Vocational Service Award

2007 Vocational Service Award Winner

Louis A. Zanoni
Rotary Club of Hamilton Township

President and Founder
of WZBN-25 TV
Mercer County, NJ

Lou’s career in radio communications and electronics began in the U.S. Navy. His honorable discharge was followed by admission to and graduation from The RCA Institutes with honors in the Radio and Television course earning a First Class Broadcast License. He continued his education at Rider and Rutgers and was subsequently hired by RCA Laboratories in Princeton, NJ in 1957. Space does not permit us to completely enumerate his professional accomplishments and accolades, except to say that he is the co-inventor of the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), which has revolutionized the way mankind works, lives, plays, communicates, records information and even tell time. Our phones, TV’s, hand held devices, computers and a myriad of displays all depend on the LCD. He is even the inventor/designer of the first LCD watch (a company he founded). In 1976 he and his wife Mary founded Zantech, an electronic watch-consulting firm that dealt with the development and repair of quartz timepieces all over the world.

In the 1980’s Lou was again in the forefront of broadcasting by applying for and receiving one of the early Low Power Broadcasting License from the FCC and 1993, he and his son Greg built the studio and tower for the Low Power TV broadcasting system that became WZBN-25 TV.

Lou has been a Rotarian in the Rotary Club of Hamilton Township since 1983 and he exemplifies with his vocational dealings all the elements of the 4 Way Test, the 4 Avenues of Service and the Rotary Code of Ethics in Business. What is exceptional is that, because of his personal character and personal code of ethics he exemplified what Rotarians have believed for so long and has done so in a manner that honors himself, his family, his vocation and Rotary.

He mentors and nurtures talent and as a result they have moved on to larger regional and national systems yet they never forget the kindness and support they received in developing both their talent and understanding of TV broadcasting. His protégées think of him as a teacher, a friend and protector. By his exemplification of the Rotary ethic in his vocation, he fosters a greater understand in others what the 4 Way Test means and how the Code of Ethics works on a day-to-day basis.

A combination of fair play and keen business sense has created a corporate diversity that reaches out to segments of the community that would have otherwise been overlooked. He fosters discussion in areas that affect a wide base of the local population. He has used the power of his broadcasting capabilities to freely bolster, assist and even promote charitable and cultural causes that benefit all.

As an author, inventor, designer, business builder, father, grandfather, husband, brother and fellow Rotarian, Lou is a worthy recipient of the Vocational Service Award and all that it represents.

The past winners of the Vocational Service Award:

Presented to the Rotarian who best exemplifies the principles of Rotary’s Second Avenue of Service