By Rita Jamison

Known for his pleasant manner and sense of humor, Frank S. Young, a Los Altos resident for 27 years, received this year’s prestigious Attwood Award from Conseil International des Grands Reseaux Electriques.

The Paris-based International Council on Large Electric Systems gives the award annually to engineers who have made a consistent and significant contribution to electric power over their lifetimes.

Young began his career in 1955 with the Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Pennsylvania.

In 1975 he joined the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto to set up its high voltage research program. Subsequently, he received the Chauncey Award for meritorious service.

When he retired in 1993, he was serving as director of EPRI’s Electric Systems Division and senior vice president at Enertech Consultants, a software developer and instrument manufacturer in Campbell.

Young, who holds degrees from Stanford University and the University of Pittsburgh, has authored 30 technical papers and articles.

He was active in industry technical issues for most of his 45-year professional career.

He served as liaison for the North American Electric Reliability Council and the U.S. Department of Energy.

From 1974 to 1980, he was part of the Nixon administration’s joint U.S.-U.S.S.R. Commission on High Voltage Transmission Technology.

Young did not attend the Jan. 28 awards ceremony in New York; he and his wife, Bobbie, were in the Philippines serving an 18-month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“Missionary work is a high-priority job and takes precedence over other activities,” Young said.

The couple are no strangers to overseas service.

In 1995 Brigham Young University selected them to participate in a program to send teachers with professional expertise to China.

While in China, Young taught electric power engineering at the Northeast China Institute of Electric Power Engineering, in Jilin City.