Farewell to fallen stars >BY DAN O'SHEA

Bruce Haddad and Karen FitzGerald had a few things in common. Both worked tirelessly to support investment and technological advancement in segments of the industry that greatly needed it. Backed by a long list of career accomplishments, both were rising stars in an industry entering its brightest age. Both, though young, had garnered the respect of co-workers and competitors alike for their sharp acumen. And finally and tragically, both died recently.

Haddad, 43, as senior vice president of international operations at GTE, was instrumental in making GTE the most prominent U.S. telco investor in Latin America. He and his wife, Dorothy, were killed last week, along with three others, in a charter plane crash near Guatemala City as they returned from Buenos Aires. A 20-year veteran of GTE, he held several positions for the company in Latin America over the last decade, including president of CANTV, the Venezuelan telephone company in which GTE invested.

While foreign investment in Latin America is just beginning to grow, GTE and Haddad were riding out the region's political and economic instability for years in the belief that they could improve everyday life for a technology-impoverished third world.

In an interview last June at the first Americas Telecom show in Rio de Janiero, the square-jawed, steel-eyed Haddad was excited and intensely focused at the prospect that his work was coming to fruition. He had a stronger grasp on the ins and outs of the Latin American market than any other American executive I met there, and it is doubly tragic that he will not be able to experience the next decade of progress in this region.

The industry also lost another friend and supporter recently when Bellcore's Karen FitzGerald, 41, director of business development in core networks, died of cancer. FitzGerald championed the cause of ISDN for several years while the technology languished, weighed down by inadequate marketing and pricing by service providers.

Her understanding of technological and business forces was significant in keeping ISDN in the public eye. The technology is now enjoying strong growth as an Internet access method, and unfortunately, FitzGerald won't be witness to much of the success she helped deliver.

While the industry has lost two of its brightest stars, we can console ourselves a bit by making good on their promise. The ensured success of their industry segments will be the ultimate testament to their professional lives.

However, their professional lives were but a small portion of their existence, and our hearts go out to their families and friends.