Joel S. Rudich, a former telecommunications executive who was CEO of the Coaxial Communications cable company in Ohio for more than a decade, died on March 5 in Florida at age 85, members of his family said. 

Described as "a cable legend," "a wonderful leader" and a great boss by former colleagues in Facebook remembrances, Rudich joined Coaxial in 1984, leaving Warner-Amex where he was a vice president. He was president and CEO of the company until Coaxial was sold to Adelphia and Insight Communications in the late 1990s, according to a career summary he prepared that was provided by his daughter, Debra Smul. He was a lifetime member of the Ohio Cable Telecommunications Association and was a key contact legislative person for the trade association NCTA in lobbying efforts with Congress. He also served on the board of the Cable Advertising Bureau; on TeleSynergy, a consortium of 12 cable companies, and for Video JukeBox Network. He maintained friendships with many people he made in the cable business, including Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Smul said.

In 2001 he joined Global Translation Inc. as a co-founder of TranslateTV, which used proprietary software to convert closed captions in programming from English into Spanish in real time.  

After assisting the Florida Homeowners Associations in two communities that he lived in, Rudich was contacted by several other communities which retained him to assist them in their cable TV contract negations, he noted in the career summary that he prepared. 

Born in The Bronx, New York, on November 13, 1936, he obtained a bachelor's degree from New York University and a master's degree from Stevens Institute of Technology and completed the two-year Executive Development Program at The Ohio State University.

His volunteer work included: Board of Director’s & Trustee, Children’s Hospital; Board of Directors, United Methodist Children’s Home, Columbus, Ohio; Board of Director’s Palm Beach County Sports Commission; Board of Directors, Lou Groza College Place Kicker Committee; math and reading tutor for underprivileged children, Palm Beach County Schools.

A huge sports fan who adopted the teams of Ohio, including the Indians and Buckeyes, Rudich's heart always remained in the Bronx, at Yankee Stadium. He loved attending several Summer and Winter Olympic Games, Super Bowls, NBA All-Star Games and the World Series, family members said. He was also a varsity basketball official for decades and a member of IABO (International Association of Approved Basketball Officials), licensed in New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Florida.

He was predeceased by his sister, Claire. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis Rudich; his three daughters, Lauren (Steve), Debra (Peter) and Karen (Erik); eight adored grandchildren and three great grandchildren. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Spectrum 360, 414 Eagle Rock Ave, Suite 200B Attn: Development Dept., West Orange, NJ 07052 or The Friendship Circle at FCNJ.com/Donate.  ■

Former Insight Communications senior vice president of brand strategy and research Pam Euler Halling died Feb. 12 after a brief battle with cancer. She was 72 years old.

Euler Halling was a long-time cable executive, starting out in the industry with Continental Cablevision in her native Ohio, and later as a division marketing manager for Cox Communications in San Diego. After a stint as affiliate marketing manager for Cablevision System’s Rainbow Programming Services in Long Island and later as director of consumer marketing for The Disney Channel in California, Euler Halling was lured back to the East Coast by Insight co-founder and CEO Michael Willner in 1988. She served several roles at the mid-sized cable operator over the next 24 years, retiring in 2012 when Insight was purchased by Time Warner Cable. 

Along the way Euler Halling served with several industry groups, including CTAM: The Cable Television Association for Marketing, where she was president of the New York chapter from 1997-1998. After Insight was sold, Euler Halling worked in the real estate business for Hudson River Line Realty in Cold Spring, N.Y.

In a Thursday [Feb. 20] post on the Cable Old Timers Facebook site (which at press time had more than 110 responses), Willner called Euler Halling “a shining light of optimism, grace, humor and love. Six weeks ago, she was living her life, going to work, loving her family, worrying about the world, and being a friend. I am having such difficulty getting my head around life without Pam Euler Halling in it. The world lost a beautiful soul last week.”

Former CTAM CEO Char Beales remembered Euler Halling as an inspiration.

“Pam was a positive force in the cable business,” Beales said in an email message. “She was admired and respected by her marketing peers and a longtime CTAM leader. Pam’s deep experience in both cable and content allowed her to empathize and drive to win-win solutions. Pam’s grace and style are legendary. She’ll be missed.”

SVP Industry & Association Affairs Rob Stoddard remembered Euler Halling as a “smart, articulate, and passionate cable advocate.

“An acknowledged and veteran industry leader in cable marketing, she mentored and encouraged many people as they were coming up in the business,” Stoddard continued in an email message. “Pam’s contributions to CTAM and other industry organizations were substantial and meaningful. I’ll always be deeply thankful for her personal and professional commitment to Cable Positive, when we were working so hard to provide support for industry colleagues living with HIV and AIDS and raise awareness about AIDS treatment and prevention. Pam’s modesty, warmth, wisdom, and gentle sense of humor made her a favorite friend and partner of everyone who had the chance to work with her. Her loss in the prime of life is heart-breaking.”

Former Cable Positive CEO Steve Villano said that Euler Halling's presence on the organization's board for several years was a "gift." 

"Pam combined the qualities we all strive to achieve: integrity, humanity, a calm & intelligent approach to problem-solving, and a great respect for everyone with whom she worked," Villano said in an email message. "If I had a particularly thorny issue to grapple with on Cable Positive's diverse board, I would frequently call Pam for her advice, knowing she would listen carefully, without a pre-determined position, and give me an honest, compassionate, and reasonable recommendation. Without fail, she was always a great source of calm, light and humaneness for me, and a role-model for how to live a life of grace under pressure.

"At a time when few people are present in the lives of others, where incivility and nastiness predominates in many areas, and when inhumanity toward others has become public policy, we need more human beings like Pam Halling, not less," he continued. "Her death is painful for me personally, and an enormous loss, not just for everyone who worked with her, but for our wider society, made poorer by the loss of Pam's life, grace and kindness."

Euler Halling leaves behind her husband Arni Halling, daughter Christine, son-in-law, a grandson and several siblings.