FWCS PES-IAS Awards Page

FWCS PES/IAS OUTSTANDING ENGINEER 2005

Outstanding Engineer for 2005 is Richard Beatie.

FWCS PES/IAS OUTSTANDING ENGINEER 2004

Outstanding Engineer for 2004 is Robert Beckwith.

In 1942, Mr. Beckwith invented Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) while working for the General Electric Power Line Carrier Section in Schenectady NY. This was applied to protection of generator transformers in the interconnection of transmission lines to supply power for the Manhattan Project. He worked with Dr. Edward Teller and Bell Labs' Dr. Horton in developing secure voice modulated 26 kHz sonar for ship/submarine underwater communications. He worked with the Underwater Sound Laboratory at New London CT researching counters to German mines.

From 1955 to 1961 Mr. Beckwith was Manager, Computers & Communications, General Electric Company Electronics Research Laboratory, Syracuse, New York where the following significant achievements were made:

26KHz Spread-Spectrum Sonar
"Machine Tool Director", for manufacturing steam turbine buckets to mathematically generated shapes, which improved turbine efficiency 1%.
Over-the-Horizon Radar (OTHR), with a 2,000-mile range, under contract to Navy Research Labs (NRL), Washington, D.C.
First Polaris Digital Fire Control system, developed in cooperation with Dr. Stark Draper & David Gold to work with Draper’s gyro-guided "bird". The fire control system used the first point-contact germanium transistors.
In 1956, initiated change of the ERMA computer for the Bank of America
from the vacuum tube wired program design of Stanford Research Laboratory to a new transistorized design using programmable drum memory. Was responsible for the first phase of the new design while the GE Computer Dept. was formed to build 30 machines for the bank.

From 1961 to 1967 Mr. Beckwith was Manager of Utility Systems at Gulton Industries where he developed an early-transistorized Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for the Bureau of Reclamation. He developed the first transistorized synchronizer for generators, and for three electric utility tie points between the eastern and western USA power transmission grid. In 1967 Mr. Beckwith founded Beckwith Electric Company (BECO) and developed the BECO generator and line synchronizers after buying his patents from Gulton. In 1970 he developed the first transistorized control for underload tapchanging transformers for electric utility use. In 1993, Mr. Beckwith oversaw recovery and reconstruction after a devastating Florida tornado destroyed the main BECO facility. In 1997, under his innovative guidance, BECO again led the industry by introducing its "Autodaptive" system of tapchanging transformer and distribution line capacitor controls for hands-off automation of distribution substation Volts, Watts, and VArs. In 2000 Mr. Beckwith founded Beckwith Electric Research (BER), a division of BECO, which conducts research at the forefront of present-day engineering and physics. Robert W. Beckwith and the company he founded in 1967, Beckwith Electric Company (BECO), are world leaders in the electrical power industry. Mr. Beckwith is a former member of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), and the Institute of Electronic Engineers (IRE) that combined to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).

FWCS PES/IAS OUTSTANDING ENGINEER 2002

Outstanding Engineer for 2002 is Quang Tang

FWCS PES/IAS OUTSTANDING ENGINEER 2001

Outstanding Engineer for 2001 is John Twitchell

FWCS PES/IAS OUTSTANDING ENGINEER 1999

Outstanding Engineer for 1999 is James M. Howard.
Electrical Engineer III, Lakeland Electric, Lakeland, Florida

James M. Howard received the B.S.E.E. degree from the University of South Florida in 1985. He is currently an Electrical Engineer with Lakeland Electric, a municipal electric company in Lakeland, Florida, in the Energy Delivery Transmission and Distribution Engineering Department. He joined Lakeland Electric after spending almost 24 years with Tampa Electric Company where he started as a Cooperative Education Student in 1979 and, through the next 23 plus years, held positions in Energy Delivery: Distribution Engineering, South Hillsborough Operations Center, and as Supervisor of Reliability for Transmission and Distribution. Currently he is responsible for the Distribution Recloser Project, the Distribution Reactive Power Program, road widening projects, and other projects.

IEEE Activities -- (S’81-M’85-SM’91) COMMITTEES/BOARDS: Regional Activities Board, Membership Activities, Vice Chair, 1998-99; Membership Development, Chair, 1998-99. REGIONS: Region 3: Director, 2002-2003, Area 4(Florida Council) Representative, 1993-94; Membership Development, Chair, 1996-97; Conference Committee, Chair, 1998-99; Sections Congress '96, Speaker. COUNCILS: Florida Council: Chair, 1993-94; Vice Chair, 1992; Junior Past Chair, 1995; Membership Development, Chair, 1994-99. SECTIONS: Florida West Coast: Chair, 1991-93; Vice Chair, 1990-91; Membership Development, Chair, 1994-98; Student Branch Mentor, 1997-04; PE/IA Chapter, Chair, 1990-91; Vice Chair, 1989; Secretary/Treasurer, 1988. SOCIETIES: Power Engineering: Membership & Chapters, Vice President, 1997-98; Chapters Council, Chair, 1996; Membership Development, Chair, 1995; Membership Statistics Sub-Committee, Chair, 1994; Meeting Department, Secretary, 1994-98; Chapters Congress, Speaker, 1995; Distribution Design Committee, 1997-99. CONFERENCES: Sections Congress Steering Committee Chair 2003-2005, Industrial & Commercial Power Systems (I&CPS), Vice-Chair, 2004, I&CPS, Publications, Chair, 1993; I&CPS 2000, Vice Chair; Region 3 SoutheastCon, Chair, 1996; Power Engineering Society Winter Meeting, General Chair, 1998; Southcon, Director, 1995-99 & 2004-; Treasurer, 1998. AWARDS: Region 3 Outstanding Service, 1996; Florida Council Outstanding Service, 1995; Power Engineering Society Chapters Council, 1998.