Former ESA president Cecil Hogan dies at 73

DALLAS—Cecil Hogan, founder and president of Security Consultants, Inc. in Memphis, Tenn., and president of the Electronic Security Association (ESA) from 2002-2004, passed away on April 24, 2021. He was 73.

Hogan served 13 years on the ESA Executive Committee, and in 2004, he was awarded the industry’s most prestigious award, the ESA Morris F. Weinstock Award, which recognized his lifetime of service to the electronic security and life safety industry.

During his ESA presidency, Hogan, with the help of then-Security Industry Association (SIA) President Allen Fritz and then-Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) President Mel Mahler, worked to re-establish a relationship between the three associations. Because of these efforts, ESA, SIA, and CSAA [renamed The Monitoring Association (TMA) since 2017] enjoy an affiliation that is beneficial not only to all three organizations, but the industry at large.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Cecil,” said Merlin Guilbeau, executive director and CEO, ESA. “As a businessman, owning and operating a security company for almost 40 years, he leaves a legacy of kindness and generosity that the industry will greatly miss — but should also learn from and emulate.”

Past ESA President and owner of Knox Integrated Systems, John Knox, remembered meeting Cecil for the first time at an industry trade show in Atlanta in the late 1980s.

“I can say if you ever had a chance to speak with Cecil, it is highly unlikely you would forget him,” he recalled. “He was one of the first people to encourage me to get involved in the Tennessee Alarm Association at a time when I did not understand the value.”

For more than 25 years, Knox witnessed Hogan donate countless hours to the security industry.

“At times, I know he spent more time working with ESA and TNESA [Tennessee Electronic Security Association] than he did his own company,” Knox said. “He donated his time unselfishly and never expected anything in return. Our industry has lost a great husband, father, mentor and friend.”

Past ESA President Dom D’Ascoli also recalled the long hours Hogan dedicated to the association and industry.

“The untold hours he poured into the association and his expertise in guiding major decisions that have impacted the security industry have helped everyone in business today,” D’Ascoli noted.