In Memorium

(photo taken Sunday, March 14, 1999 at APEC '99 in Dallas, TX)

The IEEE Power Electronics Society notes with great sadness the loss of Dr. Richard M. Bass, PELS Treasurer and Associate Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, in an automobile accident near Valdosta, Georgia in the early morning hours of April 14, 1999. Dr. Bass was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1959. He received the B.E.E. and M.S.E.E. degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1982 and 1983, respectively, and the Ph.D. (E.E.) degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana in 1990. From 1981-1983 he was employed by the Georgia Tech Office of Interdisciplinary Programs developing adaptive aids for persons with disabilities. From 1984 to 1987, he was employed by the Veterans Administration Rehabilitation R&D Unit in Atlanta, where he participated in the development of an improved motor drive for powered wheelchairs. At the University of Illinois , his doctoral studies were in power electronic systems. His Ph.D. thesis was entitled "Large-Signal Tools For Power Electronics: State-Space Analysis and Averaging Theory." In 1994, Dr. Bass was a visiting scholar with the Electricite de France electric vehicle research program. He is survived by wife Cathy and son Austin who were also in the accident but not seriously injured. A Memorial Service was held Sunday April 25 at the Oakhurst Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia.

July 1, 1999
Charleston, South Carolina

Our field is a fast-changing and highly technical endeavor. I believe that one of the most important aspects of our awards is that they help put a human face on the activities and efforts of all who work so hard for progress and improved quality of life.

Each year, we gain many new friends through meetings like this one. We also lose some. One of my saddest experiences as President this past year has been the tragic loss of Richard M. Bass. Many of you knew Dick Bass well, and I know most of you have met him one of these conferences and other places.

Dick was a renowned educator, a respected researcher, and an outstanding engineer. Above all these, he was one of the finest people you could hope to meet. We worked together for many years, and it is a high privilege to claim him as a student, as a colleague, and as a friend. It was a great shock and sadness to all of us when we learned of his untimely death in an accident in April.

(A minute of silence was requested at this point.)

Dick Bass was a young man, and in his too-brief career, he made a wide range of major contributions to power electronics. His efforts included drives for wheelchairs, the theoretical underpinnings of averaging, electric vehicle charging and interface systems, continuing education programs, nonlinear control approaches, and a host of others. He received the B.S. and M.S. degrees from Georgia Tech, and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Illinois. He was Associate Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering at Georgia Tech, and had won awards for excellence in teaching as well as recognition for his research.

Dick was an active volunteer in his community and in his church. He was also very active in our Society as a volunteer, with many years of service on the PESC Organizing Committee. Most recently, he was Treasurer of the Society.

We believe these contributions are exemplary, and any young person starting in power electronics would do well to consider Dick Bass as the model for what an engineer should be.

I would like to announce that the Society is dedicating today the Richard M. Bass Outstanding Young Power Electronics Engineer Award in memory of our good friend. Dick's wife, Cathy, and his mother, Pinky, were able to join us today for this occasion. His son Austin is also at the conference. On behalf of the Power Electronics Society, I would like to present this plaque, which commemorates the naming of this award, to Cathy and to Dick's family.

As originally suggested by Arthur Kelley, the following formal motion was made by Rene Spee to the AdCom of the Power Electronics Society

"Effective with the award at PESC '99 , the PELS Outstanding Young Power Electronics Engineer Award will be named in honor of Dick Bass and will formally be known as the "Richard M. Bass Outstanding Young Power Electronics Engineer Award".

Rene followed with the comment:
Dick was an outstanding young power electronics engineer, an active PELS member and contributor and above all, a great human being, person and friend. His loss will be felt for a long time and I believe that we can do a small thing to honor him by naming the award after him. We would like to remember Dick at PESC '99 in Charleston and would like to have the award renamed in time for the conference.

This motion was seconded by Seth Sanders of the University of California Berkeley and passed unanimously by an e-mail vote of the PELS AdCom. To become completely official, the award awaits only the nearly assured approval at the IEEE TAB meeting in June prior to PESC '99.

Below is information concerning the trust fund which has been set up for Dick Bass' son, Austin. Many thanks to Teddy Puttgen and Susan Fitzgerald of Georgia Tech for setting up the trust fund.

Austin Guillaume Bass Education Trust.
The trust has been set up at the Wachovia Bank here in Atlanta.
Contributions can be made as follows:

Designate the check as:

Catherine Damm Bass
Custodian for Austin Guillaum Bass Education Trust
Acct # 21 829 933

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT ALL OF THIS INFORMATION BE ON THE CHECK.

The check can be mailed to:

Wachovia Bank

c/o Jason Conn

31 Pharr Road, N.W.

Atlanta GA 30305.

Mr. Conn's telephone number is: 404 842-2886

You will also be interested to know that the Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Teacher Award in the ECE department at Georgia Tech will be renamed the "Richard M. Bass - Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Teacher Award". The award will continue to be voted upon by the Senior ECE class.

I've just returned from Atlanta and the memorial service for Dick Bass, and perhaps many of you would be interested in hearing about it.

The service was held in Oakhurst Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia. The church has seating for about 250 people, but there were more like 350 or 400 attending. Although I don't go to many such events, my guess is that often many attendees are present because of some social obligation. That was not the case here. It was obvious that the room was filled with sadness. On entering, I noticed a mandolin carefully placed by itself in the front. Dick played this and the banjo, and was interested in bluegrass and gospel music. It was clear that Dick had been deeply involved in the church, in its music, and in a variety of community service programs associated with it. The service was long and personal. We learned that he had indeed played instruments with a small Georgia Tech faculty group interested in gospel music. They played three songs "without our mandolin player," and I'm not sure how they were able to carry through the poignant choices. The pastor gave an extended and detailed message. It was clear that he knew Dick very well. He did not try to explain anything away: "We don't know why Dick was taken from us ...," but he challenged us to commemorate Dick through our response and caring. After the service, there was a reception. Cathy (Dick's wife) was there, along with his mother and other relatives. It was quite difficult for her, but she certainly appreciated the outpouring of support. The Georgia Tech people assured me that they are working hard to help her.

At the beginning of the service, we learned a number of things. On April 13, Dick received an urgent call because of his father's health. He and his family were on the way to that visit late at night when the accident occurred in the wee hours of April 14. Dick's father passed away this past Saturday (April 24).

Georgia Tech has renamed its Eta Kappa Nu teaching award in electrical engineering for Richard M. Bass, and the IEEE Power Electronics Society has renamed its Outstanding Young Power Electronics Engineer award after him as well. In addition, two memorial funds have been set up. The Richard M.Bass Memorial Fund is arranged through Oakhurst Presbyterian Church, 118 Second Avenue, Decatur, GA. There is also an educational trust fund that has been set up for their son, Austin, as described elsewhere on this page.

I encourage everyone to send cards and notes to

Cathy and Austin Bass
1143 Banbury Cross
Avondale Estates, GA 30002

Austin will be two years old on May 15, 1999.

Let me again thank everyone for their support and expressions of sympathy.

Phil

 

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Philip T. Krein

President, IEEE Power Electronics Society

University of Illinois

Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering

1406 W. Green St.

Urbana, IL 61801

217-333-4732

fax 217-333-1162

e-mail: krein@ece.uiuc.edu

http://power.ece.uiuc.edu

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A memorial service was held for Dick on Sunday, April 25 at the Oakhurst Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia. The following "gif" images are from the program

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