IEEE
Region 3 History
Contents
of the Region 3 History document:
FOREWORD
OVERVIEW
I. IN THE BEGINNING 1963-1969
II. BUILDING THE FOUNDATION
1970-1979
III. EXPANDING THE SERVICES
1980-1989
IV. INTO THE FUTURE 1990-1993
A
HISTORY OF IEEE-REGION 3
Compiled by W. L. Sullivan
Region 3 Director, 1974-75
A Special Project of the Region 3 Strategic Planning
Committee
FOREWORD
It
has been thirty years since the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers was founded by the merger
of its predecessor societies, the American Institute
of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) and the Institute of
Radio Engineers (IRE). This seems an appropriate time
to look back over this period and document those events
and trends that have brought us to where we are today.
That is the purpose of this history.
IEEE is a member-oriented technical and professional
society. The organization exists for the purpose of
delivering various services in its fields of interest
to its members. For management and administrative
purposes the membership units, Sections, Subsections,
Society Chapters, and Student Branches, are grouped
into geographical Regions to best fulfill the needs
of the members and the missions of the IEEE.
Initially, the Regional organization consisted essentially
of the Region Director. Subsequently, the organization
evolved, step by step, into the comprehensive Regional
structure that exists today. This is the story of
how multitudes of dedicated volunteers have worked
together to build a Regional organization that can
more effectively serve the needs of more than 33,000
members who reside in the geographic area of Region
3, essentially the Southeastern United States and
the island of Jamaica.
It is hoped that this history of Region 3 will be
more than a nostalgic record of past events for those
who were part of the process, that it will motivate
and encourage those who serve in any of the organizational
units of the Region, and that they may benefit from
these past experiences and dedicate themselves to
further improvement in services rendered by IEEE to
its members.
This history is dedicated to the memory of three distinguished
leaders whose deaths occurred during the period under
review. Dr. Joseph Weil, already at retirement age,
was the first Regional Director elected by the membership.
Dr. Weil added a spark of enthusiasm to the early
years of the Region and served in several positions
on the Region 3 Committee following his term of Directorship.
Dr. Larry Wilson served as Director with distinction
and then went on to serve as an officer of the Institute.
The Regional Activities Board has given his name to
two special awards in recognition of his work in transnational
and student activities. Dr. Joseph Biedenbach served
as chairman of the Region 3 Educational Activities
Committee for a period of thirteen years. His energetic
commitment to this task made the Region a leader in
the delivery of both technical and leadership education
to its members. The Region 3 award for Outstanding
Engineering Educator has been named for him.
OVERVIEW
Upon
the merger of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers
(AIEE) and the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) on
January 1, 1963, Region 3 in the Southeastern U.S. became
one of the ten Regions of the new transnational society.
The Regions were established for administration of the
local membership units. In Region 3 there were approximately
13,000 members in 33 Sections, 16 Subsections, and 30
Student Branches.
Like its predecessor societies IEEE was structured
so as to best serve the needs of its members. Although
addressing only a portion of these needs, regional
activities are directed toward developing and maintaining,
through sound administrative practices, an organization
of geographically defined member units committed to
the advancement of electrical and electronics engineering.
These units afford on a local basis a common forum
for the members to meet and exchange views on technical,
educational, professional or other areas of interest.
To facilitate this process the regional orgainization
serves a group of Councils, Sections, Subsections,
and Student Branches to assist them in carrying out
this charter. The Region Director, as a member of
the Board of Directors, is responsible for the management
of these functions within a Region.
For most of Region 3's 13,000 members in 1963 IEEE
consisted of the local Section, Subsection, or Student
Branch, one or more publications from "Headquarters",
and an occasional technical conference. Local officers
were elected by the local membership and, to learn
the ropes and gain experience, traditionally progressed
from one office to another until reaching the position
of Chairman. These volunteer leaders, even at that
time, were the backbone and strength of the organization.
This history will show how this strength and the dedication
of such volunteers has been utilized to vastly increase
and improve the delivery of IEEE services to the members
of Region 3 over the past thirty years.
As had been the practice under AIEE and IRE, the local
units looked almost exclusively to the IEEE Headquarters
staff for assistance and guidance with any organizational
or membership problems. The Regional Director served
as a member of the Board of Directors and was available
to assist the local units as necessary, to present
awards,and to encourage the Sections and Student Branches
with regular visits where possible.
The Regional Committee, consisting of the Regional
Director and the Section Chairmen, met once a year
to review the state of the Region, and in alternate
years, to nominate candidates for Regional Director.
There was no Region staff, no Region treasury, and
no operating guidelines other than the IEEE Bylaws
and Policy and Procedures Manual. At the outset Region
3 was no different from the other IEEE Regions in
these characteristics.
Contrast this with the situation thirty years later
when the Region 3 Director has a Regional staff of
15 plus 9 Area or Council Chairmen, an annual budget
approaching $100,000, and numbers of detailed operating
manuals and guides for the various aspects of operations.
Of course, the growth of the organizational structure,
the expenditures, and the documentation are not a
measure of success. These are merely the tools used
in maximizing the delivery of IEEE services to the
individual members of Region 3, whether the 13,000
of 1963, or the approximately 33,000 today.
The constant progress toward that goal, in many small
steps, is recorded in this history. Hundreds of volunteers
from Region Director to the officers in Sections,
Subsections, and Student Branches, committee members
at all levels, Student Counselors, and others have
made their contributions.
Region 3 began , as did most of the Regions, with
only the Region Director ( and perhaps a Secretary
or Secretary-Treasurer) serving at the regional level.
The Director's efforts were primarily devoted to assisting
the geographical units with organizational problems,
facilitating communications between these units and
IEEE Headquarters, and motivating and encouraging
local officers in their responsibilities. This pattern
continued for several years.
By 1970 it became clear that the sheer number of geographical
units involved coupled with the diverse interests
of the membership demanded an organization at the
regional level that could better serve the needs of
the members in the region. This led to the establishment
of six Area Chairmen responsible for portions of the
Region and several Committees responsible for certain
specialized activities. None of this relieved the
Director from his ultimate responsibility but was
of great assistance to him and proved to be a valuable
service to the local units and their members.
The Area concept originated in Region 3 as a means
of improving the communication and management/administrative
missions of the Region. Of the original six Areas
some were single state and some multi-state. Boundary
adjustments have been made from time to time to accommodate
the formation of five state Councils, each of which
constitutes a single Area. The use of Areas prior
to and in conjunction with the formation of Councils
appears to have been a significant benefit to the
Region over the years.
Two other elements of IEEE activity which have especially
characterized Region 3 had their genesis during the
early years -- 1) the prominence given to Student
Activities, and 2) the employment of an annual technical
conference/student conference and prize paper contest/Regional
Committee meeting to bring together all the diverse
interests and activities of the Region at one place
at one time each year. In fact, these two elements
to a large extent define the character of Region 3.
