IEEE Region 1 (Northeastern U.S.) History

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IEEE Region 1 (Northeastern U.S.) History
Display name Region 1
Region number 1
Geographic regions Northeastern U.S.
Home page https://ieeer1.org/
List of Councils in this Region
  1. IEEE Metro Sec. Act. Council History
List of Sections in this Region
  1. IEEE Berkshire Section History
  2. IEEE Binghamton Section History
  3. IEEE Boston Section History
  4. IEEE Buffalo Section History
  5. IEEE Connecticut Section History
  6. IEEE Green Mountain Section History
  7. IEEE Ithaca Section History
  8. IEEE Long Island Section History
  9. IEEE Maine Section History
  10. IEEE Mid-Hudson Section History
  11. IEEE Mohawk Valley Section History
  12. IEEE New Hampshire Section History
  13. IEEE New Jersey Coast Section History
  14. IEEE New York Section History
  15. IEEE North Jersey Section History
  16. IEEE Princeton/Central New Jersey Section History
  17. IEEE Providence Section History
  18. IEEE Rochester Section History
  19. IEEE Schenectady Section History
  20. IEEE Springfield Section History
  21. IEEE Syracuse Section History
  22. IEEE Worcester County Section History
List of Subsections in this Region
  1. IEEE Tappan Zee Subsection History
  2. IEEE Northshore Subsection History

Preface

The initial version of this page was based on a report prepared by the Region 1 History Committee as part of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 125th year anniversary. This document is intended to be a living history of Region 1 and officers and members of the twenty-two Region 1 Sections are urged to provide data updates. Data desired includes special past Section activities, special history milestones that have not been reported to the IEEE History Center and activities by members who have made significant contributions to Region 1, and IEEE.

The Region 1 History Committee wishes to acknowledge the significant support received in the collection of Region 1 history data. History collection was started by the first Historian of Region 1, Rudy Stiefel, of the New York Section during his tenure of 1988-1989. He was followed by Frank Logan, also from the New York Section in 1990-1991. The third Historian was Roderic Lowman, from the Long Island Section who served from 1992-2000. The Historian during the 125th anniversary project, who served from 2001, was Richard Ackley of the Mohawk Valley Section. All of the Historians have collected data from the IEEE History Center, at Rutgers University; from the Regional Activities Board (RAB) at Piscataway; and from the Region and Sections. Roger Sullivan, the Director of Region 1 in 2004-2005, requested that the Historian start a Region 1 History document. At his request visits were made for the collection of data at both the History Center and RAB, which is part of this report. Again our special acknowledgement to the History Center and RAB. We wish to thank Dr. Howard Michel, 2008-2009 Region 1 Director for his support in the generation of this report.

Origin of the Districts in the AIEE

A description of the Vice-presidental election issues raised by Whitehead, which led to the forming of the AIEE districts. From AIEE Board of Director minutes, April 9th, 1920
Initial map of AIEE districts, from November 12th 1920 Bylaws

For a general history of the AIEE, see: AIEE History 1884-1963

The AIEE was founded in New York City, and as the Institute progressed outwards geographically, it started to form sections, the first of which was the Chicago section, formed in 1893. While the modern IEEE Regions are very closely affiliated and linked with their sections, the establishment of geographical districts within the AIEE arose not from a need to manage or coordinate with the sections themselves, but rather, from a need for election reform. During the 1920 election, John B. Whitehead had found himself on the official ballot for vice-president without his knowledge. A number of nomination ballots had been cast for him without his consent, which caused him to write to the secretary of the Institute, asking to investigate the matter and make improvements to the election procedure where appropriate. The board took up this matter on April 9th, appointing a committee of three to make recommendations.

The committee decided to increase the number of Vice-presidents from six to ten, and divide the membership into ten geographical districts, each of which would be represented by a Vice-president. These recommendations from the committee manifested in the Constitutional amendment approved on May 21st, 1920, in which the following provision was added:

24A. At the election of Vice-Presidents held in 1921 there shall be elected one Vice-President from each geographical district, those from the odd-numbered districts to serve for one year each, and those from the even-numbered districts two years each. All Vice-Presidents elected thereafter shall serve for two years each. In the event of a change in the geographical districts, the Vice-Presidents then in office shall complete their terms. In case of revisions of the geographical districts, the Board of Directors shall have the power to elect a Vice-President from each district not represented, to serve until the next election covering these districts.

The initial AIEE Geographical Districts were approved with the revision of November 12th, 1920 version of the By-laws. Aside from New York City and the immediately surrounding metropolitan area, these Districts were broken down by state, not AIEE geographical section.

The initial AIEE District composition was as follows:

  1. North Eastern:
    • Connecticut (exclusive of NY Section Territory)
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • New York (exclusive of NY Section Territory)
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
  2. Middle Eastern:
    • Delaware
    • District of Columbia
    • Maryland
    • New Jersey (exclusive of NY Section Territory)
    • Ohio
    • Pennsylvania
    • West Virginia
  3. New York City:
    • Territory of the New York Section
    • Canal Zone
    • Puerto Rico
    • All foreign countries (Canada excepted)
  4. Southern:
    • Alabama
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Kentucky
    • Louisiana
    • Mississippi
    • North Carolina
    • South Carolina
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
  5. Great Lakes:
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Michigan
    • Wisconsin
  6. North Central:
    • Colorado
    • Iowa
    • Minnesota
    • Nebraska
    • North Dakota
    • South Dakota
    • Wyoming
  7. South West:
    • Arkansas
    • Kansas
    • Missouri
    • New Mexico
    • Oklahoma
    • Texas
  8. Pacific:
    • Arizona
    • California
    • Nevada
    • Hawaii
    • Philippines
  9. North West:
    • Idaho
    • Montana
    • Oregon
    • Utah
    • Washington
    • Alaska
  10. Canada

