News

John Luce
MEMBER GRADE: Life Senior Member

In January 2020, IEEE Life Senior Member John Luce, P.E., passed at the age of 91, but his lifelong contributions to the field of engineering and to the future of IEEE will not be forgotten.

Born in 1928 in Fountain Hill, PA, US, Luce earned a BSEE degree from Norwich University (Northfield, VT, US) in 1950. Luce helped design the world’s first controlled nuclear power reactor and subsequent nuclear submarines, frigate, aircraft carrier, and electric generating station and also designed Naval sonar, plastics machinery, and neutron generators. Luce taught at Hillsborough Community College (FL, US) as well as at the University of South Florida and held nine US patents. He was also a watchmaker, a commercial and amateur radio operator, a Captain in the Army Signal Corps Reserve, and a life member of Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honor Society.

“John was very active with the IEEE, most recently the Florida West Coast Section,” shared Luce’s longtime friend and colleague Richard Beatie, PE, IEEE Florida Council and Florida West Coast Section Awards and Recognition Chair. “John was my mentor and we participated in many activities together over the years — hamfests, airshows, and assorted events. He was quick to share stories of his illustrious engineering career and could answer any technological question I ever asked him!”

As an esteemed member of the IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League, through which members can leave a legacy gift to benefit future generations of engineers, “John made a very significant bequeath in his will to the IEEE Foundation in recognition of all of the benefits he received over the years as a member,” Beatie added. “I hope others reading this will consider adding IEEE to their will as well.”