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With the goal of benefiting humanity, the IEEE Foundation locks arms with donors to enable more than 250 IEEE programs, advancing technology and solving the world’s greatest challenges. Benefiting humanity is an ambitious goal—one that is made possible, in part,  by the gifts from the Foundation’s generous donors. To honor these philanthropists and to thank them for ensuring that IEEE programs are able to turn their ambitions into impact, the Foundation established the IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League. 

IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League

IEEE Foundation’s planned giving donor recognition group called the IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League’s members are building tomorrow by leaving legacy gifts to benefit future generations of engineers. The League is named for Gertrude and Alfred N. Goldsmith in recognition of their extraordinary commitment to IEEE. During his lifetime, Alfred N. Goldsmith made a significant personal commitment to furthering the goals of the profession. He was one of the founders of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), a predecessor society of the IEEE, Editor of the Proceedings of the IRE for 42 years, and a member of the IRE board for 51 years. He perpetuated his commitment to the profession after his death by providing a significant bequest to the IEEE Foundation through his estate. Gertrude honored her husband’s legacy in the engineering community by leaving a generous portion of her estate to the IEEE Foundation. Together Gertrude (Maude) and Alfred Goldsmith’s philanthropic vision exponentially expanded the IEEE Foundation’s ability to support IEEE’s mission.

The following new and Forever Generous members of the IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League amplify this precedent set by the Goldsmiths and we are proud to call them partners in the work being done at the Foundation.

Committed Members

Dave Green chose to name the IEEE Foundation  as the successor to his Donor Advised Fund (DAF) for his Goldsmith gift because he supports the Foundation, its mission and its programs. Green felt compelled to include the IEEE Foundation in his future planning because he wanted to make the decisions on directing funds, rather than leaving it in the hands of someone else. Green says, “having been on the board and treasurer, many of the things the Foundation does don’t attract significant donor funds, so I also donate to ‘where the need is greatest.’” He hopes to be remembered, “as a contributor to the IEEE mission who was able to work with other volunteers and staff to help move things forward as much or more than the benefits I have received from the profession and IEEE.”

Lyle Feisel has chosen to include IEEE Foundation in his will and credits this decision to the fact that he has seen the IEEE Foundation use donor funds effectively and efficiently. When asked why he chose to include the Foundation in his estate planning, he said, “designating the recipients as beneficiaries of our retirement investments…eliminates the expense and complexity of probate and has positive tax implications for individuals.” Feisel has been a member of IEEE for years and chooses to support the study of history and student-oriented initiatives. Feisel believes in estate planning, saying, “When you die, your money is going somewhere. It makes sense to make sure it goes to do things that you would like to see done.”

Vivian Carr had a long and storied career in the telecommunications industry at Bell Telephone Labs and its successor, American Telephone & Telegraph Co. (AT&T). She received numerous awards and generously served the engineering community by volunteering her time and talent to IEEE. Carr joined IEEE in 1966 and was elevated to IEEE Senior Member in 1983. She rose through the ranks to lead both the IEEE New York Section and IEEE Engineering Management Society (now known as the IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society). Vivian generously lifted IEEE to the status of family when she included an unrestricted bequest to the IEEE Foundation in her will.

Donald (Don) N. Heirman left an indelible legacy of innovation behind him and provided for the field’s future success through his generous estate gifts to IEEE. Heirman chaired or was a principal contributor to the US and international EMC standards organizations, including ANSI, IEEE, and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and served as president of the IEEE Standards Association (SA), and as a member of the IEEE Board of Directors. Targets of his estate gifts include the following: IEEE History Center, IEEE Standards Association, IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Society, IEEE- Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) Chapter at Purdue University, and IEEE Foundation. Don Heirman contributed so much to generous legacy estate gifts, all of which will pave the way for continued innovation, growth, and success in the engineering field.

Embodying the ideals of Forever Generous, Linda Hugle bequeathed a portion of her Individual Retirement Account (IRA) to the IEEE Frances B. Hugle Scholarship. The Hugle Scholarship was established to honor the memory of Linda’s mother Frances Hugle, her many significant engineering accomplishments, and to help provide the resources for women engineers to follow suit. Linda’s generous planned gift enabled IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) to expand the prize to make an even bigger impact on the careers and future of women engineers. Since inception, WIE has awarded the Hugle Scholarship to four aspiring women engineers and is excited for the opportunity to help more and more women achieve their dreams.