The expansion of the Regional staff in 1970 included,
in addition to the six Area Chairmen, committees responsible
for Student Activities, Membership Development, Awards,
Conferences, and a Nominating Committee.
As the need for them arose committees were later established
for Professional Activities, Educational Activities,
Strategic Planning, and Public Relations. Ad hoc committees
have been employed from time to time for certain tasks,
but from the early 1970's until the present time,
these nine committees, and, especially, their chairmen
have been the strength of Region 3's operations.
The establishment of Councils in five of the states
served by Region 3 has significantly improved the
services rendered to members in those states. Unlike
the Area, which is a top-down structure imposed on
the Sections for administrative purposes, the Council
is a creation of its constituent Sections and over
which they have control.
In 1977 the Sections in Florida formed Region 3's
first Council. By 1981 Councils also had been formed
in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and
Virginia. North and South Carolina had previously
organized an "Affiliation of Sections" for much the
same purpose, making the transition an easy one for
them. Under the Council umbrella the Sections were
able to cooperate in educational programs, Section
officer workshops, Student Activities, and especially,
Professional Activities. In fact, the ability to present
a state-wide interface to governmental agencies and
other professional organizations was one of the prime
motivations for the state-wide Councils.
The chronology of Region 3's history falls naturally
into four periods of time approximating the four decades
in which it has existed, the sixties, seventies, eighties,and
nineties, and this document is organized accordingly.
The chapter headings, IN THE BEGINNING, BUILDING THE
FOUNDATION, EXPANDING THE SERVICES, and INTO THE FUTURE
are generally descriptive of the activities during
those periods.
In each of these periods except the first activities
represented by the nine committees named above moved
in parallel toward the maturity that exists today.
As this history of Region 3 proceeds through these
periods events are generally described in a context
related to these activities.
Prior to 1970 the Region Directors were occupied in
finding their way through largely uncharted waters
and insuring that the local units were operating in
accordance with appropriate Bylaws and policies and
were providing for the needs of their members. This
was the beginning. (CHAPTER I)
With the expansion of the Regional staff and its responsibilities
it became possible to enlarge the scope of the Region's
services to the membership at the time, and, also,
to build a foundation for the future. (CHAPTER II)
In the 1980's a broad range of new services was available
to the members of Region 3 and actively promoted at
the Regional level. Professional activities had mushroomed
and were actively promoted at the Region, Council/Area,
and Section level; four Region 3 awards were being
made annually to highly qualified recipients; new
Educational programs were being made available using
satellite technology and a video tape library; student
conferences each year vied for "best ever" status
and a "hardware contest" became a highly acclaimed
feature of the annual student conference. Across the
board services to the members were expanding. (CHAPTER
III)
By 1990 the regional organization was poised to accommodate
whatever the membership's needs were perceived to
include. The management of the Region was becoming
more sophisticated. With annual budgets in the $100,000
range fiscal accountability was an imperative. E-mail
and facsimile were replacing paper as the medium of
choice for correspondence between organizations and
individuals. In 1993, as an experiment, a Region Executive
Committee meeting was held by video with the members
at six locations in six cities. Consideration is being
given to the use of laptop computers by the Executive
Committee in a true "paperless" environment. Into
the future is a reality. (CHAPTER IV)
During the thirty year period the Region 3 membership
grew from 13,217 to 32,829, a gain of approximately
150%. By contrast the total growth in Regions 1-6
was just under 70%. Student membership in Region 3
ran well ahead of the other U.S. regions throughout
the period, increasing from 2,951 to a peak of 6,280
in 1984. It then declined, as did student membership
throughout the U.S., to 4,389 at the end of 1993.
This represented a net gain for the period of almost
50% in Region 3 , whereas the Region 1-6 membership
was relatively flat with a growth over thirty years
of less than 1%.
As the membership of the Region grew many Sections
benefitted from transitory shifts in the geographical
distribution of engineering employment which automatically
brought members into the Sections. Also, the large
number of electrical engineering programs in colleges
and universities in Region 3 increased the student
population available for recruitment. However, this
does not fully account for the substantially higher
rate of growth in Region 3 compared with other U.S.Regions.
It seems reasonable to assume that the aggressive
membership development efforts to enlist and retain
members and the active support of the Student Branches
by their parent Sections and by the leadership in
the Region had a salutary effect on these results.
As this record closes the Region 3 leadership under
its current Director is demonstrating a vision for
the future. Work is underway on a Strategic Plan which
will chart the way into the 21st century, setting
forth a set of long range goals, objectives, and strategy
by which Region 3 will direct its efforts to improve
IEEE's service to its members and to the profession.
I. IN THE BEGINNING 1963-1969
Region
3 of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE), consisting of all or portions of the ten Southeastern
states plus small areas of Arkansas, Indiana, and Illinois,
and the Island of Jamaica (Jamaica joined Region 3 in
1985), came into existence January 1, 1963, at the time
IEEE was created by the merger of the American Institute
of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) and the Institute of
Radio Engineers (IRE).
Initially, the field units (Sections, Subsections,
Student Branches) followed the practices and traditions
of their predecessors under a new constitution, and
quickly learned to live and operate under the new
environment. Both of the former societies were member
oriented, but awth slightly different emphases. AIEE,
in general, delivered its member services through
strong local Sections and national or regional technical
conferences sponsored by technical committees at the
national level. IRE, on the other hand, while local
Sections were organized, delivered its services mainly
through its technical Groups, which represented the
various technical disciplines. In the new organization
the Section became the primary focus of local interaction
between members, while the Groups (later designated
"Societies") provided the primary technical services.
Student Branches of both predecessor societies existed
in many colleges, with both separate and joint Branches,
depending on the extent of interest. These also were
merged where necessary.
In 1962 there were approximately 15,000 memberships
in AIEE and IRE in the area of what is now Region
3. The term "memberships" is used as many individuals
were members of both societies. This fact and the
increasing overlap in fields of interest were among
the compelling arguments for the merger. There were
24 AIEE Sections and 15 IRE Sections existing at that
time as well as 32 AIEE, IRE, and joint Student Branches.
At the end of the first year following the merger,
1963, total membership in IEEE was 13,217 in 33 Sections,
16 Subsections, and 30 Student Branches. Complete
membership details are included in Appendix A.
The year 1963 was a time of reorganization throughout
the Region. At the local level this required anything
from a change in name of the Section, acquisition
of new members from the other society, and adoption
of new Section bylaws, to a combination of these actions
plus the complete merger of two local units and the
blending of what may have been two entirely different
methods of operating at the local level. It is to
the lasting credit of all the local leadership then
in place that the transition was relatively smooth.
On the college and university campus the changes were
much easier. Little more than a name change and a
broadening in the fields of interest were required.
Approximately one third of the Student Branches were
already operating as joint Branches prior to the merger.
At the Regional level the change was not so dramatic.
