Today in Lighting — Monday, August 24, 2026
Sponsored by ArchLIGHT Summit and DALI Alliance — Where lighting leaders gather this September.

I hope you had a great weekend. Here are the stories making news.

Immediately following IES26 in Denver, I drove to Boulder for a very special event — the 80th birthday celebration of one of the true legends of our industry, David DiLaura. The celebration was held at the Koelbel Alumni Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, where David spent decades teaching and influencing the next generation of lighting professionals. And it wasn’t simply a birthday party. It was really a celebration of a remarkable career and, more importantly, a remarkable person.

Many of the biggest names in lighting were there — about 92 of them. Throughout the evening we heard stories about David as an educator, researcher, author, mentor, and friend. There was plenty of humor, but there was also genuine emotion as people talked about the impact David had on their careers and their lives. What struck me most that evening wasn’t the list of accomplishments — it was the affection in the room. You could see just how many people David had influenced and how deeply they cared about him. David also talked about the importance of failure, and I found that extraordinary.

Happy 80th birthday, David DiLaura. The lighting community is better because of you.

On Friday the Dow was up 518 points, NASDAQ gained 113. Thinly traded Energy Focus was up 7%.