The IEEE Foundation works to raise funds for IEEE programs that bring the promise of technology—and the knowledge of how to apply it—to improve the world. Giving to the Foundation supports a variety of activities and programs around the globe, including IEEE Smart Village, the IEEE Power & Energy Society Scholarship Plus Initiative, and IEEE REACH (Raising Engineering Awareness Through the Conduit of History).
Several IEEE Foundation donors are members of the IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League. They have pledged money to the Foundation through a bequest in their will, trust, life insurance policy, or retirement plan. The group is named after Alfred N. and Gertrude Goldsmith, who bequeathed a portion of their estates to the Foundation. Alfred was a founder of the Institute of Radio Engineers.
Linda Hugle and John Impagliazzo are Legacy League members. Here is a look at why they donate and what programs they support.
PAVING THE WAY FOR WOMEN IN ENGINEERING
Hugle is the daughter of Frances Hugle, a pioneering engineer who started several companies in Silicon Valley. As an educator, Linda Hugle understood the importance of education and tried to help young people pursue their dreams.
Hugle bequeathed a portion of her individual retirement account to the IEEE Frances B. Hugle Scholarship, which she helped establish to honor her mother. The scholarship provides money for budding female engineers to pursue higher education. Every year, one female IEEE student member is awarded a US $2,500 scholarship. The recipient must have completed at least two years of undergraduate study in an engineering curriculum at an ABET-accredited university in the United States.
Hugle’s gift has enabled IEEE Women in Engineering to expand the prize so that now two women can receive the scholarship annually.
Since awarding the scholarship to its first recipient in 2018, four students have received the reward. The 2020 awardee, IEEE Graduate Student Member Olivia Figueira, said she planned to “engage with organizations such as IEEE and IEEE WIE in the future to further widen participation in engineering, as was one of Frances B. Hugle’s goals.”
Through Hugle’s philanthropic support of IEEE, she memorialized the impact her mother had on the engineering community while simultaneously benefiting aspiring engineers who are women.
SUPPORTING THE PROFESSION
Impagliazzo, professor emeritus of computer science at Hofstra University, in Hempstead, N.Y., has been an IEEE member since 1961. The Life Fellow served as director of the IEEE Foundation board from 2013 to 2018 and still gives his time, talent, and monetary donations to help advance the organization’s philanthropic objectives and carry out its strategy for the future.
He led the establishment of the IEEE Heritage Circle—a cumulative giving donor recognition group. He is a member of the circle at the Alexander Graham Bell level and has pledged more than US $10,000 to support IEEE programs. One initiative he contributed to was the Historical Showcase Project. It allowed for IEEE artifacts from the IEEE History Center’s archives to be displayed for members to see. The first exhibit was unveiled at the New York IEEE office in February 2018.
Impagliazzo is also a member of the IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League and has included the Foundation in his will.
He says he believes it’s important to support the Foundation, both while alive and posthumously.
“You can’t take it with you, so why not do good and support IEEE and the IEEE Foundation?” he says. “The Foundation does good work, and it has the potential of making new pathways to benefit humanity and the future of the engineering profession.”
He encourages everyone in the IEEE family to work together for the common good, noting that “leaving a legacy through the vehicle of the IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League allows you to help advance the development of technology for the good of humanity.”
HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER
If you are interested in joining the Goldsmith Legacy League, the IEEE Foundation team can assist you. Call +1 732 565 5446 or email Daniel DeLiberato.
There are many ways to show your support. It is never too early or too late to start. As you create or update your plan, consider the role IEEE has played in your life and the IEEE legacy you want to leave.
