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From farm boy to Navy man, then engineering educator to Forever Generous donor

Lyle Feisel was born in Tama, Iowa, USA, in the 1930s. Much as it is now, Tama was a small town on Route 30, roughly halfway between Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, with around 3,000 citizens. Lyle’s elementary education took place in a one-room schoolhouse, and his non-school hours were spent working in the local farming community.

“Toward the end of my high school years,” remembers Lyle, “the faculty at the high school thought perhaps I should do something more than hang around Tama. They suggested I study engineering, and of course, I had never heard of engineering, or what engineers were, but that did not deter me from starting at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, right out of high school.”

During his freshman year at Iowa State University, Lyle met his future wife, Dorothy Stadsvold. But he quickly realized he was running out of money for college that first year. With the Korean GI Bill expiring at the end of 1954, he joined the United States Navy and, for four years, served in the military. 

He eventually returned to Iowa State and completed his bachelor’s degree under the GI bill. During his sophomore year, he joined the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE). By his junior year, Lyle was elected president of the Iowa State Joint Student Branch and became a member of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE). IRE and AIEE are the predecessor organizations, which ultimately merged into IEEE in 1963.

In 1961, Lyle won the IEEE Region 5 student paper contest, with the prize being a free trip to the AIEE summer meeting, which he and Dorothy attended together. His participation with IEEE would only increase from there. But first, in 1964, he was able to earn his Ph.D. through a National Education Act Fellowship. At this point, he and Dorothy, along with their three children, moved to the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD, USA. He worked in their Electrical Engineering Department for the next 19 years.

It was during his time in South Dakota that his IEEE work experienced exponential growth. 

“I chaired the Life Members Committee and the IEEE History Committee. In both of those positions, I was an ex officio member of the Foundation Board, so I gained a lot of experience,” recounts Lyle. “Then, when I was no longer an ex officio member, I was elected a regular member of the IEEE Foundation Board. I was most honored when I retired by being elected Director Emeritus.”

Lyle was also very involved with the IEEE Education Society and the IEEE Educational Activities Board, which continued through his next career move in 1983, when he became the founding dean of the Watson School of Engineering at SUNY Binghamton in New York.

He stayed at the Watson School until his retirement in the early 2000s, at the age of 65. At this point, Dorothy and Lyle relocated to the eastern shore of Maryland for a slower-paced life on the water. However, his volunteer work with IEEE continued, and he remained involved with the IEEE Ethics and Member Conduct Committees and served on the Editor Advisory Board of IEEE Potentials.

As a long-time donor to the IEEE Foundation, with gifts to the IEEE History Center Fund, IEEE Life Members Fund, and IEEE Foundation Fund, among others, Lyle deeply believes in the collective impact that philanthropy can have.

“The critical function of the IEEE Foundation – or any charity — is that it lets you help accomplish a goal that you could never achieve by yourself,” he explains. “Acting alone, we could never put a girl through high school in Guatemala, teach a class in New Jersey about the history of engineering, illuminate a light bulb in Haiti, or take a kid for a ride on a replica sailing ship. By giving to the IEEE Foundation and other charities,” he says, “we’re able to help do all of those things.”

That’s why, when he and Dorothy were revising their will a decade or so ago, they discussed leaving a legacy gift to the IEEE Foundation with their children.

“Our three kids decided they don’t need an inheritance from us and that it would be better if we established where our resources should go,” remembers Lyle. “I have been giving to IEEE for years and have been involved enough to know that funds given to the Foundation are well spent.”

Lyle likened their decision to stipulate a legacy gift in their estate to his and Dorothy’s decision to move into a retirement community; it took the burden off his children to make decisions about their parents’ care or future wishes. He found the process of leaving a legacy to be very easy.

“Probably everyone has insurance policies, IRAs, etc. It’s remarkably easy to make IEEE a beneficiary of these funds,” he notes. “Taking action like this can help avoid probate and simplify things for your heirs. Our assets are invested, and we draw on those investments for our living expenses. We don’t know what the remainder gift to IEEE will be. But we’re in no hurry to find out!”

As members of the IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League, Lyle and Dorothy are leaving a Forever Generous gift to benefit the world through technology. As Lyle explains best, “you may find a charity as good as IEEE, but I don’t think you will find one that is better. If you are an engineer, you know how much technology can contribute to the world. IEEE helps to bring that technology to life. What better use of your money?”

If you would like to learn more about the IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League and discuss a plan to take this Forever Generous step, we welcome a conversation with you and your loved ones. Please fill out a planned giving interest form or contact the IEEE Foundation directly at 1.732.562.5349 or email donate@ieee.org.