Origin of the Regions in the IRE

IRE Regions, pre-merger

For a general history of the IRE, see: IRE History 1912-1963

Unlike the AIEE, the IRE regional structure was much more closely linked its geographical sections. The eight initial regions established by the September 10th, 1947 revision to the Bylaws were as follows:

  1. North Atlantic
  2. North Central Atlantic
  3. Central Atlantic
  4. East Central
  5. Central
  6. Southern
  7. Pacific
  8. Canadian

Several provisions in the bylaws directly linked the regions to sections, including provisions that state "regions which fail to maintain reasonable activity may, at the discretion of the Board of Directors, be dissolved and the Sections may be absorbed into other Regions", (Section 58) "Each member of the Regional Committee shall be, ex-officio, a member of the Executive Commitee of his own Section", (Section 58) and "Pending installation of the first Regional Director of each Region, the chairman of the largest Section numerically in the Region shall act as chairman pro tem, and the chairman pro tem shall appoint a secretary-treasurer pro tem who shall act until the secretary-treasurer of the Regional Committee is appointed." (Section 59)

IEEE Region 1 is Formed

AIEE Districts, pre-merger
Proposed regional structure post-merger which was adopted by the IEEE

For a general overview of the merger, see: Formation of IEEE by the Merger of AIEE and IRE

District and regional re-alignment was one of the major questions considered by the lengthy merger effort. By 1962, AIEE Districts had grown to fifteen in number and had become more closely linked with the operations of sections, while the IRE regions had remained constant at eight - seven in the United States and one for Canada.

The proposed regional re-alignment for the merged IEEE was largely based on the IRE regional structure, condensing the seven United States regions into six, and Region 1 of the IEEE was to be formed out of a consolidation of Regions 1 and 2 of the IRE, encompassing all of New England, New York State, the northern half of New Jersey, and a small part of Pennsylvania that is part of the Binghamton section.

The first IEEE Region 1 director was Lynn C. Holmes, who served in the position from 1963-1965. Holmes was a Fellow of both the AIEE (1951) and the IRE (1949). In the AIEE, he served as the AIEE District 1 Chair (Empire District) from 1958 to 1960, and served as a Director-at-Large on the AIEE Board of Directors from 1961 until the merger.

Regional boundaries have remained constant since 1963 until a proposed regional re-alignment was approved by the Board of Directors in November 2022, that would merge Region 1 with Region 2, currently scheduled to take place in 2028.

Region 1 Sections

Berkshire

Board of Governors (BOG) Region 1 Meeting and Berkshire Section

Centennial Celebration conducted on 27-29 August 2004.

On 25 March 1904, Pittsfield became the 19th Branch of the AIEE, and the 4th in Region 1. Note that Pittsfield was the AIEE designation, which was changed to Berkshire when IEEE was formed. The AIEE designation was changed from Branch to Section in 1907. The first Chairman of Pittsfield was C.C. Chesney, and the first Secretary was H. H. Barnes. Pittsfield was very active in AIEE, assuming many Institute leadership positions. In 1942-43, K. B. McEachron became Chairman of District 1 of AIEE. Note that the AIEE District was a geographical entity similar to our Regions, and District 1 covered an area similar to Region 1, without the NY metropolitan area. Note also that the District Chairman was also a Vice-President of AIEE. McEachron was followed by another Pittsfield member in 1952-1953, W. Scott Hill.

The only information in the archives regarding Pittsfield and IRE was their name: Western Massachusetts, and their membership date was 1958.

Edward Ptak, Berkshire Historian prepared an excellent history document which covers Section history from 1884-1984, which they called a “ Living History.” The document was appropriately named, since an addendum was issued in 1985, a second addendum in 1989, and a third now in preparation. The history document is provided on the Berkshire section web site. (Under the Berkshire Section at http://www.ieee.org.) Some excerpts from this excellent history follows.

William Stanley joined the Section (AIEE) in 1887, making him one of the first members of AIEE. He started the Stanley Electrical Manufacturing Company in Pittsfield in 1890, which was annexed by General Electric as their Pittsfield works. Stanley was the developer of alternating current, with encouragement from George Westinghouse, which resulted in the electrification of America. Their Section meetings had over 1000 attendees, with speakers that were well known in Science and society. Charles Steinmetz discussed Einstein’s Theory of Relativity; Floyd Bennett discussed The North Pole and back Again; Lowell Thomas discussed his adventures around the world; Amelia Earhart discussed adventures in the air; and Willy Ley discussed conquest of space, to name a few.

Binghamton

Binghamton became a Sub-Section of Ithaca Section of AIEE in 1947, but did not become a Section of the Institute. Binghamton became a Section of IRE on 7 March 1952 which is their IEEE anniversary date. The first IRE officers were: J.H. Merchant, Chairman; and R. F. New, Secretary. A careful check of all available archives and the Binghamton Section Web Site provided no further historical data on Binghamton.

Boston

Region 1 BOG Meeting, and Boston Section Centennial

Celebration Conducted on 7-9 February 2003.

