Q: Tell us a little about you and your family, Evelyn.
A: I was born and raised in the inner city of Detroit as the youngest of five children. I was the only one in my family to go to college and one of only a very few females to graduate with an engineering degree from my university by the mid-70s. Driven by the economy and the fluctuating job market; I’ve lived in a variety of locations across the U.S. I have two grown children who work as a high school history teacher and an electrical engineer. My three grandchildren range in age from 12 to 3.
Q: What is your greatest hope for your year as IEEE-USA President in 2010?
A: That I will have advanced the viability and recognition of the contributions of the profession in general and specifically engineers and computer professionals.
Q: What misconceptions do you think people have about engineers?
A: That we are technical all the time and have limited to no social skills.
Q: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A: Making a difference so that the world is better when I’ve left then when I arrived.
Q: What is your greatest fear?
A: That I’ll never find the time to follow up on an idea I have for some systems engineering research.
Q: What living person do you admire most, and why?
A: One of the semi-retired engineers at work who has been a practicing engineer for over 60 years and was instrumental in enabling ultrasound technology to move from a scientific curiosity to a key tool for ensuring product quality and safety in industrial products and as an every-day medical diagnostic tool. My admiration stems from the fact that he achieved his great success with only a bachelors degree in electrical engineering while nurturing a strong family life; raising wonderful and successful children, and staying grounded in the realities and joys of everyday life.
Q: Tell us about your favorite hobbies or pastimes.
A: My favorite hobby is breeding and showing Basenji dogs in Canada and the U.S. Unfortunately, this has been on hold the last few years due to my IEEE duties.
I have however been able to find time to due some genealogy research that has help me better understand the transitions my family name has experienced over the years.
Q: What is your favorite journey?
A: Learning across a diverse range of subjects.
Q: What is your most distinctive characteristic?
A: I’m frequently told that I excel at “connecting the dots”.
Q: Share your motto with us, Evelyn.
A: Living well is the best revenge.
Georgia C. Stelluto is Editor-in-Chief of IEEE-USA IN ACTION; IEEE-USA’s Publishing Manager’ the program manager for IEEE-USA E-Books; and the Staff Manager for IEEE-USA’s Communications Committee and the IEEE-USA E-Books Editorial Board. She can be contacted at g.stelluto@ieee.org.