John W. Davis, who had served on the merger committee
and had been actively involved in planning the merger,
was appointed to serve as Regional Director for the
initial year until the membership could nominate and
elect its Director under the new Constitution. Director
Davis spent much of his time visiting the local Sections
and assisting them in reorganizing and operating in
the new environment. His only formal helper was Ben
V. Martin whom he asked to serve as awards chairman.
Ben Martin had served as a Vice President of AIEE.
Both of these men recognized the need for continuity
in the awards process during the transition and sought
to ensure that pending awards for deserving members
of Region 3 would not be lost in the process of change.
The Student Branches, particularly in the AIEE, had
a history of prize paper preparation and competition,
with the winner in each Branch invited to participate
in the District competition. The Branch Counselors
were especially concerned that this tradition be continued.
During a Region meeting at Richmond in 1963 Dr. Charles
Weaver of Auburn University was elected Region 3 Student
Activities Chairman by the Counselors. This was their
practice at the time and was continued for several
years until the occupant of this office was made an
appointee of the Regional Director.
Also in 1963, the Florida West Coast Section offered
to host the first Region 3 Technical Conference in
May, 1964, at Clearwater, FL. In the course of their
planning the conference Steering Committee decided
to invite student participation and appointed a Student
Activities Chairman to coordinate this activity. This
decision was made without any discussion with the
Counselors, who had planned to hold the 1964 meeting
at the University of Miami. The invitation included
an offer to provide, at conference expense, the housing
costs plus two meals for up to 100 students. Needless
to say, the offer was accepted. This early instance
of Region 3 support for student activities is mentioned
here to underscore the priority attached to this aspect
of Region 3 operations at the very start - a priority
that still exists after thirty years and of which
Region 3 can be quite proud.
In the course of planning this first student conference
and paper contest Dr. Weaver discovered there was
no consensus among the Counselors regarding the contest
rules, such as number of papers to be orally presented,
format of written paper, and weight to be given to
oral and written elements. Philip Morgan, of Christian
Brothers College, was asked to prepare the rules to
be used, based primarily on the practices followed
by the old AIEE Districts 4 and 13. Agreements were
reached, and the practices established have generally
been followed since that time. Morgan, who was especially
active in Region 3 student affairs dring those early
years became the first Director appointed Student
Activity Chairman in 1970.
The new IEEE Bylaws provided for the election of the
Regional Director by the Region membership following
nomination by the Region 3 Committee, which at that
time consisted of the Director and the Section Chairmen
of all Region 3 Sections. This was accomplished under
the leadership of Director Davis, and on Jan 1, 1964,
Dr. Joseph Weil, of Florida, became the first elected
Director of Region 3 for the two year period, 1964-1965.
The Regional Director becomes a member of the IEEE
Board of Directors and, additionally, is responsible
for all matters involving Region 3.
Under Director Weil's leadership the local units began
to feel more comfortable in their new role and organization.
Local Bylaws were prepared and submitted for approval,
and Section and Subsection officers began to function
much as they had in the past. There were few written
guidelines, and in the absence of much direction from
above, their effectiveness varied widely with the
quality of leadership. Like John Davis before him,
Director Weil spent much of his time assisting these
local units in their activities and their relations
with IEEE Headquarters.
The first Region 3 Technical Conference at Clearwater
was a success and set a pattern for those which followed.
The three principal elements - (1) technical conference,
(2) Region Committee meeting, and (3) Student Conference
with Prize Paper competition - were all a part of
this first conference. Fifty-seven professional papers
were presented. There is no record of exhibits or
of the financial results, but the student support
promised was delivered, ensuring a successful Student
Conference.
In 1965 the Region 3 Committee met in Raleigh, NC,
in conjunction with the North Carolina Symposium.
This technical conference with exhibits had been a
part of AIEE activity in the state for a number of
years, and the Region was invited to participate.
At the Region 3 Committee meeting nominations were
made from the floor for Regional Director. In the
ensuing election by the membership later that year
Dr. Rufus Fellers, of South Carolina, was elected
to serve for the 1966-67 term.
The 1965 Student Prize Paper contest and the student
conference were held at Coral Gables, FL, at the University
of Miami. No policy had yet been established to combine
the student conference with the regional technical
conference.
Moderate growth of less than 800 members had occurred
during 1964-1965. Region 3 was the only U.S. Region
to experience any growth during this period. One new
Section was established, and the five Subsections
in North Carolina were elevated to Section status,
giving the Region a total of 38 Sections at the end
of 1965. The five new Sections in North Carolina had
functioned well over the years in joint activities,
such as the annual Symposium and support of student
activities. Not wishing to give up that advantage,
after studying their needs and resources, they petitioned
to establish an "Affiliation of Sections" through
which they could voluntarily carry out joint activities.
This was a new type of organization for IEEE, but,
with help from Dr. Fellers, permission was granted
and the Affiliation of North Carolina Sections was
established during 1966.
The desirability of scheduling the annual Region 3
Committee meeting jointly with the technical and student
conferences was evident. The locations for such meetings
were being selected from invitations of the local
Sections. All planning was in the hands of the host
Section and Student Branch, and all financial risk
was theirs. Partial travel reimbursement was provided
by IEEE Headquarters for members of the Region 3 Committee
and for the Counselor, Student Branch Chairman, and
Branch Prize Paper winner. The Student Activities
Committee provided additional support for the student
conference from a special fund solicited from the
Sections for this purpose. This had been a longstanding
AIEE practice and was continued for several years
under Region 3. The Region had no funds of its own.
In this environment the meetings for 1966 and 1967
were scheduled for Atlanta, GA, and Jackson, MS, respectively,
at the invitation of the Atlanta and Mississippi Sections.
The Atlanta Section was enjoying significant corporate
support from the major engineering employers in the
area, including Georgia Power, Southern Bell, Lockheed,
and Georgia Tech. R.S. Duggan, who later served as
Regional Director and Vice President of the Regional
Activities Board was instrumental in bringing the
conference to Atlanta. A Lockheed Vice President served
as Conference Chairman. By the end of the first day
of the meeting it was apparent that registrations
were falling far short of estimates, and a financial
disaster could be in the making. Word went out to
the local employers (especially Lockheed), and, suddenly
large numbers of local registrants began arriving,
salvaging the remainder of the meeting and its financial
integrity. This detail is included here, not because
it is of major historical importance, but as an illustration
of the ever present application of Murphy's Law in
the holding of regional conferences and the ingenuity
of Region 3 members in solving the problems that arise.
The 1967 conference in Jackson, MS, is historically
noteworthy due to actions taken in the Region 3 Committee
meeting. IEEE Bylaws included a provision that the
Regional Committee could nominate and submit to the
membership for vote a single candidate, rather than
two or more, only upon a UNANIMOUS vote by the Committee.
In the early years of IEEE few representatives of
industry, as opposed to academia, were widely known
to local members throughout the Region. In view of
these facts certain Atlanta telephone company employees
began to suggest to their coordinates around the Region
the desirability of choosing Mr. R.G. Elliott, corporate
Vice President - Engineering, as the next Region 3
Director. This was not done at Elliott's request,
or even, in the early stages, with his knowledge.