Boston was the 12th Branch in AIEE, and the 3rd in Region 1. This meeting not only Celebrated the centennial but also celebrated the election of Dr. Arthur Winston as IEEE President. Boston was very active in the founding of IRE, and provided three of the first five Presidents; John Greenleaf Pickard, Director of the Wireless Specialty Apparatus Company, in 1913; John Stone Stone, President of Stone Wireless and Telegraph Company, in 1915; and Arthur Kennelly, Professor of Engineering at Harvard and MIT, in 1916. Arthur Kennelly was also President of the AIEE in 1898-1900. There were three other Presidents of AIEE from Boston; Alexander Graham Bell, who taught and did his original telephone work in Boston; Comfort Adams, Professor at Harvard; and Frank Jewett, Professor at MIT. The first officers of IRE were: A. E. Kennelly, Chairman; and Melville Eastham, Secretary. The archives start in 1904, the year after Boston Joined the AIEE, and the officers for 1904 were: R. Fleming, Chairman; and G. H. Stickney, Secretary.

Boston Section has continued its very active support after the formation of IEEE in 1963. Richard Damon was elected IEEE President in 1981, and as previously mentioned Dr. Arthur Winston in 2004. Nine Boston members have been elected Region 1 Directors and Chairman of the Region 1 BOG; Dr. W. Crawford Dunlap, 1966-1967; Dr. Harry Mimno, 1968-1969; Dr. James Storer, 1970-1971, Harold Goldberg, 1972-1973; Dr. James Shepherd, 1978-1979; Dr. Bruce Wedlock, 1982-1983; John Kaczorowski, 1990-1991; Dr. Arthur Winston, 1996-1997; and Dr. Howard Michel, 2008-2009. Boston has conducted twenty-three Regional Meetings for Region 1. From 1980-1988 Dr. Bruce Wedlock conducted the Spring Meetings at the MIT Stratton building, Student Center.

The Boston Section has been continually involved in the development of engineering knowledge, and new electronic inventions and product development. The Section formed the New England Research and Engineering Meeting (NEREM), which they operated until 1976 when NEREM merged with the New York IEEE International Conference (INTERCON) to form the Trade Show ELECTRO. The Boston and NEW York Sections continued to operate ELECTRO shows annually for twenty years until the program ceased to be financially self supporting. Boston area also provided key research and development in Electronics, with MIT, Lincoln Laboratory, and large firms such as Raytheon. There were key activities in Military Electronics.

Buffalo

BOG meeting for 10-12 August 2001.

The Niagara Frontier Section was chartered by the AIEE on 10 February 1925.

Curiously a small area around Niagara Falls was not included, or was later removed and incorporated into the Niagara International Section which was chartered in 1948. Niagara International included Niagara Falls, USA; Niagara Falls, Canada and St. Catherines, Canada. The first Chairman of the Niagara Frontier Section was J. Allen Johnson and the first Secretary was A.W. Underhill Jr. The Section was closely associated with local electrical industries and the Secretaries frequently listed their addresses as: GE, Niagara Electric. Westinghouse, NY Telephone, and Dupont.

The IRE was incorporated in 1927, as the Buffalo-Niagara Section, with L. C. F. Hoyle listed as its first Chair, a position he held for at least three years. Several Section Officers listed their addresses as Colonial Radio Corporation, 1280 Main Street, Buffalo, N.Y. After the merger of the founding Societies to form IEEE in 1963, the name of the Section was changed to Buffalo.

The first Region 1 BOG meeting in the Buffalo Section was held on 27 September 1980, at the Niagara Hilton, Niagara Falls, NY, and the second Buffalo Region 1 BOG meeting was again held at the Niagara Hilton on 19 August 1989.

Connecticut

and Region 1 BOG Meeting conducted on 1 February 2001.

The AIEE Connecticut Section was formed on 16 April 1921. The first officers were: C. F. Scott, chairman; and A.E. Knowlton, Secretary. The IRE Section was formed in 1928 and was named Connecticut Valley. The first officers were: W. G. Cady, Chairman; and George W. Pettingill Jr., Secretary. The Connecticut Valley Section had officers from both the Hartford area and Springfield MA, therefore Springfield Section should perhaps also be listed as an IRE member.

Michael Whitelaw from CT was elected Regional Director in 1986-1987. Due to Mike’s strong encouragement many of us became active in the IEEE. Region 1 BOG Meetings have been held at Windsor Locks, CT on 3 February 1996; 3 February 2001; and February 2007.

Green Mountain

and Region 1 BOG Meeting on 11 August 2007.

The AIEE formed a Student Branch at Norwich University, in Norwich, VT on 28 June 1916. The University was moved from Norwich to Northfield, VT, and there is no indication the Branch continued after 1920. However, in 1994 the IEEE had a Student Branch at Norwich University, which is not mentioned on the Vermont Section WEB Site, unless the college name has been changed. In 1954, a Sub-Section of Pittsfield, MA was formed in Vermont, and in 1960 AIEE formed the Vermont Section.

The first Section Officers were: R. O. King, Chair; and P.M. Seal, Secretary. IRE formed a Sub-Section called Northern Vermont, but the parent Section is not identified. Other BOG meetings were held in September 1986, and February 2000. The name of the Section was changed from Vermont to Green Mountain in 2001.

Ithaca

Region 1 BOG Meeting and Ithaca Section Centennial Celebration conducted on 16-18 August 2002.

