IEEE Honorary Membership History

Originating in the AIEE, the grade of Honorary Member is a significant honor bestowed by IEEE and is awarded for life to an individual. It was established through the Bylaws of the IEEE, with the following description: Honorary Members are elected by the Board of Directors 'from among those who have rendered meritorious service to humanity in the IEEE's designated fields of interest and who are not members of the IEEE'.

Recipient selection is administered by the IEEE Honorary Membership Committee through the IEEE Awards Board.

AIEE Honorary Members

Lord Kelvin

The AIEE established Honorary Membership at its founding in 1884, and first awarded the grade to Sir William Preece that same year. While the AIEE did not initially define the the qualifications for Honorary Membership, the grade was clearly reserved for those with truly great accomplishments. In its first ten years, the honor went to such men as Cyrus Field , William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), and Hermann von Helmholz. In 1901, the Institute stipulated in its constitution that Honorary Members were to be chosen "from among those who have rendered acknowledged eminent service to electrical engineering or its allied sciences." In 1957, AIEE broadened the definition by making eligible those who had "rendered meritorious service to mankind in engineering or other allied fields." During the seventy-nine years that the AIEE existed as an independent organization, it elected a total of 49 men as Honorary Members, the last two being Philip Sporn and Allen B. DuMont in 1961.

The first constitution of the Institute of Radio Engineers provided that persons who had "rendered acknowledged eminent service to the art or science of radio transmission" could be elected Honorary Members. The IRE never awarded the grade, however, and all reference to Honorary Members was dropped from its constitution in 1931.

When the AIEE and IRE merged in 1963, provision for Honorary Members was made in the bylaws of the new Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, but no new Honorary Members were elected until 1981. In that year, the requirements were changed so that only non-IEEE members were elegible.

Year	Recipient
1884	Sir William H. Preece
1889	Dr. Norvin Green
1890	Moses G. Farmer
1892	Cyrus W. Field
1892	Lord Kelvin (William Thomson)
1892	Werner von Siemens
1894	Herman Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz
1912	Andre Blondel
1912	Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown
1912	Emil A. Budde
1912	Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti
1912	Antonio Pacinotti
1914	Silvanus P. Thompson
1917	Guglielmo Marconi
1918	Oliver Heaviside
1921	Ferdinand Foch
1928	John J. Carty
1928	Thomas A. Edison
1928	Michael I. Pupin
1928	Ambrose Swasey
1928	Elihu Thomson
1929	Charles F. Brush
1929	Herbert Hoover
1929	Charles F. Scott
1929	Motoji Shibusawa
1932	Frank J. Sprague
1933	William LeRoy Emmet
1933	George A. Hamilton
1933	Arthur E. Kennelly
1933	Robert Andrews Millikan
1933	Edward Weston
1933	Edwin Wilbur Rice, Jr.
1937	Bion Joseph Arnold
1937	Alex Dow
1938	Cummings C. Chesney
1944	Dugald C. Jackson
1945	Gano Dunn
1945	Frank Baldwin Jewett
1945	Charles Edward Skinner
1949	Vannevar Bush
1953	Edwin Howard Armstrong
1954	Royal Wasson Sorensen
1955	James F. Fairman
1956	Donald Aubrey Quarles
1958	Luigi Emanueli
1959	Elgin Barnett Robertson
1961	Allen B. DuMont
1961	Philip Sporn