However, the political winds reached out to enough
Section chairmen or their representatives to invoke
a unanimous nomination. Although the individual members
of the Region were deprived of a choice on the ballot,
the Region and its members were well served by this
Director as he began to put into place concepts and
policies for managing the Region which have stood
the test of time.
A short time later the Bylaws were amended to require
that two or more candidates be nominated for submission
to the membership for a vote. Bob Elliott always referred
to this as the "Elliott Amendment".
Like his predecessors Director Elliott began his term
of service with only a Secretary-Treasurer to assist
him. He quickly realized that he could not, by himself,
give adequate attention to the needs of nearly forty
Sections. He discussed some ideas for better managing
the affairs of the Region with Dr. James Mulligan,
Vice President, Regional Affairs (later the Regional
Activities Board) who was sympathetic to some of these
suggestions and agreed to come to Atlanta for a meeting
and further discussion. Elliott assembled a group
of people, all of whom had extensive experience in
Section activity, to address the question "what do
you as Section officers and your members need from
a regional organization and how can we best go about
providing it?" Out of this discussion came the idea
of an "Area Chairman" with responsibility for a group
of adjacent Sections. He would serve, not as another
level of bureaucracy, but as a spokesman, a representative,
an expediter, a motivator, or what have you, for the
Regional Director, to bring about improvement in the
delivery of services to the membership.
Dr. Mulligan suggested a trial of this concept for
a single Area to determine how it might work. Recognizing
that there would be some travel costs involved he
agreed that Headquarters would pick up these costs
for the first year. R.S. Duggan, who had recently
served as Atlanta Section Chairman, was tapped for
the job. The Sections and Subsections in Georgia and
South Carolina would constitute the trial Area. Thus
was born an organizational concept that has been critical
to the development and expansion of a management plan
for the delivery of member services to the members
of Region 3.
The 1968 Regional Conference, including technical
program, Student Conference, and Region 3 Committee
meeting was held in New Orleans in April. Except for
student activities this was almost a washout. A widespread
telephone strike had begun just prior to the meeting.
Many IEEE members, who otherwise would have been present,
found themselves maintaining central offices, operating
switchboards, or performing other essential services
for their employer. Many of the Local Arrangements
Committee members were involved, as were members of
the Region 3 Committee and some speakers and session
chairmen. The New Orleans Section took a financial
beating as a result.
The IEEE Bylaws, at that time, authorized Regional
Committee members to attend two meetings of the committee
each year. Because of the low attendance at New Orleans
arrangements were made for a second meeting of the
committee at Cocoa Beach, FL, coincident with a technical
conference hosted by the local Section. At this meeting
there was opportunity to report on the trial of the
Area concept and discuss with all Section representatives
how this might benefit them. Two other actions were
taken at this meeting. The Region 3 Committee adopted
a proposal for a Region 3 Award for "Outstanding Engineer"
in the Region, to be selected by an Awards Committee
from nominations made by the Sections. Also, the first
Region 3 budget was adopted, based upon limited funds
now being disbursed by IEEE Headquarters, primarily
for travel within the Region.
The idea of a single, annual meeting for both professional
and student members and the business needs of the
Regional Committee had not yet solidified. Few Sections
were eager to take on the responsibility of planning
and financing a large conference. Also, it was necessary
that the Student Prize Paper Contest be held in the
late Spring, leaving less flexibility in scheduling.
Due to these factors separate conferences were again
held in 1969. The student conference and Prize Paper
Contest were held in Raleigh, NC,in the spring, while
a technical conference was held in the fall at Huntsville,
AL. The Region 3 Committee met at each location.
Parenthetically, it may be of interest here to touch
on the matter of travel expense to attend authorized
meetings. The subject will arise not infrequently
in the course of this story, and knowledge of the
policies in place during the early days of IEEE will
be useful.Bylaws provided for the partial reimbursement
of the necessary expense of travel on authorized IEEE
business. Within the Region such authorized business
was limited to members of the Region 3 Committee attending
no more than two committee meetings each year, and,
for students, attendance by the Counselor, the Student
Branch Chairman, and the Student Prize Paper winner,
if any, from each Branch to the Student Conference
and Prize Paper Contest each year.
The amount of the partial reimbursement was computed,
in the late 1960's at 17 1/2 cents per mile, one way,
from the home location to the point of the meeting,
total. No hotel, no per diem, and the one way distance
was not the distance travelled but the straight line
measurement determined on an appropriate map by IEEE
Headquarters. Over the years many IEEE members have
been fortunate to have their expense to professional
meetings reimbursed by their employers. Those who
have not, in those days, travelled at considerable
personal expense.
Now, back to our story. Throughout Director Elliott's
term of office, Dr. Mulligan had taken a keen interest
in not only the Area concept and its trial, but other
opportunities to strengthen the regional organization.
He held several more meetings in Atlanta with a representative
group of people to discuss these ideas. One immediate
result was the establishment of a new committee of
the Regional Activities Board, initially designated
the Policy and Planning Committee. This committee
absorbed the activities of the ad hoc Atlanta group,
which, in effect, moved the forum for these discussions
from Region 3 to the Institute level and broadened
the input. As might be expected, the committee was
heavily populated by members from Region 3. Two early
actions of the Policy and Planning Committee were
of immediate benefit to Region 3. A typical structure
for a Regional Committee was proposed, and a Section
Management Guide was developed and distributed for
trial use. A measure of the success of the two years
of discussions is the Regional organization put into
place by Elliott's successor, Seymour Cambias Jr.,
immediately upon taking office. Cambias was elected
Director of Region 3 in the Fall of 1969, and having
had a part in much of the planning, was able to quickly
assemble a Regional staff and take off running.
II. BUILDING THE FOUNDATION 1970-1979
Acting
upon the recommendations of the Policy and Planning
Committee of RAB, Director Cambias established six Areas
and six committees to assist him in the management of
the Region. The Areas initially represented a compromise
between geographical areas of common interest, travel
distances, and numbers of Sections. Only two were coterminous
with the borders of a single state.
The initial committees were Awards, Career Guidance,
Meetings, Membership, Student Activities, and Newsletter.
Initially IEEE referred to the Membership Committee
as "Membership and Transfers". This was later changed
to "Membership Development". For simplicity, throughout
this document the committee will be referred to simply
as "Membership". Except for Membership and Student
Activities there were few guidelines, and the committees
were asked to develop their own agenda and objectives.
Plans were already in place for the 1970 student meeting
and Prize Paper Contest at the University of Florida
in Gainesville, in late April. A meeting of the Region
3 Committee, now enlarged to include the Area and
committee chairmen, was therefore scheduled for the
same location.
The Region 3 officers: Director, Vice Chairman, Secretary-Treasurer,
and Past Region 3 Director, met during the afternoon
of the first day of a two day meeting with the Area
and Committee Chairmen. At this meeting the duties
of the Area Chairmen were defined for the first time.