Ithaca was the first Section in Region 1 to reach the enviable milestone of being a century section having been made a Cornell University Branch of AIEE on 15 October 1902. Ithaca shares 4th Section honors in AIEE with Lehigh University and The University of Wisconsin that had the same entry date. Cornell University Branch became a Section in 1908 and the name was changed to Ithaca. The archives are not available prior to 1904, therefore officers for 1904 are provided and were: Harris J. Ryan, Chairman; and George S. Macomber, Secretary. Starting in 1938, the archives show Ithaca had 47 members, which increased to 158 in 1949, the last year data was available. In 1947, Binghamton was made a Sub-Section of Ithaca.

Ithaca was also active in IRE, and a Sub-Section of Syracuse was formed in 1953.

They advanced to full IRE membership in 1954. The first officers were: Ben Warriner, Chairman; and R.L. Wooley, Secretary. Since the merger of AIEE and IRE in 1963, Ithaca has not been active in Regional affairs, No data exists in the archives regarding Section activities, and Ithaca does not have a Section site on the IEEE Geographic Activity Web Site.

Long Island

and Region 1 BOG Meetings

The archives show no Long Island association with AIEE. Long Island was far more active in Electronics, having many companies doing Military work as well as home electronics. Long Island therefore formed an IRE Section on 6 May 1953. The first officers were: Vincent Learned, Chair; and J. F. Bisby, Secretary. Eight winter meetings were held on Long Island, most of which were held at or near LaGuardia Field. Dates of these meetings were 1976, 1978,1979, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1997, and 2006. The archives do not indicate whether NY or Long Island sponsored these meetings. Long Island has been very active in The IEEE, having two members elected President; Henry Bachman, in 1987, and Joel Snyder in 2001. Five Region 1 Directors have been elected from Long Island: Arthur Rossoff in 1976-1977; Alex Gruenwald in 1984-1985; Victor Zourides in 1988-1989; Joel Snyder in 1992-1993; and Louis Luceri in 1998-1999. We want to give Peter Eckstein special recognition since he served as Secretary of the BOG for twelve years. Eckstein not only did an excellent job on his Secretary activities but did all the planning for the 24 BOG meetings conducted during his tenure.

Maine

and Region 1 BOG Meeting on 20 August 2005.

The Maine AIEE Section was formed on 30 June 1955, and the first officers were: H. W. Murdock, Chair, and Basil Payne, Secretary. The archives do not show that Maine had any IRE entity. The only archival IEEE activity shown is the Regional Board of Governors Meeting noted above.

Mid-Hudson

Mid-Hudson became a Section of AIEE on 1 June 1960, with the name Hudson Valley.

The first officers were: D. R. Zeissett, Chair; and H. M. Round, Secretary. The archives do  not indicate that Mid-Hudson had any association with the IRE. Mid-Hudson had two IEEE Regional Directors: Hans Cherney, 1980-1981; and Barry Shoop, 2006-2007. Region 1 BOG Meetings were held in Mid-Hudson in 1983, 1992, and 1994. West Point Military Academy, and the IBM Company are very active in the Mid-Hudson region; teaching, inventing and developing electronics.

Mohawk Valley

Mohawk Valley had no direct AIEE involvement, however, in 1950 Syracuse formed a St. Lawrence AIEE Sub-Section which was International because it included Cornwall, Ontario. Canada. When the IEEE was formed in 1963, the St. Lawrence area including Cornwall became part of the Mohawk Valley Section, as a Sub-Section thereby making it an International Section. The first Officers were: P. F. Mengel, Chair; and G. W. Reed, Secretary. This area has now become a direct part of the Mohawk Valley Section. IRE formed a Section on 11 November 1953, called Rome-Utica Section. The first Officers of the Mohawk Valley Section were: Harry Davis, Chair; and M.V. Ratynski, Secretary. Mohawk Valley has held two Regional BOG Meetings. The first was held at Clarkson University in, Potsdam, NY, on 11 August 1990. The second meeting was held in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, on 19 August 2000. The US Air Force Rome Air Development Center (Now Rome Laboratory) was very active in the design and development of Radar, Communications, Electronic Countermeasures, Intelligence, and Electronic Warfare. General Electric Aerospace was active in the design and development of Electronic Systems. Two Mohawk Valley members have been elected Region 1 Directors; Richard Benoit in 1974-1975, and Richard Ackley in 1994-1995.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire AIEE Section was formed on 3 September 1953. The first Officers were: R. W. Hunt, Chair; and R. A. Nichols, Secretary. The archives do not show an IRE entity for New Hampshire. The Region 1 BOG held a meeting at Durham, New Hampshire on 1 October 1982.

New Jersey Coast

New Jersey Coast is the only Section in Region 1 that was formed after the AIEE/IRE Merger, on 20 March 1965. The archives do not have any information regarding the first Officers. Section petition documents indicate Dr. David C Hogg to have been Chairman of the Monmouth Sub-section of the New York Section at the time of the approval to form the New Jersey Coast Section. Region 1 BOG held a meeting at South Seaside Park, NJ on 26 September 1981.

