This past October, leading tax professional and CPA Magazine columnist Sid Kess was honored by the AICPA at their Fall Council Meeting in Phoenix. Kess received the Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Service which is the highest award that can be received by the AICPA.
Upon bestowing this great honor, Kathy Eddy, the Chairman of the AICPA Awards Committee, had these things to say on Kess’ behalf.
“Today I have the great honor to present the Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Service. This award is given to a CPA whose influence on the profession, as a whole, is distinguished when compared with other contemporary leaders. It is the AICPA's highest award recognition to a member. The Award Committee looks at the quality and length of service, motivation, influence and personal attributes when choosing the recipients. Today we are awarding the Gold Medal to someone who clearly meets the criteria and then some…Sidney Kess.
Sid, would you join me on the stage?
This is a man who clearly needs no introduction to 99.99% of us in the room. Sid is considered by most to be the father of continuing professional education, having given a speech many years ago that challenged the profession about the need for continuing professional education. That speech is considered historically to be the genesis of mandatory CPE.
Before the age of electronic research, Sid insisted on traveling with about 10 suitcases full of research guides. He wanted to have the research material available to be able to answer any question asked by a participant. Even with all the materials and tight schedules brought about by back-to-back seminars in different cities, he never missed a scheduled seminar. It has been clear over these many years that Sid was interested in helping tax practitioners help their clients. He was always accessible and offered assistance to his seminar participants, giving out his phone number and making himself available before, during and after the program. Still today he calls and communicates with members and most amazingly when a member he interacted with passes away, he reaches out to their family to offer comfort and support.
Sid is remembered not only for the content of his presentations but also for some eccentric speaking requests.
For instance Bert Trexler, Pennsylvania institute of CPA’s Executive Director, said, "Sid Kess would arrive by train in Philadelphia annually to speak to 700 CPAs for the
Individual Tax Workshop and 400 CPAs for the Corporate Tax Workshop. He wanted hot tea with lemon every hour to protect what Bert termed his "golden voice."
Bert said he couldn't count on the hotel delivering the tea on time so he arranged for Sid to have his own hot plate so he could have his hot tea anytime he needed or wanted it.
Of Sid's draw to seminars, Jim Metzler said that when he was in public practice, five members of his firm would pile in a car in Buffalo, NY and drive to Philadelphia to attend one of Sid's presentations. He called Sid the "rock star of CPE" and his firm's members the "Sid Kess Groupies".
After all of these years Sid is still a front of ideas and passion trying to make a difference in the lives of tax practitioners.
Let me now share with you words of the Citation which will be presented to him:”
Citation for Sidney Kess
Sidney Kess has significantly contributed to the professional competence and growth of the accounting profession through his extensive and distinguished career. His dedication and leadership, shown by his professional achievements and his efforts on behalf of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and state CPA societies, have contributed to the profession's strength today. Sidney has shared his knowledge, skills and abilities through his authoring and lecturing on tax, financial and estate planning.
Sidney's contributions to the AICPA and the state CPA societies are extensive. He has written and conducted hundreds of AICPA tax workshops, audio programs, and video courses. His Individual Income Tax Workshops and Corporate Income Tax Workshops have educated more than 750,000 CPAs and helped them keep current on tax developments. Sidney also edits the AICPA Newsletters, CPA Client Bulletin and CPA Client Tax Letter, and co-authors the AICPA Accountants Business Manual. He has also written hundreds of books, tax services, newsletters and audio programs for CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business.
Sidney is the recipient of the AICPA's "special Recognition Award" for his many years of contributions to the AICPA's continuing professional education program. The AICPA established the Sidney Kess Award for Excellence in Continuing Education to recognize individual CPAs who have made significant and outstanding contributions in tax and financial planning and whose public service exemplified the CPA profession's values and ethics. Sidney was the first recipient of this award. He also received the AICPA’s Distinguished Lecturer Award. For more than 45 years, Sidney has been quoted in national publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He was included in the "100 Most Influential CPAs in the U.S." in Accounting Today and CPA Magazine for several years.
During his professional career, Sid was the National Director of Tax at KPMG Main Hurdman and a tax partner at KPMG Peat Marwick. Previously, he organized the tax training program at Lybrand, Ross Brothers & Montgomery. Sid is of Counsel, Kostelanetz & Fink, LLP, New York. Sidney received his JD from Harvard University School of Law, LLM from New York University Graduate School of Law and a BBA from Baruch College.
In recognition of such a distinguished career, and with great appreciation, the institute presents the Gold Medal for Distinguished Service, its highest award, to Sidney Kess.
Paul V. Stahlin
Chairman of the Board
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