The Section Chairmen joined this group for dinner,
after which each Area Chairman met with his own Section
Chairmen, following a scripted agenda developed during
the afternoon. The formal meeting of the Region 3
Committee took place on the morning of the second
day, and included reports of the discussions of the
previous night.
This expansion of the Region 3 organization was received
with enthusiasm by all the participants. There seemed
to be general agreement that the Area concept and
the specialized committees would be of benefit to
the Sections and, through them, the general membership.
Communications channels, upward and downward, would
be improved, and the Director would be better able
to represent his constituents.
It is important to note that although the evolving
organization gave the appearance of a top-down decision
making process, its purpose was to enhance the value
of the IEEE to the individual members and to assist
the Section organization in that process. To that
end every effort was made to obtain feedback and suggestions
on every proposal. The various meetings at Panama
City were particularly effective in that process.
At the Gainesville meeting the Region 3 Committee
had its first opportunity to demonstrate it commitment
to student support. Due to financial constraints the
1970 Institute budget had eliminated the travel allowance
for the Student Branch Chairman to the Student Conference.
Travel for the Counselor and Prize Paper winner were
left intact. The student community was considerably
upset. Director Cambius had already agreed to cover
the shortfall at Gainesville from his very limited
Region 3 fund, but Philip Morgan, Chairman of the
Student Activities Committee, persuaded the Region
3 Committee to bring pressure to bear at the Institute
level to reverse this decision.The Committee agreed
that the Student Branch Chairmen were key players
among the IEEE members of the future and should be
afforded this conference experience. Enough pressure
was brought to bear that the SBC travel allowance
was reinstated in the 1971 budget.
Also out of this meeting came an agreement to form
a Region Executive Committee, consisting of the Region
3 Officers, the Area Chairmen, and the Region 3 Committee
Chairmen. The first meeting of the Committee was held
in July of 1970 in New Orleans. By this time the Awards
Committee had developed a plan for selecting the recipient
of the Outstanding Engineer Award and had solicited
nominations from the Sections. It was proposed that
the initial award be made at the 1971 Regional Conference
in Charlottesville, VA. The Meetings Committee was
still groping for its mission since none had been
assigned. The Section Management Guide mentioned earlier
was made available at this meeting for distribution
by the Area Chairmen. This was the first written instruction
for operating the local Section, and the Region 3
Area Chairmen were selected to be the bearers of such
good tidings. This guide and its subsequent revisions
became the centerpiece of early Section management
training.
Also during this period the RAB Policy and Planning
Committee suggested a trial of a Regional Newsletter
and provided $3000 to cover the estimated cost of
two issues. The idea was to provide news and information
of Region 3, the purpose of the Areas, the Region
Awards Program, etc. directly to each member, information
which might not reach him any other way. The initial
issue of the REGION REASONATOR consisted of eight
pages, 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches, offset printed. Over
twelve thousand copies were mailed in September at
a cost of $1272 for printing and mailing.
In September the full Region 3 Committee met for the
second time that year at Panama City, FL, concurrently
with a technical conference on Engineering in the
Ocean Environment. The format of the meeting was similar
to that at Gainesville with ample time for the Area
Chairmen to hold discussions with their Section Chairmen.
The financial report at this time showed a small balance
after funding travel for two Region 3 Committee meetings
and one separate Executive Committee meeting. This
was the last year, however, that two Region 3 Committee
meetings were held.
The Region Executive Committee met in Atlanta in February,
1971, primarily to review plans for the Regional Conference
and Region 3 Committee meeting scheduled for April
in Charlottesville, VA. It was reported at this meeting
that the second issue of the REGION REASONATOR had
been mailed. Total costs for printing and mailing
approximately 15,000 copies was $1405. Students were
included in this mailing, although their copies were
shipped in bulk to each Student Branch . The general
consensus was that the newsletter was a good product
and served a good purpose but, since there was no
source of funding for future issues, no plans would
be made to continue publication. The Newsletter Committee
would direct its effort to assisting the Sections
in publishing Newsletters for their members. It was
reported that ten Sections were publishing newsletters
at that time.
The Membership Committee during 1971 was working with
the Sections and Areas to establish effective Membership
Committees in every Section. A goal of 10% increase
in membership was established for the Region. The
Institute Membership Committee had instituted a new
program for following up at the local level those
members who were in dues arrears. Region 3 was aggressively
participating in this program with considerable success.
By the end of the year membership growth for the Region
was well under the 10% goal although a number of Sections
had achieved this level of growth locally.
The Region 3 meeting at Charlottesville in April,
1971, could be considered the first full blown Region
3 Conference, including all the elements that now
are expected to be part of a "SoutheastCon". The local
committee billed the meeting as the "9th Annual IEEE
Region 3 Convention". This was, in fact, the ninth
year of Region 3 operation, but this nomenclature
took liberties with other facts. This is in no way
to disparage the efforts put forth in prior years
by local committees to host the meetings, but some
of these were "regional" only because the Region 3
Committee was meeting there at the time. At Charlottesville
there was a Technical Conference, the Student Prize
Paper Contest, a Student Conference, the Region 3
Committee and Executive Committee meetings, a workshop
for Section officers, and an Awards Banquet highlighted
by the presentation of.the first Region 3 Outstanding
Engineer Award. Total registration was 320. Twenty-four
of the thirty-nine Sections and twenty Student Branches
were represented.
The Awards Committee received twelve nominations for
the Outstanding Engineer Award. Of these, the committee
felt that the top two nominees were so nearly equal
that both should receive the award. The recipients
were William R. Brownlee of the Alabama Section and
Dr. John E. Pippin of the Atlanta Section. This is
the only instance of dual awards for this honor in
Region 3 history.
The Nominations Committee presented the names of two
nominees for Regional Director from a field of twenty
names which were considered. In the ensuing election
the members of Region 3 chose Grover F. Dausmann of
the Huntsville Section as Director for the years 1972-73.
Financial results from the conference showed a surplus
of $932 which was just over 10% of gross receipts.
Region 3 received one half of this amount in recognition
of a $1000 advance provided to the local committee.
This was based on an ad hoc agreement made at the
time of the advance since there were no standing policies
or procedures in place at the time. The results were
gratifying in view of the then current downturn in
the economy, especially in the aerospace and defense
industries.
Financial reimbursement from IEEE Headquarters for
1971 totalled $8000. Most of this was disbursed for
travel to the Region 3 Committee meeting, Executive
Committee meetings, and the Student Conference. For
the first time, although not the last, the travel
expense for students exceeded that for other members.
This is not necessarily bad, but as will be seen,
student travel expense has been a cause for concern
over the years.
Large scale reductions in the aerospace and defense
industries and the associated engineering unemployment
were becoming a major concern for IEEE and other professional
organizations at this time. IEEE Headquarters was
taking the initiative in such areas as employment
seminars, "skills banks" and other programs that might
benefit its members. Grover Dausmann, who would be
elected the next Regional Director, was serving as
Region 3 representative in these activities.