List of IEEE Honorary Members

Year	Recipient	Affiliation	Achievement
1981	Edwin H. Land	Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, MA	"For his pioneering work in science and technology of photography and light."
1981	John Bardeen	University of Illinois, Urbana, IL	"For significant contributions to solid state physics leading to the invention of the TRANSISTOR and to the theoretical understanding of superconductivity."
1981	Walter H. Brattain	Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ	"For significant contributions to fundamental semiconductor physics leading to the invention of the TRANSISTOR."
1982	Brian D. Josephson	Univ. of Cambridge, Cambridge, England	"For his prediction (discovery) of pair tunneling between superconductors which constitutes the basis of a Josephson junction technology for high speed and low power computing elements and memories."
1982	Donald E. Knuth	Stanford University, Stanford, CA	"For his contributions to the field of computer science, through research and education."
1982	Wolfgang K. H. Panofsky	Stanford Linear Accel. Ctr., Stanford, CA	"For extensive pioneering contributions to the development of linear particle accelerators, advancement of high power microwave technology, and high energy particle physics."
1983	Cecil H. Green	Texas Instruments, Dallas, TX	"For creative philanthropy fostering collaboration of educational institutions and industry in the advancement of electrical sciences."
1984	M. G. K. Menon	Government of India, New Delhi, India	"For contributions to the planning and growth of science and technology, particularly electronics, and its application to development; promotion of international scientific cooperation; and experimental research in particle physics and cosmic rays."
1985	Hideo Yamashita	University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan	"For contributions to research in computers, for fostering international cooperation in the science and technology of information processing, and for leadership in electrical engineering education."
1986	Arthur E. Bryson, Jr.	Stanford University, Stanford, CA	"For contributions to education and for research in the theory and implementation of optimal control techniques."
1987	Arno A. Penzias	AT&T Bell Labs., Murray Hill, NJ	"For leadership in the research activities of AT&T Bell Laboratories, and for outstanding contributions to radio communications and radio astronomy."
1987	Gene H. Golub	Stanford University, Stanford, CA	"For improvements in signal processing, modeling, control, and other areas through numerical methods for least-squares estimation and matrix singular value decomposition."
1988	Luis W. Alvarez	University of California, Berkeley, CA	"For the invention and development of the first successful aircraft landing system using ground control radar and the first proton linear accelerator; for numerous discoveries in the field of particle and resonance physics; and for pioneering work on the extraterrestrial impact theory."
1989	no award	no award	no award
1990	no award	no award	no award
1991	Akio Morita	SONY Corp., Tokyo, Japan	"For his distinguished leadership of Sony Corporation and the integration of emerging technologies into consumer electronics products."
1992	Mark Krivocheev	State Radio Res. Inst., Moscow, Russian Federation	"For technical contributions to television and leadership in developing international standardization."
1993	Robert W. Galvin	Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, IL	"For distinguished leadership of Motorola, Inc., and for his many beneficial contributions to quality processes, competitiveness, and public policy."
1994	Michel A. G. Carpentier	Information Market and Exploitation Research, Commission of European Communities, Brussels, Belgium	"For leadership in pioneering the R&D and policy initiatives at the European Community level in the areas of environment and information and communication technologies."
1994	Ralph E. Gomory	(retired - IBM, NY), Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, New York, NY	"For his outstanding leadership of the research activities of IBM, and the resulting technological benefits to IBM and the computer and semiconductor industries."
1995	Lars H. Ramqvist	LM Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden	"For distinguished and far-sighted leadership of the Ericsson Group in a period of rapid technology change and market development."
1996	Leon M. Lederman	Director Emeritus, Fermilab, Batavia, IL	"For his leadership in research and science education and his advocacy of the importance of science education to the intellectual and economic health of society."
1996	Hiroyuki Mizuno	Matsushita Electric Industrial Company, Osaka, JAPAN	"For technical leadership in semiconductor research, manufacturing and its application in consumer electronics and for promoting international technical cooperation."
1997	Pekka J. Tarjanne	Secretary-General, International Telecommnucation Union, Geneva, Switzerland	"For outstanding leadership and contributions to the implementation of new working methods and structures for the International Telecommunications Union."
1998	Pavaguda Venkata Indiresan	President, Indian National Academy of Engineering, New Delhi, India	"For contributions to the growth of electrical engineering in India through his leadership in education, applied research and professional engineering institutions"
1998	Sheila E. Widnall	Secretary, United States Air Force, Washington, DC	"For outstanding leadership to United States Air Force science and technology"
1999	no award	no award	no award
2000	Norio Ohga	Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan	“For visionary leadership in the development of the MiniDisc.”
2001	Charles M. Geschke	Co-Chairman, Adobe Systems, San Jose, CA	"For many years of inspiring visionary leadership in the software industry related to digital publishing for the World Wide Web, print and dynamic media."
2002	James C. Morgan	Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA	"For his contributions of 25 years to the semiconductor industry and vision in building Applied Materials into a technology pioneer enabling the global information infrastructure."
