Preserving the promise of our past presidents - precedence, progression, persistence

This article is a compilation of thoughts from many of the 39 past presidents of IEEE Control Systems Society, accompanied by some personal biographical information and reflections from other society members. Investigations to uncover even full names and years of service proved challenging; however, the IEEE CSS digital archive combined with some fruitful Internet searches - and a lot of patience and persistence - proved up to the task. This paper includes information on every past president as recognition of his or her commitment, dedication, and legacy.