Invitations had been accepted for Region 3 Conferences
in Knoxville, TN, in 1972, and in Louisville, KY,
in 1973. The Meetings Committee had been working with
the local committees on the format and the requirements
for these conferences. The Student Activities Committee
was also coordinating its plans with the local Student
Branch. There was still a lack of written material
which could be placed in the hands of the local sponsors,
saying "this is what you must do for a Region 3 Conference".
By the end of 1971 the framework for the organizational
structure that would serve Region 3 for the next twenty
years was essentially in place. The Area concept had
proved its case. The Section leaders were pleased
with the additional attention and help they were receiving,
and the Director had six additional hands to carry
out his responsibilities. The initial committees were
hampered by lack of guidelines and, sometimes, unsure
of their jurisdiction, but were getting the job done
in their respective fields.
The recessionary economy, with the accompanying unemployment,
had a dramatic impact upon IEEE during the next two
years and served as a catalyst for major changes in
the society and its organizational structure. This
did not occur immediately, but there was much unrest
among the members. Questions were being raised such
as "why doesn't IEEE do something?" about such serious
issues as members who were unemployed or facing unemployment,
portable pensions, retraining in new fields, advocacy
of government programs to relieve these problems,
and a host of economic, societal, and political issues.
While IEEE could do and was already gearing up to
do something for its unemployed members, there were
legal questions as to how far it could go under its
charter as a technical and educational society and
its classification under Section 501(c)3 of the tax
codes. There was also the question of whether a majority
of the membership really wanted a substantial amount
of IEEE resources allocated to these "professional"
activities. And, to top this off, the Institute was
facing a deficit budget for 1972, even with stand
still assumptions.
Under these conditions Director Dausmann took office.
The Region 3 Committee Chairmen were beginning to
get their feet on the ground, develop guidelines for
their operations, and acquire some expertise in their
fields. These were all retained by the new Director.
However, five of the six Area Chairmen were new.
In Region 3 there were pockets of severe unemployment,
such as at Huntsville, Canaveral, and Orlando, but,
in general, the region was not suffering as much as
some other areas of the country, and the clamor for
action was not as strong. Director Dausmann, himself,
although a past Chairman of the Huntsville Section,
had very strong reservations about the wisdom of IEEE
broadening its field from that of a preeminent technical
society to a combination of technical and professional
interests with a possible dilution of the technical.
He was also concerned about a possible dues increase
to pay for the expanded services during a period of
recession.
A membership survey at this time, while not conclusive,
seemed to indicate substantial support for changes,
and for an accompanying dues increase sufficient to
continue existing services at their present level
and provide some funding for the new services. It
did not indicate an overwhelming support for change,
however.Much of the Region 3 Executive Committee discussion
during 1972 was focused on these matters. Dausmann,
notwithstanding his personal convictions, made every
effort to develop a representative Region 3 position
on the controversy, working through the Area Chairmen
and directly with the Section leadership. The survey
results did show Region 3 to be more conservative
in its view toward change than the other U.S. Regions.
The end result of all the meetings, discussions, surveys,
and studies was a constitutional amendment submitted
to the membership late in the year which would forever
change the character of the Institute by broadening
its purposes to include "professional" activities,
along with the traditional technical and educational.
The amendment received a favorable vote, although
considerably less than a mandate.
In this climate of change the routine activity of
Region 3 was continuing. Much of the first Executive
Committee meeting in February, 1972, was devoted to
discussion of the possible changes in direction for
IEEE, and there was no consensus on the wisdom of
some of the proposals. Planning appeared to be proceeding
well for the 1972 Regional Conference in Knoxville.
The conference in Knoxville was the first to officially
use the terminology "SoutheastCon", the term by which
these annual conferences have been referred to since
that time. The conference followed closely the pattern
which had been set at Charlottesville the year before.
At the Regional Committee meeting the Membership Committee
reported on a new program to retain more student members
upon graduation. One of the major factors that contribute
to these graduates falling through the cracks is the
difficulty of obtaining address information. The proposed
actions outlined to the Region 3 Committee would not
completely solve this problem , but would alleviate
it. The Sections and Student Branches were asked to
cooperate in carrying out the program. A comprehensive
Section leadership workshop was held but was poorly
attended with less than half the Sections represented.
The Meetings Committee presented proposed guidelines
for the conduct of future Southeastcons. While not
a complete "how to" manual, this was the first printed
instructions offered the local committees.
Dr. Rufus Fellers, former Director of Region 3 received
the Outstanding Engineer Award for 1972. A list of
all Regional Awards recipients is included in Appendix
C.
Students were housed in University of Tennessee dormitories,
reducing the costs considerably. Twenty-one student
papers were presented, the largest number ever in
a Region 3 contest. With such a large number it was
necessary to hold a "finals" competition. The top
five were selected by the judges for a second presentation
before selection of the first, second, and third place
winners.
During 1972 the Institute Student Activities Committee
organized the Student Policy and Planning Committee
with student representatives from each Region. The
purpose of the SPPC was to provide a channel for direct
student input at the Institute level. In Region 3
the student was also given a major role in the planning
of the Regional Student Conference. William T Hurley,
of the University of Louisville, was the first Region
3 representative.
During 1972 the four Subsections of the South Carolina
Section were upgraded to Section status. Following
the example of their colleagues in North Carolina
they preserved the benefits of their former joint
operations by simultaneously forming an Affiliation
of South Carolina Sections.
IEEE began the year 1973 governed by the newly amended
Constitution and with a small dues increase. In addition
to the general dues increase for all members, members
of Regions 1-6 were assessed an additional amount
to fund professional activities within the U.S. The
United States Activities Board (USAB) was formed to
oversee these activities. The prevailing economic
climate and the desire within IEEE to "get something
done" imposed new demands for their time on the Regional
Directors, all of whom were members of USAB. Although
Region 3 was slow to get involved in many of the new
initiatives, simply because there still was not a
groundswell of demand by the membership, Director
Dausmann found himself devoting much more time to
Board level activity than to the affairs of the Region.
The maturity of the Regional staff (Area and Committee
Chairmen and the other officers) which had been developed
over the past three years began to pay off.
In 1973 the RAB Member Services Committee conducted
a Section Leadership workshop during INTERCON at its
New York meeting. This was the first attempt to provide
this service at the Institute level.All Region 3 Sections
were urged to have any of their members who would
be attending INTERCON arrange their schedule to attend
this activity. Also, rooms were set aside for each
Region during one afternoon for an informal Region
Committee meeting. Relatively few Region 3 members
showed up for either of these activities.
The 1973 Regional Conference was held at Louisville,
KY, in April. The Region 3 Committee members were
asked by the Director to express themselves on local
needs in the new areas of interest, and, again, little
enthusiasm was indicated. A proposal by the Awards
Committee for a Regional award for Outstanding Service
to the IEEE was approved with the first award to be
made at SoutheastCon in 1974. The Region 3 Committee
approved the report of the Nominating Committee for
the two candidates for Regional Director. In the membership
election later that year W.L. Sullivan, of Atlanta
was elected Regional Director for 1974-1975.
