Moultrie Judicial Center; sponsored successful city-wide street lighting program, handicap parking, and corner curb ramps; authored and won passage of first city law governing repair of consumer goods; through extensive public hearings, secured full revision of Police handling of rape victims; used helicopter surveillance to block development of a superhighway planned as an open trench down the length of The National Mall ("I -695"); blocked construction of an under-funded, misplaced Convention Center; authored legal provisions of then strongest human rights law in the nation.

National Center for Bicycling and Walking (NCBW) – (1977-2011) co-Founder and 32-year Board Chair of national organization serving government and non-profit professionals in the fields of transportation and safety education; U.S. focal point for outreach and advocacy in this sector, with assistance from Federal, regional, state, and local governments and private foundations, including the Federal Highway Administration and the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation; originally called the Bicycle Federation of America. On January 1, 2009, transferred chairmanship to Vice Chairman Peter Harkness, former Editor and Deputy Publisher of Congressional Quarterly and retiring founder and Publisher of Governing magazine. NCBW continues as a thriving program (and the Washington D.C. office) of Projects for Public Spaces, of New York City.

Cosmos Club, Washington, D.C. – (1974-present) an assembly of men and women who have performed meritorious original work in science, literature or the arts as professionals or exceptional amateurs, or have been recognized as distinguished in a learned profession or public service. President (1988-1990) during overwhelming landmark vote favoring the admission of Members without regard to gender. Because professional duties prevented club Vice-President, aerospace leader Frederick I. Ordway III, from moving up, became fifth President since the Club’s 1878 founding to be re-elected; oversaw renovation of major areas of Clubhouse, inclusion of women Members in all aspects of Club life. Lengthy service on the Board and other Committees; Chair (1985-1988) of the Cosmos Club Foundation; with former US News & World Report editor Lester Tanzer originated Cosmos Journal; with leading Washington attorney Edwin Kahn, initiated Foundation’s McGovern Lecture Series (supported by the late Texas philanthropist Dr. John McGovern); with Dr. Rita Caldwell, then President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Dr. Joan Challinor, former Chair, the National Commission on Libraries, and geologist Dr. Priestley Toulmin, created the “Cosmos Scholars,” an aid program in support of graduate degree research in D.C. area universities.

Arthur C. Clarke Foundation – (1983-2016) pro bono Counsel, later Executive Director and Board Chairman of an organization devoted to advancing the scientific, literary and ethical legacies of Sir Arthur C. Clarke, the scientist and author who first conceived (1945) of geosynchronous satellite communications; presentation of incentive awards, lectures and related events; working with a U.S. university to create “The Arthur C. Clarke Center to investigate the reach and impact of human imagination”; serving with the personal encouragement of Sir Arthur and with space industry figures John McLucas, Joseph Pelton, Peter Marshall, Hon. Diana Dougan, Frederick I. Ordway III, Frederick Durant, Timothy Logue and others.

International Council for Computer Communication – (1986-2002) organization of 100 scientists, academics, government representatives and business people who recognized in 1972 that computer communication would become an essential element of modern life, created antecedent networks which in time blended into and became the Internet; first lawyer elected as ICCC President (2000-2002); elected Governor, 1986; ICCC conference presentations, 1982, 1984, 2002.

Marquis' Publications listings - Who's Who in America, - in the World, - in American Law, - in Finance and Industry, - in the East.

...and for the fun of it, - Councilman - brand of pipe tobacco, sold in the Washington D.C. area exclusively by Georgetown Tobacco & Pipe; blended with proprieter David Berkebile and named for Tedson.

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