Recipient of the 2001 EASA Award

Walter L. Corbin was awarded the 2001 Exceptional Achievement Service Award.
 

“As a testament to the character of this man and to his life of service, among the numerous letters in support of his nomination for this award were two from competitors, one from a former EASA International chairman, and one from a current EASA International officer,” Past Chairman William H. Overton said.

“Our recipient has had an exemplary life of achievement and service and was unanimously selected by the EASA International Nominating Committee,” Overton said.

Overton told the audience at the 2001 EASA Convention that Corbin has always had a genuine interest in electronics that began early in life and continued throughout his career.

“As a child, Corbin had great curiosity, enjoyed learning and was particularly interested in anything mechanical in nature,” Overton said.

In 1950 he graduated from Arsenal Technical High School and attended Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Shortly afterward, he began his career with Scherer Industrial Group in Indianapolis.

Corbin later enlisted in the United States Air Force where he served for four years during and after the Korean War. During his enlistment, Corbin took courses in electronics and rose to the rank of Tech Sergeant.

Upon returning from the service, Corbin re-joined Scherer to continue his career with the company.

As a Scherer employee, Corbin held a variety of leadership positions. He supervised the company's machine shop as well as its winding and field service departments, among others. His performance led him to the appointment of company president in 1971 and chairman of the board in 1975. Corbin held both positions simultaneously until his retirement in 1994; he remained chairman of the board until 1996. During his 19-year tenure as company leader, Scherer’s sales volume grew more than tenfold and its number of facilities increased from one to five.

Corbin has been an active volunteer serving both the Electric League of Indiana (ELI) and EASA. As a member of ELI, active from 1975 until 1994, Corbin served the league’s board of directors and chaired several of its committees. In addition, he received ELI’s “Distinguished Service Award” in 1983.

Corbin has been an EASA member for more than 50 years. During this time, he participated in six committees, two of which he chaired, and served as the president of EASA’s Indiana Chapter. He also counseled,advised and provided continued support for four of the past eight EASA International chairmen.<

Corbin has helped formally and informally both EASA Active and Associate members, much like he did throughout his career prior to his retirement. He is currently helping four EASA firms grow their businesses by consulting with them on a regular basis, and is helping other Active members and vendors on an informal basis.

“Achievement through service is our recipient’s hallmark,” said Overton. “He has helped and served not only people in our industry, but many others throughout his career. Whether serving through Rotary for 30 years, as chairman of the board of the Indiana Credit Association, or just as a friend, our recipient helps everyone he touches — and he does so with great humility.”