IEEE Honorary Membership History
From ETHW
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
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.
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.” |