New York

New York AIEE Section was formed on 10 December 1919. The first Officers were: H. W. Buck, Chair; and H. A. Pratt, Secretary. Although the first technical session of AIEE was held in Philadelphia, most of the early meetings were held in New York City. The New York IRE Section was formed in 1943, and the first Officers were: H. M. Lewis, Chair; and H. F. Dart, Secretary. New York Section sponsored several Region 1 BOG Meetings: 1965, 1975, 1979, 1981, 1983,1985, 1989, 1991, and 1993. Laguardia meetings mentioned for Long Island may have been co-sponsored by NY. New York Section had two members elected President of IEEE; Eric E. Sumner, and Lewis M. Terman. Roger Sullivan served as Director of Region 1 in 2004-05. We want to give special recognition to Karl Sommer who ably conducted the BOG office of Treasurer for nine different Directors over a period of eighteen years. The New York Section has been continually involved in the development of electrical engineering knowledge and electronic development. New York formed the IEEE International Conference (INTERCON) to interchange electrical and electronics knowledge and show new products and ideas. The INTERCON merged with Boston’s New England Research and Engineering Meeting (NEREM) to form the trade show ELECTRO. New York and Boston continued to operate ELECTRO shows annually for twenty years until it ceased to be self-supporting.

North Jersey

The IEEE North Jersey Section grew out of the IRE Northern New Jersey Sub-Section of the New York Section, which was formed in 1947, with the name Northern New Jersey. The first Officer was Jerry B. Minter, chair. BOG Meetings were held in North Jersey in 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2008. North Jersey has Edison Menlo Park located within their Section, where much of the early electrical and electronics marvels were invented and reduced to practice, which we don’t feel we can get along without today. North Jersey has another very critical location, the IEEE Headquarters, in Piscataway.

In the AIEE, the territory that is currently part of the IEEE North Jersey Section was a part of the AIEE New Jersey Subsection of the New York Section, which was formed in 1947. The first Officers of the AIEE New Jersey Subsection were: Leland F. Stone, Chair; and L.J. Lunas Secretary.

Princeton-Central Jersey

Princeton was an AIEE Sub-Section of Philadelphia in 1962, with Officers: H. M. Chandler, Chair; and J. L. VanDine, Secretary. Two Region 1 Directors are from the Princeton-Central Jersey Section: Dr. Gerard Alphonse in 2001-2002; and Irving Engelson in 2000-2001.

Providence

Providence became a Section of AIEE on 12 March 1920, with Walter C. Slade, Chair and F. N. Tompkins, Secretary. The archives do not show any IRE involvement in Providence. Providence held a Region 1 BOG meeting in Newport, RI on 12 August 1987.

Rochester

Rochester became a Section of AIEE on 9 October 1914, with E. L. Wilder, Chair, and F. E. Haskell, Secretary. Rochester became a Section of IRE in 1926, with V. N. Graham Chair, and Harvey Klumb Secretary. When the founding Societies merged Lynn C. Holmes, Rochester Section was the first Region 1 Director and the only Director that served three terms; 1963, 1964, and 1965. Rochester hosted a summer Region 1 BOG Meeting on 8 August 1998.

Schenectady

Region 1 BOG Meeting on 15-17 August 2003, and Schenectady Centennial Celebration

Schenectady Section is congratulated for reaching that coveted milestone of century membership in the Institute and in the same year, 2003, by having one of their members, Dr. Michael Adler elected President of IEEE. Dr. Adler was the second IEEE President from Schenectady, the first being; Harold Chestnut in 1973. Other Region 1 BOG Meetings were held in the Schenectady Section in 1993, 1994, and 2008.

Schenectady became a Branch of AIEE on 26 January 1903, and was the 10th/11th Branch in AIEE, and the 2nd Branch in Region 1 area.

Any discussion of Schenectady and AIEE must also consider the General Electric Company (GE) and its founding entities. Note that GE was formed in 1892, only eight years after AIEE. GE was formed by the merger of the Edison General Electric Company of New York and Thompson-Houston Company of Lynn, MA.

The great electrical engineering company and the great electrical engineering society grew together in Schenectady and basically utilized the same personnel. The Chair and Secretary of Schenectady AIEE invariably had a GE address GE grew rapidly annexing several smaller firms. One of these was Rudolph Eichemayers Manufacturing Company in Yonkers, NY. Whose Chief Draftsman was Charles Steinmetz. GE continued to grow in Schenectady when Thomas Edison moved his NY Tool Works there in 1886.

In 1894, Charles Steinmetz was transferred to Schenectady GE and was elected AIEE President in 1901-1902. An Employees Engineering Society was formed at GE in 1898 which grew rapidly and transferred into the AIEE as a Branch as noted above. In 1904 Dr. Steinmetz served as the AIEE Branch Chair, and R. Neil Williams was Secretary. In 1907, AIEE Branches were renamed Sections.

A Section of IRE was formed in Schenectady in 1950 with: H. L. Thorson as Chair, and J. D. Cobine as Secretary. Both had addresses at GE. Schenectady IRE Section was relatively late in being formed. It should be noted that GE was the major electrical manufacturer, and they concentrated on large power equipment and electronics did not become critical in these large systems until later.

Springfield

Springfield became a Section of AIEE on 29 June 1922, with Officers: W. A. Dick, Chair, and J. Frank Murray Secretary. The archives do not show any IRE membership for Springfield. Two Region 1 BOG Meetings were sponsored by the Springfield Section; both of which were held at the Sturbridge Host Hotel in Sturbridge, MA. The first was held on 19 August 1988, and the second on 26 August 1995.

Syracuse

and BOG Meeting held on 19 August 2006.

