Introduction
Over the course of the past year, the 50th Anniversary Committee
of the EMC Society attempted to contact all the surviving Founders
of the EMC Society. Dan Hoolihan, Chair of the 50th Anniversary
Committee, explains that a “Founder” is an “individual
member of the IEEE/Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE)/American
Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) that signed the original
petition to form the Professional Group on Radio Frequency Interference
(RFI). This petition contained 187 signatures and was formally
accepted by the IRE on 5 October 1957.
Founders that were contacted were invited to attend the 2007 IEEE
International Symposium on EMC that was held in July of 2007 in
Honolulu, Hawaii. They were enticed to attend with a travel subsidy
approved by the Board of Directors of the EMC Society. Six Founders
were able to attend the weeklong symposium on the island of Oahu.
They were Sam Burruano, Milton Kant, Vince Mancino, James McNaul,
Ralph Showers, and Tony Zimbalatti.
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| A special luncheon was held in Hawaii
to honor the Founders of the EMC Society and provide some
time to socialize with the students present at the Symposium.
(From left) Ali Alaeldine, a student from France, enjoyed
a lighter moment with Dan Hoolihan, who organized the luncheon,
and Founder Sam Burruano. |
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| Following the luncheon, the six Founders
gathered for a group photo, including (from left), James McNaul,
Vince Mancino, Milton Kant, Ralph Showers, Sam Burruano, and
Tony Zimbalatti. |
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| EMC Society Past Presidents attended
the luncheon to show their appreciation to the Founders for
starting the EMC Society, including (from left) Don Clark,
Dan Hoolihan, Len Carlson, Bill Duff, Bill Gjertson, Bob Hofmann
and Joe Fischer. |
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| EMC Society President Andy Drozd
presented a special award to Bob Goldblum (right) for his
30 years as Editor of the EMC Society Newsletter. |
First Get-together
The first organized opportunity to get the Founders together in
Hawaii occurred on Tuesday afternoon at a coffee/soft drinks/cookies
celebration. After the Founders swapped stories about their present
and past lives, they were given an opportunity to talk about three
specific questions on their past careers in EMC. Dan Hoolihan
asked the questions and the corresponding answers by each individual
were video-taped by Jerry Ramie, an IEEE volunteer and member
of the EMC Society History Committee. Ken Wyatt, the Society photographer,
was also in attendance to capture the historical moment with his
ever-present camera.
The questions that were asked included:
1. What do you remember most warmly about the early years of the
EMC Society?
2. What is the most significant event that you have had in your
career, related to electromagnetic compatibility and interference?
3. What is your favorite “war story” about solving
an EMC problem?
The answers to the questions were varied and unique. NOTE: The
EMCS History Committee is in the process of transcribing the verbal
questions and answers for future publication.
Wednesday Lunch
On Wednesday of the Symposium week, the Founders were honored
at a unique luncheon at the Hawaii Convention Center. In addition
to the six Founders, members of the Board of Directors of the
EMC Society, Past-Presidents of the EMC Society, members of the
Education Committee, and a select number of graduate students
were invited to the lunch. The students were asked to sit with
one of the six Founders and each Founder had his own table. This
allowed a unique intergenerational transfer of EMC knowledge!
At the conclusion of the lunch, each Founder was given an opportunity
to give a short biographically oriented talk. Also, each student
was given an opportunity to introduce themselves to the lunch
audience and discuss their area of EMC interest in their studies.
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| Clayton Paul (right) received a special
award as an “Innovator of Education in the EMC Society.” |
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| Perry Wilson (right) accepted the
award on behalf of NIST colleague David A. Hill, author of
the one of the most referenced papers in the history of the
EMC Society, titled “Plane Wave Integral Representation
for Fields in Reverberation Chambers,” Volume 40, No.
3, August 1998. |
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| The Anniversary Celebration day began
with a tour of the island of Oahu, including a stop at the
windy Pali Highway lookout for the scenic view. |
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| EMC Society members and friends were
greeted upon arrival at the Turtle Bay Resort with a cocktail
reception. |
Thursday Awards Luncheon and Board of Directors
Meeting
On Thursday, the Founders were in attendance at the EMC Society
Awards luncheon at the Convention Center. They sat near the front
of the room at a specially designated table.
The Founders were also invited to attend the Board of Directors
meeting held on Thursday evening at the Hilton Hotel.
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| Enjoying the aloha spirit during
the cocktail reception are (seated from left) Lois Heirman,
Mary Jo DiBernardo, Edith Clark and Hanna Wall, (standing
from left) Bill Hurst, Don Clark, Don Heirman, Art Wall, Bill
and Arlene Radasky. |
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| Lana and Tom Van Doren appreciated
the unspoiled beauty of the north shore of the island of Oahu,
site of the 50th Anniversary Celebration luncheon. |
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| Dan and Rosemary Hoolihan enjoyed
the Hawaiian sunshine following the Anniversary festivities
at the Turtle Bay Resort. |
Friday Celebration
Friday, July 13 was the culmination of the weeklong celebration
of the 50th Anniversary of the EMC Society. The highlight of the
day was a celebration luncheon at Turtle Bay Resort on the North
Shore of the island of Oahu. Attendees of the Symposium and guests
of the attendees were loaded onto buses at the host hotels in
Honolulu. The buses then took a tourist-oriented route to Turtle
Bay Resort so the participants could experience the unique geography
and varied plant-life of the Hawaiian Islands.
Upon arriving at Turtle Bay Resort, the attendees and guests were
greeted by the hotel staff and treated to hors d’oeuvres
and drinks for a social hour on a sprawling lawn facing the ocean.
The engineers and friends were treated to the ambience of the
beautiful resort while enjoying the gorgeous views of the Pacific
Ocean.
The Friday participants were then invited into the Resort complex
where they were served a sumptuous multi-course lunch. At the
conclusion of the celebratory lunch, special awards were given
to a number of individuals in the EMC Society. These individuals
included Warren Kesselman, Clayton Paul, Bill Duff, Janet O’Neil,
Bob Goldblum, Len Carlson, Jerry Ramie and Don Heirman. The highlight
of the luncheon featured each of the six Founders receiving the
inaugural EMC Society Hall of Fame awards. The Awards acknowledged
the dedication and effort each Founder contributed to forming
the EMC Society 50 years ago in 1957. Each Founder was then given
the opportunity to say a few words after receiving his award.
You are invited to view the 50th Anniversary Awards Program that
is shown in its entirety on pages 46-47 for more information.
At the conclusion of the Awards ceremony, everyone returned to
the host hotels using the same buses they arrived in.
It was a full and very memorable week of EMC Society 50th Anniversary
activities. EMC
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