Remembering Devoted IEEE Volunteer Gus Gaynor

Gerard “Gus” Gaynor, a long-serving IEEE volunteer and former engineering director at 3M, died on 9 March. The IEEE Life Fellow was 104.

Readers of The Institute might remember Gus from his 2022 profile: “From Fixing Farm Equipment to Becoming a Director at 3M.” Just last year, he and I coauthored twoarticles. One discusses how to leverage relationships to boost your career growth. The other weighs the pros and cons of pursuing a technical or managerial career path. He was 103 years old then. How many IEEE members can claim a centenarian coauthor?

I first met Gus in 2009 at the IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB) meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We sat together in the airplane on our way back to Minneapolis, our hometown. At home I told many of my friends about the remarkable person—who was 87 years young at the time—with whom I chatted during our six-hour flight.

A decade later, he and I met for lunch in Minneapolis. He drove himself to the restaurant, just asking for a hand to navigate the snowy sidewalk.

A dedicated IEEE volunteer

Gus’s involvement with IEEE predates the organization. He joined the Institute of Radio Engineers, a predecessor society, as a student member in 1942. Twenty years later he became an active IEEE volunteer.

He served on the TAB’s finance committee and the Publications Services and Products Board. He was president of the IEEE Engineering Management Society (now the Technology and Engineering Management Society ), and he was the Technology Management Council’s first president. He was the founding editor of IEEE-USA’s online magazine Today’s Engineer, which reported on government legislation and issues affecting U.S. members’ careers. The magazine is now available as the e-newsletter IEEE-USA InSight.

He authored several books on technology management, published by IEEE-USA.

IEEE Life Fellow Gerard “Gus” Gaynor died on 9 March.The Gaynor Family

Most recently, after the formation of TEMS in 2015, he became an active member of its executive committee. He served two terms as vice president of publications.

At 100 years old, he led the launch of a new publication, TEMS Leadership Briefs, a novel short-format open-access publication aimed at technology leaders.

Gus, who is a former member of The Institute’s editorial advisory board, also worked with Kathy Pretz, The Institute’s editor in chief, to start an ongoing series of TEMS-sponsored career-interest articles. He coauthored several of them.

Throughout his 64 years as an IEEE volunteer, he received several honors. They include IEEE EMS’s Engineering Manager of the Year Award, the IEEE TEMS Career Achievement Award, and the IEEE-USA McClure Citation of Honor. In 2014 he was inducted into the IEEE Technical Activities Board Hall of Honor.

A 25-year career at 3M

Gus received a degree in electrical engineering in 1950 from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He worked for several companies including Automatic Electric (now part of Nokia) and Johnson Farebox (now part of Genfare), before joining 3M in 1962.

During his successful 25-year career at 3M, he served as chief engineer for a division in Italy, established the innovation department, and led the design and installation of the company’s first computerized manufacturing facilities. He retired as director of engineering in 1987.

Last year, IEEE Life Fellow Michael Condry, a former TEMS president, organized a Zoom call with Gus and other leaders of the society to celebrate Gus’s 104th birthday. Gus looked well and was his usual upbeat self, telling everyone: “I’m good. Everything’s well. I can’t complain.”

Gus was married to Shirley Margaret Karrels Gaynor, who passed away in 2018. He lives on in the hearts and minds of his seven children, seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and innumerable friends and IEEE colleagues.