An AIEE University Branch was formed at Syracuse University on 24 February 1905, and has been active since that time. The first Officer was W. P. Graham who was Chair and Secretary. The Syracuse AIEE Section was formed on 12 August 1920, with Edward T. Moore Chair and Frank Simpson Secretary. The Syracuse IRE Section was formed in 1947 with C. A. Priest Chair and R. E. Moe Secretary. At the time the Section was formed Dr. W. R. G. Baker, a Vice-President of GE Electronics was elected President of IRE. The support the History committee received from Syracuse in the preparation of this report was outstanding. Syracuse members contributing were: George Kirkpatrick, LFIEEE; Jay Lee, Syracuse University representative; Mike Hayes, Syracuse Section Chair; and our Regional long-term colleague Donald Herres. Mr. Kirkpatrick was very active in IRE and represented Dr. Baker at many IRE functions He was also a contemporary of Arthur Stern who was IEEE President in 1975 and Jerome Suran who was IEEE President in 1979.

Both Stern and Suran were at GE Electronics Park, Syracuse, but it is unknown if they were there when they were Presidents.He also did considerable volunteer work with Dr. George Haller who was also at GE Syracuse. Dr. Haller worked with engineers at Wright Patterson Air force Base to form the IRE Professional Group on Airborne and Navigational Electronics (PGANE). After the merger of IRE with AIEE, the PGANE became a part of IEEE Aerospace and Electronics Systems Society (AESS). Mike Hayes reported that Nick Holonyak Jr. While at GE Syracuse, invented the first visible Semiconductor Laser in 1957.

Worcester County

The Worcester Section of AIEE was formed on 18 February 1920, with C. R. Oliver Chair and Dean J. Locke Secretary. Worcester County did not have any indication of IRE involvement in the archives. Worcester County had no Regional BOG meetings unless they co-chaired with Springfield in 1988 or 1995.

Larry Nelson is commended for his tireless and active support for the Worcester Section and IEEE, and also Larry Nelson Jr. for his support of Regional Electronic Communications.

Region 1 Founders of AIEE

Name Address Section
Ralph Wainwright Pope Great Barrington, MA Berkshire
Charles A. Cross Boston, MA Boston
Thomas Edison New York, NY/ Menlo Park, NJ NY or North Jersey
George Hamilton New York, NY New York
Theodore B. Vail Boston, MA Boston
Edward Weston Newark, NJ North Jersey
George Prescott New York, NY New York
Elihu Thomson Swampscott, MA Boston

Region 1 Founders of IRE

Name Address Section
Robert H. Marriott Brooklyn, NY New York
John Stone Stone Boston, MA Boston

AIEE Presidents From Region 1

Name Year
Franklin L. Pope 1886-87
Edward Weston 1888-89
Elihu Thomson 1889-90
Alexander Graham Bell 1891-92
Charles P. Steinmetz 1901-02

IRE Presidents From Region 1

Name Year
John Stone Stone 1915
Walter W. R. G. Baker 1947

IEEE Presidents From Region 1

Name Year
Ernst Weber 1963
Clarence Linder 1964
Harold Chestnut 1973
Richard Damon 1981
Henry L. Bachman 1987
Emerson W. Pugh 1989
Eric E. Sumner 1991
Joel B. Snyder 2001
Michael S. Adler 2003
Arthur W. Winston 2004
Lewis M. Terman 2008
John R. Vig 2009
Moshe Kam 2011
Peter Staecker 2013
Howard Michel 2015
Barry L. Shoop 2016

Region 1 Section Anniversary Dates

Section Date Established 50th Anniversary 75th Anniversary 100th Anniversary
Berkshire 03/25/1904 1954 1979 2004
Binghamton 03/07/1952 2002 2027 2052
Boston 02/12/1903 1953 1978 2003
Buffalo 02/10/1925 1975 2000 2025
Connecticut 04/16/1921 1971 1996 2021
Green Mountain 04/01/1960 2010 2035 2060
Ithaca 10/15/1902 1952 1977 2002
Long Island 05/06/1953 2003 2028 2053
Maine 06/30/1955 2005 2030 2055
Mid-Hudson 06/01/1960 2010 2035 2060
Mohawk Valley 11/11/1953 2003 2028 2053
New Hampshire 09/03/1953 2003 2028 2053
New Jersey Coast 03/20/1965 2015 2040 2065
New York 12/10/1919 1969 1994 2019
North Jersey 05/05/1954 2004 2029 2054
Princeton-Central Jersey 07/ /1947 1997 2022 2047
Providence 03/12/1920 1970 1995 2020
Rochester 10/09/1914 1964 1989 2014
Schenectady 01/26/1903 1953 1978 2003
Springfield 06/29/1922 1972 1997 2022
Syracuse 08/12/1920 1970 1995 2020
Worcester County 02/18/1920 1970 1995 2020

