NEW YORK, NY, - Gamma Chapter of Gamma Epsilon Tau, the national graphic arts honor society, will honor Bob Sacks, Annette Wolf Bensen, and Heidelberg at its 2011 Gold Key Awards ceremony in New York City on June 2.
Sacks, founder of the Precision Media Group consulting firm, will receive a Gamma Gold Key Award in recognition of his many efforts to promote understanding of graphic communication technologies. He is best known for "Heard on the Web: Media Intelligence," a daily electronic newsletter that he has published free of charge since 1993. Now reaching nearly 12,000 media industry professionals, "Heard on the Web" reports the latest developments in publishing and delivers Sacks's sometimes controversial but always insightful comments on trends in the field.

Sacks, a.k.a "Bosacks," has worked in the printing and publishing industry since 1970, launching periodicals of his own as well as holding numerous senior positions with leading publishing houses. In 2010, he was inducted into the Publishing Hall of Fame and became the recipient of a Champion of Education Award from the Graphic Communications Scholarship, Award & Career Advancement Foundation. He sits on the advisory board of the M.S. in Publishing program at Pace University and is widely sought as a speaker at professional and academic gatherings. Sacks also is a founding partner of mediaIDEAS, providing research and consulting in paginated media.

A Founders Gold / Silver Medal & Citation Award will be presented to Annette Wolf Bensen, a prepress production specialist with a long parallel career in education for the graphic arts. One of the New York City metropolitan area's most widely respected teachers and trainers in the field, Bensen sits on the Advisory Commission of New York City College of Technology (City University of New York), where she is an instructor.  She also chairs the advisory board of New York City's High School of Graphic Communication Arts; is chair of the Graphic Arts Advisory Commission for Occupational Education in the city's Department of Education; and serves as president of The Education Foundation for the Graphic Arts.

Bensen holds nearly all of the top honors that the printing industry in the New York-metro area can bestow, including The New York Club of Printing House Craftsmen's Florence B. & Leo H. Joachim Award; The Navigators Service to Industry Award; multiple recognitions from the Association of Graphic Communications (AGC); and a "Person of the Year" Award from the Printing Teachers Guild of New York. Bensen also was instrumental in launching a "Train the Teacher" initiative for AGC and the New York City Department of Education. She continues to work as an independent consultant and trainer in design and prepress production.
 
A special certificate of recognition will be presented to Heidelberg USA, Inc., the U.S. arm of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, the world's leading provider of print manufacturing equipment, digital technologies, and services. Headquartered in Kennesaw, GA, Heidelberg is well known for its many efforts on behalf of academic and professional education in the graphic arts. It is a steadfast supporter of the annual graphic communications and advertising design competitions in the SkillsUSA program, providing training space and equipment for regional entrants. The company also has made numerous donations of equipment, supplies, and support services to high schools and colleges with graphic communications programs.

Based in Kennesaw, Heidelberg's Print Media Academy (PMA) is the industry's foremost source of manufacturer-provided training in production techniques. PMA also operates an apprenticeship program for Heidelberg field service technicians that makes regular outreach to talented students at technical schools across the country.

Accepting the certificate will be Susan Nofi, Heidelberg's senior vice president, human resources and legal, who also directs PMA.

Gamma Epsilon Tau is a national, coeducational, collegiate printing fraternity in which students of printing and publishing can meet and interact in a professional and social atmosphere. Its members are enrolled in graphic arts programs at many colleges, technical institutions, and universities.

Gamma Chapter of Gamma Epsilon Tau is located at New York City College of Technology (NYCCT), part of the City University of New York. Recent Gold Key honorees include Michael Cunningham (New York University), Florence Jackson (NYC Department of Education), Diane Romano (Hudson Yards), Russell K. Hotzler (NYCCT), and Hoag Levins (Advertising Age).

The 2011 Gold Key Awards dinner will be held on June 2 at Club 101, 101 Park Avenue, New York City. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact NYCCT's Frank Adae at (718) 260-5833 or by e-mail: [email protected]