A complete turnover took place in the Regional staff
at the start of the new term of office. Six new Area
Chairmen and five new Region Committee Chairmen took
office. A new Committee, Professional Activities,
was established to implement some of the new non-technical
activities.
The responsibility and status of the Area Chairmen
were enhanced with the initiation of Area workshops
for Section officers. Travel and incidental expense
for these was included in the Region 3 .udget, and
by reducing the travel requirements it was possible
to bring several officers from each Section to the
workshops. During 1975 120 officers from 40 of the
42 Sections attended one of these workshops. Recognizing
the value of the leadership training, the Regional
Activities Board provided $3000 for the cost of travel.
There was slowly growing (very slowly in most locations)
interest in non-technical or professional activities.
In fact, in some Sections there was still opposition
to the new IEEE programs. There were still diverse
views on this at the Board level also, and Director
Sullivan attempted to reflect the general viewpoint
of the regional membership in these discussions. Although
professional support was low key within the Region,
those Sections which desired to get involved were
fully supported in their efforts.
As an example, the first local project in the Region,
and one of the first in IEEE, to be funded from the
Regional Assessment (USAB funds) was originated by
the Canaveral Section. This was a study of the potential
for a solar energy project in the Cape area which
would be supported by State of Florida and Federal
funds, utilizing unemployed and underemployed engineers
who were already in the area. IEEE funds of less than
$100 were used for printing, postage, and publication
of the finished document for presentation to State
government. A modification of the proposal was eventually
adopted.
Another example of what even a small Section can accomplish
with determined leadership was provided during this
period by the Central Savannah River Section with
only 70 members. Using $500 seed money, advanced by
the Region, for texts, materials, and instructors,
they successfully conducted a two day course on the
1975 National Electrical Code. In attendance were
6 members, 3 students, and 52 non-members. A community
need was served and the Section obtained a $1700 surplus.
SoutheastCon was held in Orlando in 1974 and in Charlotte
in 1975. Both meetings were successful, although there
was great concern prior to the Orlando meeting about
the impact a current gasoline shortage might have
on attendance. This concern was unfounded as the conference
was attended by 445 professional members and 145 students.
The program included 180 professional papers, there
were 47 exhibitors, and a small surplus was generated,
figures comparing favorably with most SoutheastCons
conducted 20 years later.
At the awards banquet at Orlando Mr. George Pierce,
of the New Orleans Section, was presented the first
award for Outstanding Service to IEEE. As the affairs
of the Region became more complex and began to involve
many more individuals, documented guidelines were
needed to provide continuity from one administration
to the next. Up to this point each Director was essentially
on his own as to how he would manage the affairs of
the Region. It was fortunate that the three most recent
Directors had all served in various capacities at
the regional level prior to assuming office, and were
prepared to carry on in much the same manner as their
predecessors. To correct this deficiency the Region
3 Executive Committee proposed a set of operating
guidelines.
Roy Harris, who had recently served as Area 2 Chairman
and would later serve as Region 3 Director, was asked
to head a small group to develop such guidelines.
These original Operating Guidelines were adopted by
the Executive Committee in October, 1974, and, although
not binding on any future administration, carried
an implicit understanding that they would be used
by the Regional Director and other officers from year
to year to provide efficiency and continuity. This
may have been one of the most significant actions
taken by the Region 3 Committee during these early
years. These guidelines were later expanded and adopted
by the membership as the Region 3 Bylaws.
Student support was further expanded during Director
Sullivan's term of office. The special fund for student
support contributed by the Sections was merged with
the other Region funds. In 1975 all student travel
expense was included in the Region budget. Student
travel, which had been computed under a different
formula, would henceforth be computed as for other
members, except that each Student Branch would be
allowed to combine the amounts due its three authorized
travellers in such a way as to maximize the number
of students able to attend. This policy has been more
or less followed since that time.
Dr. Larry K. Wilson, of Nashville, TN, who had served
as Chairman of Area 5 for the past two years was elected
Region 3 Director for the 1976-1977 term. Again there
was a turnover in Area and committee chairmen, and
one new committee, Educational Activities, was established.
The financial status of the Region was much improved
due to substantially greater rebates from Headquarters.
For 1976 the Region 3 rebate, based on a budget submitted,
was $15,800 plus $9,500 in USAB funds to be used for
professionaL activities.
SoutheastCon '76 was held at Clemson University. The
Technical Conference, the Student Conference, and
the Region 3 Committee meeting were exceptionally
well attended. At the Awards Banquet Robert S. Duggan
was presented the Outstanding Engineer Award and Ben
V. Martin the Award for Outstanding Service. An unusual
aspect of Mr. Martin's award was that this occurred
on the fiftieth anniversary of his service as Chairman
of the Student Branch at Clemson. The Student Branch
presented Mr. Martin with a plaque commemorating this
event.
Thirty-one Student Branches out of fifty-four were
represented at the Student Conference and Prize Paper
Contest. An improved formula for student travel reimbursement
was partially responsible. Also, the Region for the
first time supplemented the Life Member Fund monetary
prizes for prize paper winners by $175, bringing the
totals to $300 (1st), $200 (2nd), and $75 (3rd) for
the three winners.
Plans were announced by the new Educational Activities
Committee for a five day microprocessor design course
to be held in Atlanta later in the year. This was
a joint effort with the Educational Activities Board,
with Headquarters providing the materials, instructors,
and publicity, and some financial help. It was later
announced that twenty-eight students attended, not
quite enough to cover the costs. This humble beginning
in sponsoring technical education at the Regional
level was to grow in the years to come.
Section management workshops were becoming more popular
in the Areas as the value of this training was demonstrated.
Areas 1 and 2 (Virginia and North Carolina) experimented
with a joint workshop which was very successful as
travel distances were still held to a minimum and
broader discussions were possible. Area 4(Florida)
held a combined Section management and Professional
Activities workshop. Professional Activities finally
seemed to be catching on within Region 3. A National
PAC workshop held in Washington, DC, was attended
by four representatives from the Region. Information
received on various PAC programs and personal contacts
made at this conference helped stimulate additional
activity in Region 3. Among the active programs reported
by the end of 1976 were: Middle Tennessee, participating
in the Tennessee Joint Engineering Action Group in
supporting various legislative initiatives; Canaveral,
generating support for recent legislation to extend
coverage of the Service Contract Act to professionals;
Huntsville, continuing operation of the Huntsville
Employment Assistance Office; and the Florida Area
( soon to become the Florida Council), representation
on the Florida Council of Engineering Societies.
A new major technical conference and exhibition, similar
to ELECTRO and WESCON was being discussed at this
time by representatives of Regions 3,4,and 5. To be
called MIDCON, it would alternate between Chicago,
Dallas, and Atlanta and be professionally managed.
