Oral-History:IEEE Communications Society

IEEE Communications Society Oral Histories

The number that follows the interviewee's name is the interview's oral history code number, which uniquely identifies the interview in the IEEE History Center's archive. Please use this number when referring to an oral history.

In 1999, IEEE History Center staff recorded oral histories of select IEEE Communication Society members as part of a project marking the IEEE Communication Societies fiftieth anniversary. In addition, the IEEE Communication Society published A Brief History of Communications (2002) to mark its fiftieth anniversary. Other oral histories have been conducted with IEEE Communication Society members both before and after the special project.

• Fred Andrews (1999) #380 - Digital Networks. Innovator and executive in the communications industry, IEEE Life Fellow, Frederick T. Andrews (1926- 15 September 2013) was President of the IEEE Communications Society, 1986-1987. He was elected to IEEE Fellow grade in 1973 for "contributions to digital transmission and to systems, and to transmission objectives and standards."
• T. Scott Atkinson #917 - From 1961 to 1967, he was a communications officer in the United States Air Force, and he is a retired Lt. Col., United States Air Force as a Staff Communications Officer. From July 1967 to March 1968, he worked as a communications engineer with Lockheed Electronics Company on a contract with the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas where he supported the testing of the Apollo spacecraft communications sub-system. In 1973, he joined Tenneco Inc, Houston, Texas, spending fourteen years performing engineering tasks on their telecommunication systems. His last major work activity was as a senior technical support specialist for the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) in San Antonio, Texas (1989-1997).
• Paul Baran #378 - Packet Communications.
• Vinton Cerf #355 - Internet. Cerf, a Marconi Fellow, an IEEE Life Fellow, and an Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) member, played a significant role in the setup of ARPANET and developed the Transmission Controlled Protocol (TCP) with Bob Kahn.
• Donald C. Cox #364 - Cellular Telephone.
• Joel Engel # 366 - Cellular Telephone.
• Paul Green #373 - Spread Spectrum Communications, Optical Switching.
• Dale Hatfield #890 - telecommunications policy and regulation, spectrum management and related areas.
• Irwin Jacobs #376 - Spread Spectrum Communications. Jacobs, Marconi Fellow, IEEE Life Fellow, and Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) member, co-founded the Linkabit consulting company and Qualcomm.
• Amos Joel  (1992) #137 - Telephone Switching Systems.
• Amos Joel  (1993) #163  - Telephone Switching Systems.
  
• Richard Kirby #385  - Radio Standards.
• Bob Lucky #361 - Digital Communications.
• John Mayo #383 - Telephone Switching, T-1 Carrier System.
• Laurence Milstein #381 - Spread Spectrum Communications.
• Eugene O'Neill #415 - Satellite Communications.
• John Pape #900 - staff of the IEEE Communications Society for more than eighteen years, retiring as Director of Marketing and Creative Services.
• Raymond Pickholtz (1999) #354 - Spread Spectrum Communications.
• John Pierce #141, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 - Satellite Communications.
• Donald Schilling #356 - Spread Spectrum Communications, 3rd Generation Wireless.
• Mischa Schwartz #360  - Information Theory, Data Networks, Education.
• Jack Sipress #365 -  Undersea Cables.
• Dick Snelling #395     Fiber Optics in Telephone Networks.
• Keija Tachikawa #362 - Mobile Communications, 3rd Generation Wireless
• Andrew Viterbi #377 -  Coding, Digital Communications. Viterbi, an IEEE Life Fellow and an Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) member, did theoretical and practical work on digital communications, including the development of the Viterbi algorithm. He co-founded Qualcomm, which developed the OmniTRACS system and the Eudora e-mail program.
• Wrobel, Leo #906 - pioneer in emergency telecommunications, after leaving AT&T, he was Director, Network Planning and Engineering for Lomas and Nettleton for two years (1984 – 1986). Then he worked at Dallas-based Premiere Network Services, Inc., nearly twenty years, first as Principal Consultant, (May 1986 to October 1997), and then as Chair and CEO October 1997 to July 2005). In 2004, he founded The Leo A. Wrobel Companies. Since 2014, he has been Chair and CEO of FailSafe Communications, Inc. which offers systems designed to improve emergency response, safeguard e-commerce and save lives. (IEEE)