IEEE Region 1 Directors and Secretaries

Director Secretary Tenure
Lynn C. Holmes, Rochester, NY F. A. Mitchell, Unknown 1963/64/65
Dr. W. Crawford Dunlap, W. Newton, MA Unknown 1966/67
Dr. Harry Mimno, Lexington, MA Unknown 1968/69
Dr. James Storer, Lexington, MA Unknown 1970/71
Harold Goldberg, Lexington, MA Unknown 1972/73
Richard Benoit, Utica, NY Rex Beers, Rome, NY 1974/75
Arthur Rossoff, Huntington Station, NY Gondolfo Gallegro, Unk. 1976/77
Dr. James Shepherd, Concord, MA Dr. Bruce Wedlock, Arlington, MA 1978/79
Hans Cherney, Mount Kisko, NY Dr. Bruce Wedlock, Arlington, MA 1980/81
Dr. Bruce Wedlock, Arlington, MA Richard D’Onofrio, Boston, MA 1982/83
Alex Gruenwald, Hicksville, NY Lou Luceri, Lindenhurst, NY 1984/85
Michael Whitelaw, Newington, CT Richard Kubica, Glastonbury, CT 1986/87
Victor Zourides, Wheatley Heights, NY Peter Eckstein, Smithtown, NY 1988/89
John Kaczorowski, Boston, MA William Carakatsane, Saugus, MA 1990/91
Joel Snyder, Plainview, NY Arthur Hudson, Bedford, NH 1992/93
Richard Ackley, Rome, NY Daniel Kenneally, Rome, NY 1994/95
Dr. Arthur Winston, Winchester, MA James Britt, Peabody, MA 1996/97
Louis Luceri, Lindenhurst, NY Peter Eckstein, Smithtown, NY 1998/99
Dr. Irving Engelson, Jamesburg, NJ Peter Eckstein, Smithtown, NY 2000/01
Dr. Gerard Alphonse, Princeton, NJ Peter Eckstein, Smithtown, NY 2002/03
Roger K. Sullivan, Bergenfield, NJ Peter Eckstein, Smithtown, NY 2004/05
Dr. Barry Shoop, West Point, NY Peter Eckstein, Smithtown, NY 2006/07
Dr. Howard Michel, N. Dartmouth, MA Mary Reidi, Erie Blvd., Syracuse, NY 2008/09
Dr. Charles P. Rubenstein, Massapequa, NY Stanley Karoly, NY 2010
Dr. Charles P. Rubenstein, Massapequa, NY Santo Mazzola, Long Island 2011
Peter Eckstein, Smithtown, NY Santo Mazzola, Long Island 2012/13
Vincent Socci, Binghamton, NY Santo Mazzola, Long Island 2014/15
Ronald Tabroff, Boston, MA William Carakatsane, Boston, MA 2016/17
Dr. Babak Beheshti, Long Island TBD 2018/19

Region 1 BOG Meeting Locations

Location Sponsoring Section Date
NY City, NY New York 03/23/1965
NY City, NY New York 08/04/1975
Travelers Hotel, LI, NY Long Island 02/16/1976
Sheraton, Boston, MA Boston 05/25/1978
Sheraton, Laguardia, NY New York or Long Island 11/10/1978
Sheraton, Laguardia, NY New York or Long Island 02/02/1979
Sheraton Center, New York City, NY New York 04/24/1979
Sheraton, Boston, MA Boston 05/14/1980
Hilton, Niagara Falls, NY Buffalo 09/27/1980
MIT, Cambridge, MA Boston 02/28/1981
Sheraton, New York City, NY New York 04/07/1981
South Seaside Park, NJ New Jersey Coast 09/26/1981
MIT Boston 12/12/1981
Sheraton, Boston, MA Boston 05/25/1982
Durham, NH New Hampshire 10/01/1982
MIT Boston 01/22/1983
Sheraton, New York City, NY New York 04/20/1983
Holiday Inn, Fishkill, NY Mid-Hudson 09/24/1983
MIT Boston 01/21/84
Sheraton, Boston, MA Boston 05/16/84
Portland, Maine Maine 09/22/84
MIT Boston 02/09/85
Sheraton, New York City, NY New York 04/24/85
Lenox, MA Berkshire 09/28/85
MIT Boston 01/13/86
Sheraton, Boston, MA Boston 05/14/86
Raddisson, Burlington, VT Green Mountain 09/19/86
MIT Boston 01/24/87
Viking Hotel, Newport, RI Providence 09/12/87
MIT Boston 01/23/88
Sheraton, Boston, MA Boston 05/10/88
Sturbridge Resort, Sturbridge, MA Springfield 08/19/88
Marriott, Long Island, NY New York or Long Island 01/21/89
Marriott Marquis, NY City, NY New York 04/12/89
Hilton, Niagara Falls, NY Buffalo 08/19/89
Marriott, Laguardia, NY New York or Long Island 01/20/90
Sheraton, Boston, MA Boston 05/08/90
Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY Mohawk Valley 08/11/90
Ramada, Boston, MA Boston 01/19/91
Marriott Marquis, NY City, NY New York 04/17/91
Marriott, Peabody, MA Boston 08/10/91
Marriott, Laguardia, NY New York or Long Island 01/25/92
Sheraton, Boston, MA Boston 05/12/92
Nevelle Hotel, Ellenville, NY Mid-Hudson 09/18/92
Logan Ramada, Boston, MA Boston 02/20/93
Electro 93, NY City, NY New York 05/12/93
Roaring Brook, Lake George, NY Schenectady 08/28/93
Holiday Inn, Albany, NY Schenectady 02/05/94
Nevele Hotel, Ellenville, NY Mid-Hudson 09/23/94
Holiday Inn, Albany, NY Schenectady 01/21/95
Sturbridge Resort, Sturbridge, MA Springfield and/or Worcester 08/26/95
Windsor Locks, CT Connecticut 02/03/96
Sheraton, Syracuse, NY Syracuse 08/02/96
Radisson, Happauge, NY Long Island 02/08/97
Marriott, Andover, MA Boston 08/02/97
Totawa, NJ North Jersey 02/07/98
Rochester, NY Rochester 08/08/98
Waltham, MA Boston 01/30/99
Hyatt, New Brunswick, NJ North Jersey 08/07/99
Sheraton, Burlington, VT Green Mountain 02/02/00
Best Western, Cornwall, Ontario, Canada Mohawk Valley 08/19/00
Windsor Locks, CT Connecticut 02/03/01
Niagara Falls, NY Buffalo 08/12/01
Newark, NJ North Jersey 02/02/02
Cornell Hotel, Ithaca, NY Ithaca 08/18/02
Boston, MA Boston 02/09/03
Schenectady, NY Schenectady 08/17/03
Elizabeth, NJ North Jersey 02/07/04
Sturbridge Resort, Sturbridge, MA Berkshire 08/27/04
Boston, MA Boston 02/04/05
Portland, Maine Maine 08/21/05
E. Elmhurst, NY Long Island 02/04/06
Sheraton, Syracuse, NY Syracuse 08/20/06
Windsor Locks, CT Connecticut 02/03/07
Burlington, VT Green Mountain 08/11/07
Hyatt, New Brunswick, NJ North Jersey 02/09/08
Crowne Plaza, Albany, NY Schenectady 08/02/08
virtual n/a 07/11/2020
virtual n/a 08/21/2021
Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center, Southbridge, MA 08/13/2022 - 08/24/2022

