Howard Trienens, 97, a longtime communications attorney, died July 26 of natural causes, said Sidley Austin, where he worked for decades. Trienens first joined the firm in 1949 as an associate, becoming a partner in 1956 after a stint as law clerk to then-U.S. Chief Justice Fred Vinson. Trienens was AT&T general counsel 1980-86 while working at Sidley and helped to resolve antitrust litigation involving the company. The lawyer was chair of the firm’s executive committee 1977-1993 and remained a partner until his death. He's survived by son Kip, daughter Nan Kaehler, nine grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. Information on funeral and other arrangements wasn't available.

Cliff Harrington, 73, longtime communications attorney, died July 2 at his home in Driftwood, Texas, after having pancreatic cancer. He was an FCC attorney-adviser 1972 until 1975, when he was hired by Fisher Wayland, now the Pillsbury law firm. Harrington led the Communications practice and retired from Pillsbury a few years ago as partner. He represented TV producer Norman Lear, Rev. Pat Robertson and broadcast networks, among others, said Pillsbury's Glenn Richards. Visitation was set for Saturday at 1 p.m. at Delhomme Funeral Home,1011 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette, Louisiana. Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth, two children and one grandson.

Sherwin Siy, 40, a communications lawyer with expertise in intellectual property and privacy issues, died Wednesday of natural causes. Siy was lead public policy manager at the Wikimedia Foundation and inspired others in his legal work. He previously worked at the FCC and Public Knowledge, where he was for about nine years and was promoted to vice president. A typical reaction came from Electronic Frontier Foundation Senior Legislative Counsel Ernesto Falcon: "I am a lawyer today because of how much my friend's legal mind inspired me." There may be a celebration in his honor in Washington, according to his surviving sibling, Angelique Geehan. Siy is also survived by his parents. His mother requests that those wishing to make a charitable contribution in honor of Siy go to sherwinmemorial.rsvpify.com for forthcoming details and email FriendsofSherwin@gmail.com with questions. For details on any service, contact Public Knowledge, PK said. [Editor's note: This obituary has been updated to reflect new information on charitable giving and that Siy may not have died in Washington.]

George Beasley, 89 and Beasley Media founder and executive chairman, died Wednesday in Naples, Florida, said the radio group. “George’s unconditional love for our mother, Ann and our family, along with his passion for the radio industry, helped to guide him throughout his lifetime,” said his daughter, CEO Caroline Beasley. Beasley worked as a high school principal and coach in North Carolina before building his first station there in 1961, WPYB (AM) Benson. In 2016, he stepped down as CEO of the company, which has 62 stations in 15 markets. He was recognized as a “Giant” by the Library of American Broadcasting in 2012, received the NAB’s National Radio Award in 2015, and was inducted into broadcasting halls of fame by state broadcasting associations. “George was a pioneer in broadcasting,” said NAB CEO Gordon Smith. Beasley is survived by five children, 16 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, plus his wife. A memorial service will be for family and friends in Naples with private burial service for the family in Ararat, Virginia. Donations can go to The Broadcasters Foundation of America, here.

Kurt Wimmer, 62, Covington & Burling partner and co-chairman of its Data Privacy and Cybersecurity practice, died Sunday of cancer. A graduate of the University of Missouri and Syracuse University, he earned his law degree from Syracuse in 1985 and joined Covington in 1991. He managed the London office 2000-03. He was Gannett general counsel 2006-09. Covington Chairman Doug Gibson said Wimmer “was an international leader in privacy, cybersecurity, technology, and media law, among many other accomplishments during a career at Covington that spanned more than three decades. He was a tireless pro bono advocate as well." Retired Covington partner Jon Blake said Wimmer was "really, really into journalism," with great-grandparents whose printing press in Germany was destroyed by the Nazi regime. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Wimmer advised Eastern European nations about laws protecting press freedoms, Blake said. Wimmer was on the Media Institute board for 17 years, until last year. It said he also wrote numerous book chapters, issue papers and court briefs for the institute. Wimmer is survived by his wife, Stephanie, and three adult children.

Broadcasting engineer Louis Robert "Bob" duTreil Sr. died March 19 at Tidewell Hospice in Sarasota, Florida, at age 88. DuTreil followed his father into radio engineering and partnered with him at L.J.N. duTreil & Associates in 1967. He started his own firm duTreil-Rackley in 1983, which operates today as duTreil, Lundin & Rackley under leadership including duTreil’s son Bob duTreil Jr. DuTreil Sr. retired in 2006. He was a senior IEEE member and former president of the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers, and he received NAB’s Engineering Achievement Award in 2011. Survivors include his wife Barbara and children Bob Jr., Marguerite and Michael. Donations may be made to Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation in support of the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute or to Tidewell.

Richard Bates, 70, who headed government relations for Disney, died Thursday at his home in the Washington, D.C., area. He joined the company some three decades ago and had helped run its Washington operations as a senior vice president. He also served on the board of the Media Institute, 2010-18. That group and many others issued statements following his death, including NCTA and RIAA. MPA CEO Charles Rivkin said Bates “was a fierce advocate for the creative industries“ and for Disney. Bates worked well with lawmakers of both parties, said NAB CEO Gordon Smith. Industry officials said Bates died suddenly and unexpectedly. Bates is survived by his wife and two sons.

David Fiske, 80, a former longtime FCC public relations head, among other PR roles in Washington, died Tuesday. He had cancer and was in hospice care at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. He was surrounded by his family when he died, according to his son Alexander. Though a lawyer by training, Fiske spent most of his decades-long career working in PR in the capital city. He was one of the first Federal Election Commission staffers and also had stints at CBS, as a staffer for then-Sen. Richard Schweiker, R-Pa., and, for a time, at Communications Daily. He began at the agency in 1995, where he worked under FCC chairmen of both political parties and, for much of his time there, headed its Office of Media Relations until retiring in 2011. In retirement, he did freelance writing and editing. Fiske is survived by his wife, Mary Ann, a brother, two sons and a granddaughter. Contributions in his honor can be made to the Food Bank of Delaware. There may be a service in the spring.

Daniel Murray, 82, former vice president-legislative affairs for BellSouth, died Friday at home in Arlington, Virginia. Before joining BellSouth, he ran the GTE Sprint government affairs office in Washington. A graduate of Fordham Law School, he spent his early career in the Senate Office of the Legislative Counsel. He is survived by his wife, four sons and daughter. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Longtime FCC Administrative Law Judge Richard Sippel died Sept. 8 at age 82 at his Kensington, Maryland, home, confirmed his daughter Serra Thursday. She said the cause was complications from a fall. Sippel was the FCC’s chief ALJ for 32 years until his retirement in 2018. Before joining the FCC, Sippel was an ALJ for the Department of Labor and an attorney at the FTC. He also worked as a private attorney and at the SEC. Originally from Jersey City, New Jersey, Sippel moved to the Washington, D.C., area in 1967. He's survived by his wife and three daughters.