LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ken Heitz, Chairman of the Board of El Paso Electric (NYSE:EE), passed
away on July 9 in Los Angeles, California, after a lengthy battle with
cancer. He was 65 years old. Heitz served as a member of EPE's Board
since EPE's emergence from bankruptcy in 1996 and was named Chairman of
the Board in 2008. He also served on EPE's External Affairs, Energy
Resources and Environmental Oversight, Executive, and Nominating &
Corporate Governance Committees. In January 2012, he was elected
Chairman of our Compensation Committee.
"All of us who had the privilege of knowing and working with Ken are
deeply saddened by his passing," said El Paso Electric CEO Tom Shockley.
"Ken's contribution to EPE is immeasurable. His knowledge, experience,
sound judgment and leadership were invaluable in guiding the Company
through significant challenges and changes."
As a student at UCLA in the 1960s, Heitz was a member of three
consecutive UCLA NCAA national championship men's basketball teams
coached by John Wooden. He was a starting forward on the Bruin freshman
team that defeated the two-time defending NCAA champion UCLA varsity
squad, 75-60, in the first-ever game in Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 27,
1965. Heitz's freshman teammates that year included center Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor at the time), guard Lucius Allen, and forward
Lynn Shackelford.
After graduating Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA in 1969,
Heitz attended Harvard Law School, where he earned a Juris Doctorate
degree with honors.
Following graduation, Heitz joined the Los Angeles law firm Irell &
Manella. As a senior partner specializing in commercial litigation and
corporate law, he was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in
America 2007-2012 in his specialty areas. Heitz received many other
honors, including designation in The International Who's Who Legal
as an expert in corporate governance and selection to the 2009 edition
of California's Who's Who Legal. He was named to the Southern
California "Super Lawyers" list by Los Angeles Magazine every
year since 2006.
Michael Parks, Vice Chairman of the EPE Board, and Eric Siegel, Chairman
of the Executive Committee of the EPE Board, said, "Ken has been a key
member of the Board since the Company's emergence from bankruptcy in
1996 and played a pivotal role in the Company's return to prosperity. We
will miss him greatly."
Heitz is survived by his wife Linda and their daughter Alex, his former
wife Barbara and their daughters Jennifer and Joanna, and granddaughters
Eva and Rachel.
El Paso Electric
Media:
Teresa Souza, 915-543-5823
or
Analysts:
Steve
Busser, 915-543-5983
or
Lisa Budtke, 915-543-5947
Source: El Paso Electric
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