Region 1 Milestones

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 Year of AchievementDate DedicatedIEEE RegionsIEEE SectionDedication #
Alternating-Current Electrification of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, 1907190722 May 19821Connecticut3
Two-Way Police Radio Communication, 193319331 May 19871North Jersey10
FM Police Radio Communication, 194019401 June 19871Connecticut11
Demonstration of Practical Telegraphy, 183818387 May 19881North Jersey13
Adams Hydroelectric Generating Plant, 1895189521 June 19901Buffalo17
MIT Radiation Laboratory, 1940-194519401 October 19901Boston19
Alexanderson Radio Alternator, 1904190420 February 19921Schenectady22
Monochrome-Compatible Electronic Color Television, 1946-1953194629 November 20011Princeton/Central Jersey40
First Transatlantic Transmission of a Television Signal via Satellite, 196219621 July 20021Maine44
Electric Fire Alarm System, 185218521 October 20041Boston50
Alternating Current Electrification, 188618862 October 20041Berkshire51
Power System of Boston's Rapid Transit, 1889188910 November 20041Boston52
First Intelligible Voice Transmission over Electric Wire, 1876187610 March 20061Boston67
Thomas Alva Edison Historic Site at Menlo Park, 187618769 September 20061Princeton/Central Jersey68
Liquid Crystal Display, 1968196830 September 20061Princeton/Central Jersey71
Thomas A. Edison West Orange Laboratories and Factories, 1887188718 October 20081North Jersey76
First Wireless Radio Broadcast by Reginald A. Fessenden, 1906190613 September 20081Boston78
Largest Private (dc) Generating Plant in the U.S.A., 1929192925 September 20081New York79
Invention of the First Transistor at Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc., 194719478 December 20091North Jersey89
IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, 1960 - 1984196016 October 20091New York91
TIROS I Television Infrared Observation Satellite, 1960196027 September 20101Princeton/Central Jersey101
Pearl Street Station, 1882188210 May 20111New York114
Grumman Lunar Module, 1962-1972196220 July 20111Long Island115
First Real-Time Speech Communication on Packet Networks, 1974 - 198219748 December 20111Boston117
Apollo Guidance Computer, 1962-1972196213 December 20111Boston118
World's First Low-Loss Optical Fiber for Telecommunications, 197019701 May 20121Rochester121
Loran, 1940 - 1946194027 June 20121Boston123
Whirlwind Computer, 1944-59194427 June 20121Boston124
Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) 1951-1958195127 June 20121Boston125
First Optical Fiber Laser and Amplifier, 1961-1964196126 October 20121Worcester County131
First Blind Takeoff, Flight and Landing, 1929192924 September 20141Long Island145
Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc., 1925-1983192518 December 20141North Jersey151
Interactive Video Games, 1966196621 September 20151New Hampshire158
Development of Information Theory, 1939-1967193917 May 20161Boston162
American Standard Code for Information Interchange ASCII, 1963196319 May 20161New Jersey Coast163
Trans-Atlantic Telephone Fiber-Optic Submarine Cable (TAT-8), 1988198819 May 20161New Jersey Coast164
Grand Central Terminal Electrification, 1906-1913190615 June 20161New York166
Weston Meters, 1887-1893188723 September 20161North Jersey169
The First Two-Dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI), 197319735 September 20181Long Island190
French Transatlantic Telegraph Cable of 189818986 September 20181
8		France
Providence		191
Detection of Radar Signals Reflected from the Moon, 1946194617 May 20191New Jersey Coast194
SCR/Thyristor, 1957195714 June 20191Rochester196
Piezoelectric Oscillator, 1921-192319215 November 20201Connecticut208
BASIC Computer Language, 1964196422 February 20211New Hampshire213
RCA Central, 192119215 November 20211Long Island219
Handheld Digital Camera, 1975197526 April 20221Rochester223
Alvin Deep-Sea Research Submersible, 1965-1984196421 October 20221Providence230
Mode S Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System, 1969-199519692 February 20241Boston244
Development of 193-nm Projection Photolithography, 1984-199619842 February 20241Boston245
Semiconductor Laser, 196219622 February 20241Schenectady
New York
Boston		246


Region 1 Student Branches

Binghamton

Schenectady

Syracuse

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