Spectral lines: Birth of a concept

The Board of Directors has approved the formation of three IEEE Societies, effective January 1, 1971. Responding to the initiatives of the existing Groups in these areas, the Board approved the IEEE Power Engineering Society, the IEEE Computer Society, and the IEEE Control Systems Society. These actions are the culmination of more than three years of study and analysis by the Technical Activities Board, originally under the leadership of James H. Mulligan (now IEEE President) and, currently, Harold Chestnut, Vice President for Technical Activities. Together with the related reorganization of the Board of Directors, approved last fall, which established Divisional Directors responsible for each of the six groupings of IEEE technical activities, this move is the most significant step taken in the organization of IEEE´s technical activities since the “Professional Group” concept was introduced in IRE by W. R. G. Baker more than 20 years ago.