2003	Tadashi Sasaki	President & CEO, Internat’l Center for Materials Research, Japan	“For leadership of the commercialization of Liquid Crystal Displays and development of the pocket calculator.”
2003	Jorma Ollila	Chairman & CEO, Nokia Corporation, Finland	"For contributions to launching mobile communications, a major global industry that has fundamentally changed the way people communicate."
2004	no award	no award	no award
2005	Dean Kamen	President, DEKA R&D Corporation, Chairman Segway LLC, Founder FIRST, Manchester, NH	"For innovating numerous medical devices, thereby improving the quality of life for many, and for inspiring youth to heightened interest in engineering through imaginative competitions."
2006	Vladimir Rokhlin	Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics, Yale University, New Haven, CT	"For the development of the Fast Multipole Method.”
2007	Ian C. McRae	Eskom (RETIRED), Germiston, South Africa	“For contributions to electrification and development of the electrical grid in Southern Africa.”
2007	Tsutae Shinoda	Fellow, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., Akashi, Japan	“For outstanding innovative and pioneering contributions to commercializing large area color plasma displays.”
2008	Jong Yong Yun	Vice Chairman and CEO, Samsung Electronics, Co., Ltd., Seoul, Korea	"For exceptional achievements in pioneering technology-driven innovation within the electronics industry, advancing engineering education, and encouraging a multidisciplinary engineering community."
2009	Gerald Posakony	Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA	“For pioneering contributions in ultrasonic techniques for medical diagnosis and nondestructive evaluation.”
2010	N.R. Narayana Murthy	Chairman and Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies, Ltd., Bangalore, India	“For founding and leading the extraordinary growth of Infosys Ltd., notable for its ethical stance, and for supporting empowerment of members of disadvantaged rural communities.”
2011	Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam	Former (2002-07) President of the Republic of India, New Delhi, India	“For outstanding contributions toward transforming society through technology and for inspiring millions of school children to harness science and technology for human welfare and national development.”
2011	Wang Jianzhou	Chairman and CEO, China Mobile Limited, Beijing, China	“For greatly enhancing the quality of life of large populations in rural areas through visionary leadership in the deployment of affordable mobile telecommunications.”
2012	Yoshio Utsumi	President, Japan Telecommunications Engineering and Consulting Service (JTEC) and Advisor, Toyota InfoTechnology Center Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan	"For leadership in policy and initiatives leading to the growth of information and communication technologies.”
2013	No Award	No award	no award
2014	Shirley M. Tilghman	President Emerita and Professor of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA	“For leadership in bridging quantitative biology and engineering and for advancing higher education.”
2015	Elon Musk	CEO, Chairman, Co-Founder, Tesla Motors, Palo Alto, California, USA	"For leadership in and innovative contributions to space-exploration technology, combatting global warming and promoting science education, pediatric health, and clean energy.”
2016	Serge Haroche	Professor, Collège de France, Paris, France	“For the development of cavity quantum electrodynamics, leading to fundamental quantum physics studies and to a wide range of applications.”
2016	Rodolfo Stefano Zich	President, Torino Wireless Foundation, Torino, Italy	“For leadership in the global integration of electrical and electronics engineering education and research.”
2017	Sir James Dyson	Founder and Chief Engineer, Dyson Company, Wiltshire, United Kingdom	“For achievements in industrial design, entrepreneurship, and manufacturing technology, and for services to the engineering profession.”
2018	Mihal (Mike) Lazaridis	Quantum Valley Investments, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada	"For revolutionary contributions to wireless communication and visionary leadership in fostering the advancement of fundamental physics toward future innovation."
2018	Anton Zeilinger	President, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria	"For pioneering conceptual and experimental contributions to the development of quantum communications and encryption."
2019	Telle Whitney	President and CEO Emeritus, Anita Borg Foundation, Palo Alto, California, USA	“For leadership in supporting and promoting women in technology, and for building a highly impactful global organization dedicated to this purpose.”
2020	Borys Paton	President, Academician of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine, (NASU), Director of Institute of E.O. Paton Electric Welding of NASU, Kyiv, Ukraine	“For lifetime achievements within IEEE technical fields of interest in the development of processes of electrometallurgy, materials science, electric welding of metals, and biological tissues.”
2021	Edward C. Stone	Professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology	“For decades of exceptional scientific and engineering achievements that have profoundly impacted the world’s progress in space exploration.”
2022	Calyampudi Radhakrishna (C.R.) Rao	Professor Emeritus, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA and Research Professor, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA	“For contributions to fundamental statistical theories and their applications to engineering and science, particularly in signal processing and communications.”
2023	Donna Strickland	Professor, University of Waterloo, Physics Department, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada	For contributions to the demonstration of chirped pulse amplification, a method to increase output power in ultrashort pulse solid-state lasers
2024	Sung Wook Park	Former Co-Vice Chairman, SK Hynix Inc	“For contributions to expand the influence of technology and to improve the ecosystem of the global semiconductor industry.”