Encomium - K. Anthony Hoover, FASA, INCE Bd. Cert.
2019 Recipient of the Laymon N. Miller Award for Excellence in Acoustical Consulting
We celebrate the presentation of the Laymon N. Miller Award for Excellence in Acoustical Consulting to
our good friend and colleague, K. Anthony Hoover.
Tony Hoover’s record of accomplishment is outstanding, and his contributions to the advancement of
acoustical consulting are well known.
He began his consulting career with Cavanaugh Tocci Associates in 1982, and in 2007 joined with Ron
McKay and Dave Conant (and everyone) at McKay Conant Hoover Inc.
Tony continues his outstanding career in architectural acoustics, and building and environmental noise.
In a career of nearly four decades, he has been responsible for the design, testing and implementation
of acoustics and noise control designs in over 2000 projects of almost every conceivable type. He has
contributed much to the quality of acoustical life for many by his long and excellent service as a leader in
acoustical consulting.
Tony has made many key contributions to the advancement of acoustical consulting. A large volume
would be needed to provide a full review of his work. Some highlights which embody the character of
the Laymon N. Miller Award are given here.
Tony began his academic career in American Studies at Notre Dame, but decided that he wanted to
work in the field of acoustics. So he made the difficult transition to science and engineering with his
graduate work in acoustics at Penn State. This launched decades of exemplary consulting work. Tony
enhanced his credentials by becoming INCE Board Certified in 1985.
Tony’s contributions to the quality of life are evident in his many successful projects. These include
improving the acoustics in facilities for performing arts, education, healthcare, places of worship,
recording studios, cultural institutions, courthouses and commercial offices, and housing.
He had an important role in developing the classroom acoustics standard, ANSI S12.60, which has
improved the educational opportunities for countless children. He has had a significant influence on the
understanding of the perception of virtual acoustical environments, with his many contributions to
sound system design and his co-sponsorship, with Alex Case, his former Berklee student, of the “Better
than the real thing” series of workshops at Acoustical Society of America (ASA) meetings.
Tony developed and wrote the course Architectural Acoustics (which is sponsored by the ASA) for the
Continuing Education Program of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), encompassing sound
isolation, mechanical system noise control, and absorption/reverberation. He trains the presenters of
the course, who in turn have presented to hundreds of architects over more than a decade. Tony also
authored the textbook An Appreciation of Acoustics. This book was used in a number of college and
university architectural acoustics courses, including Kansas University and Politecnico in Milan, Italy.
Tony has written several handbook chapters, and shared his knowledge in many presentations at ASA
and Audio Engineering Society (AES) meetings.
