With great sadness, we remember two outstanding volunteers and IEEE Life Senior Members for their work on behalf of the global IEEE community:
George Dean
George Dean, an IEEE Life Senior Member, passed away on January 25, 2026, at the age of 92. Throughout his distinguished career, he was deeply involved in IEEE leadership, serving as Chair of the Wichita Section, Region 5 Director (2000–2001), and later Chair of the Wichita Life Member Affinity Group. He also served as Vice President of the IEEE Aerospace & Electronic Systems Society.
George earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kansas in 1961 and began his professional career with Boeing Aircraft in Wichita. He later received a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Wichita State University and continued his engineering career with Cessna and Beech Aircraft.
While employed at Beech, George was elected to represent Kansas’s 96th District in the State House of Representatives, where he served for ten years. His contributions to engineering and public service leave a lasting legacy.
Zafar Taqvi
Dr. Zafar Taqvi, IEEE Life Senior Member, passed away on 6 February 2026, at the age of 84. For more than 50 years, he was an active and dedicated member of IEEE, serving as a founding member of the IEEE Galveston Bay Section and holding numerous leadership positions, including Section Chair, Life Member Affinity Group Chair, and, most recently, Region 5 Historian. He also served on the Board of Governors of the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society and was a member of the IEEE-USA Transportation and Aerospace Policy Committee. In recognition of his exemplary service to the profession, he received the IEEE-USA George F. McClure Citation of Honor in 2020.
Dr. Taqvi earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a Master of Science in Electronics and Radio Engineering from Allahabad University in India, followed by a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Houston in 1967. His distinguished career was dedicated to advancing space communications systems. He served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston–Clear Lake for more than 38 years and held a variety of senior engineering and management positions throughout his career, including Principal Engineer, Advanced Systems Engineering Specialist, Project Engineer, and Group Manager with major contractors supporting NASA’s Johnson Space Center. He also collaborated with leading aerospace and engineering organizations, including Lockheed, Boeing, and Barrios Technology.
Beyond his professional achievements, he devoted more than two decades to STEM outreach through the DiscoverE/Future City programs. He was also an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Life Fellow of the International Society of Automation. Through his leadership, technical expertise, educational contributions, and commitment to public service, Dr. Taqvi leaves a lasting legacy within the aerospace community and the generations of students and professionals he inspired.
