Chairs, Professorships, and Scholars

Fredric G. and Elizabeth H. Nearing Professor
in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Thanks to a generous gift from Fred Nearing (BSEE '43) and his wife, Betty, the ECE Department will use the Fredric G. and Elizabeth H. Nearing Professorship to recruit and retain quality faculty.

After graduating in 1943, Nearing worked for Western Electric writing technical data on radar systems including the radar bombing system in B-29 aircraft. After the war, he worked for several companies doing lab design, then found his niche in technical sales. "I'm a practical engineer, not a technical one," Nearing said. Before retiring, Nearing spent most of his sales career with Hewlett-Packard and Electronic Instrument Associates. In recognition of his outstanding service to the department, Nearing was presented with the Marcia Peterman ECE Alumni Award in October 1997.