IEEE Orlando Section History

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Section History

The beginnings of the Orlando section date back over fifty years. An IRE section was chartered in late spring, 1959, and an AIEE section chartered on Sept. 26, 1960. Records of the initial chairman of the IRE have eluded the editor, as have the names of the AIEE chairman for 1962-63, but for those of you who may be able to fill the missing names, the list on page 5 identifies most of the chairs and award recipients through the years.

The drive for forming the AIEE section was led by R.R. Rowell, Jim Layne, J.O. (Bill) Lucius and A.J. Faron. From its inception, the section included two technical groups. The Power group was led by J.L. Munroe, Vic Gardner, A.J. Faron, K. Canell and Bill Lucius; the Communications group was led by W.E. Hahn, Bill Jamieson and M.C. Loper. There were also a Missile Elecrical Systems-East Coast Group and a Missile Electronics Systems-Central Group, but we have no record of their activities.

In 1963, IRE and AIEE were merged nationally. At the section level, E.O. Houseman, John Tracy and Jim Walter from IRE and Jim Layne, Bob Rowell and Bill Jamieson from AIEE had a series of meetings to form a joint section, the Orlando Section of the IEEE. Just as there was at the national level, the local groups were each unsure whether merger was in the best interest of their membership. However, since the merger, the Orlando section has progressed to the point that much of the Florida Council looks to our section for its leadership and for ideas on maintaining a healthy and active section.

Archival Documents

IEEE Geographic Unit Organizing Document - Orlando

Orlando Section Notes, Volume XX, Number 2, October 1984, Centennial Special Edition