While these discussions continued for more than a
year, the leadership of Region 3 seemed to feel that
SoutheastCon was meeting the needs of its members,
including students, in a way that MIDCON would not,
and withdrew from further consideration of this joint
effort. In retrospect, this appears to have been a
wise decision, as SoutheastCon continues to be the
glue that holds it all together in Region 3. Even
the major conference SOUTHCON established several
years later has not provided the benefits to the rank
and file membership that have accrued from SoutheastCon.
SoutheastCon '77 was held in Williamsburg, VA. One
notable addition at this conference was a full day
Professional Activities Workshop. USAB funds were
available for travel support for attendees, and every
Section was encouraged to send a representative, even
if they had not yet appointed a PAC Chairman. Attendance
was less than expected, but the first Region 3 PAC
Workshop was well organized and included several participants
from USAB and the Headquarters staff. This could be
considered the real beginning of a concerted effort
at the Regional level to bring Professional Activities
services to Region 3 members.
The Regional Student Representative on the RAB Student
Policy and Planning Committee was added to the Region
3 Committee and Executive Committee. The Executive
Committee also authorized the preparation of initial
Bylaws for the Region, to be based on the Regional
Guidelines. In the Fall election, Mr. R.H. Harris,
of North Carolina, who was currently serving as Region
3 Vice Chairman, was elected Director for the 1978-1979
term.
SoutheastCon was held in Atlanta in 1978 and Roanoke,
VA, in 1979. By this time competition for future conferences
was beginning to build, as more Sections began to
recognize the benefits arising from this activity.
The existing guidelines allowed selection of conference
sites only three years ahead. At each Region 3 Committee
meeting there were usually two or more Sections competing
for the third year out. The format of activities was
much the same each year, but each new local committee
seemed to come up with attractive innovations to increase
the value of the conference to Region 3 members. This
was particularly true of the Student Conference.
Several significant actions took place during Director
Harris' term of office: the initial Region 3 Bylaws
were adopted; planning for SOUTHCON, a major convention
and exhibit, co-sponsored by IEEE and the Electronic
Representatives Association (ERA), was initiated;
and the first student conference on professionalism
was held.
The initial Region 3 Bylaws, based largely upon the
Operating Guide then in use, were approved by the
Region 3 Committee at its April, 1978, meeting in
Atlanta. The initial Bylaws included provision for
the nomination of either one or two candidates for
Regional Director and two or three candidates for
Vice Chairman. The intent of this was to permit the
uncontested election of a Director who had previously
served as Vice Chairman as a result of a contested
election. This was not made explicit in the initial
wording, but was consistent with provisions of the
IEEE Bylaws. Region 3 Bylaws were later amended to
include this and other requirements which must be
met for an uncontested election.
This nominations and elections procedure has provided
the Region membership with outstanding leadership
at the top levels of its management structure. The
Area structure provided broader recognition of outstanding
leadership at the Section level. The Area and Council
leadership roles opened additional avenues of service
for capable members who were willing to work. The
Regional committees offered additional opportunities
for service at the Regional level. Truly, an extensive
talent pool was being discovered and developed for
volunteer service to the IEEE. The elections process
put into place in 1978, along with the philosophy
of selecting candidates who have put in their time
in a variety of voluntary assignments and done well
at it, insures the members of Region 3 that their
top leadership will be the best of the best.
One small glitch that appeared in 1979, was a change
in the elections schedule by IEEE which required that
the names of Regional nominees be received at Headquarters
by March 1 of the year of the election. This had previously
been required at a later date. With the Region 3 Committee
not meeting until late April each year this new schedule
forced the Region Executive Committee to decide either
to separate the Region 3 Committee from SoutheastCon
or use a mail ballot to the committee members. This
decision was not made lightly. The Executive Committee
felt that with all the screening that was done by
the Nominating Committee, and the care with which
the candidates were selected, a mail ballot would
not be objectionable to the Region 3 Committee. This
feeling was strengthened by the fact that during the
ten years of nominating by committee there had never
been a proposal from the floor at the Region 3 Committee
meeting. As a result the mail ballot was instituted
and is still being used.
During this period a major new technical conference
and exhibit was being planned for the Southeast. Similar
to the long established ELECTRO and WESCON and in
view of the recently successful MIDCON, there was
reason to believe that a such a major electronics
show and conference, called SOUTHCON, would be successful
if rotated between Atlanta and Orlando. Dr. Joseph
Pettit, president of Georgia Tech, was largely responsible
for initiating the activity to bring this conference
about. As with MIDCON,SOUTHCON was to be jointly sponsored
by IEEE and the Electronic Representatives Association
(ERA) with members of the local units in the Southeast
constituting the Board of Directors.Financial responsibility
and participation in any surplus was apportioned to
the Atlanta and Orlando Sections of IEEE, Region 3,
and three Chapters of ERA. The show would be professionally
managed by the Electronic Conventions, Inc.(ECI).
The first show was scheduled for January, 1981, in
Atlanta. Director Harris played a major role in obtaining
IEEE approval of the concept and the implementing
Bylaws and served on the initial Board of Directors.
IEEE had made provision in the organizational structure
for an entity between the Region and the Sections
called a " Council". Unlike the "Area", the Council
was a formally constituted body, voluntarily agreed
to by its constituent Sections, with a Chairman elected
by its membership under governing Bylaws. During 1978
and 1979 the Florida Sections were busily engaged
in organizing such a Council. By 1979 the Sections
in Tennessee were also circulating proposed Bylaws
for such an organization, and North and South Carolina
were converting Affiliations to Councils. The Region
Bylaws were amended again to provide that in Areas
where Councils had been duly organized, the elected
Chairman would replace the Area Chairman on the Region
3 Executive Committee.
Except for North and South Carolina, where the transition
from Affiliation to Council was mostly a matter of
nomenclature, the formation of Councils was not an
easy task. Many Sections saw this as giving up a bit
of their sovereignty for uncertain benefits. In addition,
no new funding was in the picture to support the costs
of Council operation. State-wide cooperation in professional
activities was the most obvious advantage initially,
but over time there proved to be many others.
In Florida, this was the driving force behind the
formation of the Florida Council. In the middle 1970's
many engineers, including many IEEE members, had experienced
or were facing loss of employment due to the poor
economy and reductions in the aerospace program. The
coordinated effort of all the Sections through a statewide
organization had much appeal. In 1978 the Florida
Council was fully operative, with only one Section
declining to participate. Professional issues, including
wage busting at Kennedy Space Center, engineering
registration, the energy crisis, and legislative liaison
were dealt with directly by the Council or in concert
with the Florida Council of Engineers.
With no financial support available from the Region
or elsewhere the Sections grudgingly agreed to assessments
by the Council, but most of them were not in position
to continue this for any length of time. Another temporary
source of funds was derived from a technical conference,
Florida Eclectic, held in March, 1979, a
