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IN MEMORIAM
WILLIAM C. DUESTERHOEFT
William C. Duesterhoeft was born December
10, 1921, in Austin, Texas, and died June 14, 1996, after completing
the 17th hole of the Great Hills Golf Course in Austin. Dusty's passing
marked the end of an era for the Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering of The University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Duesterhoeft spent 48 of his 74
years in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University.
This accounting neglects the times he came on campus as a teenager to
see the Annual Electrical Engineering Power Show. He matriculated in
1939 and graduated with a BSEE in January 1943. He took a job with General
Electric Company in Schenectady, New York, where he did design and development
work on a mass spectrometer for the Manhattan Project and on an airborne
radar for controlling antiaircraft guns. He was impressed with the quality
of the technical staff at GE and was proud of his contribution to the
war effort while there.
Dr. Duesterhoeft returned to Austin
in 1946, and taught as instructor and assistant professor while working
on a master's degree, which was awarded in 1949. His master's thesis
was "A Simplified Method of Determining Instantaneous Currents
and Voltages of an Ideal Synchronous Machine During Unbalanced Short
Circuits," written under Professor Edith Clarke. In 1949 he married
Doris Mahoney, a staff member in the registrar's office. They moved
to Pasadena, California, where he entered the graduate program in electrical
engineering at California Institute of Technology. Dr. Duesterhoeft's
research at Cal Tech in high voltage and electric arc phenomena resulted
in a PhD in 1953. His dissertation, written under the supervision of
Professor G. D. McGann, was entitled Temperature Measurements of Large
Power Arcs and the Relation of Temperature to Dielectric Recovery.
From 1952 to 1954, Dr. Duesterhoeft
was employed by General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Texas, and worked on
digital processor applications to reconnaissance systems. In the spring
of 1954, he was a lecturer at Southern Methodist University. He returned
to UT Austin as associate professor that fall. He was promoted to professor
in 1961 and became professor emeritus in 1995. Except for brief research
appointments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the General Atomics
Division of General Dynamics, Dr. Duesterhoeft gave himself fully to
teaching, research, and administration in the department until he retired
in 1992. In retirement, he continued to teach two courses per semester
through May 1996.
Dr. Duesterhoeft's teaching contributions
were many and varied. He taught courses in electric power, signal analysis,
circuit theory, electronics, information theory, electromagnetics, control
theory, plasma engineering, and advanced engineering mathematics. His
teaching style was to come to class well prepared, but always ready
to think through a topic on his feet as he presented the material. His
goal was to engage the class in the development of the topic and he
was not adverse to wandering a bit if an interesting question came to
light. Among the teaching awards Dr. Duesterhoeft received were the
Convair Award for Excellence in Engineering Teaching (1958), The University
of Texas Student Association Teaching Excellence Award (1961), and the
Student Engineering Council Teaching Award (1977). Over the years Dr.
Duesterhoeft supervised 44 master's and 12 doctoral students and served
as reader for many other students. He published 29 refereed articles
and 39 other publications, and was awarded two patents.
Dr. Duesterhoeft's research and consulting
interests were equally diverse. He was interested in traditional electric
power engineering topics and in the latest developments in information-based
engineering. He published scholarly papers and research reports on electric
machines and power systems, electromagnetic waves, instrumentation techniques,
plasma engineering, radar, and circuit theory. In 1963 he initiated
a research program with the Texas Atomic Energy Research Foundation
that led to an institutional grant to the University for controlled
nuclear fusion research. Dr. Duesterhoeft also worked with Dr. A. A.
Dougal to obtain the Department of Defense Joint Services Electronics
Program in 1964. He was associated with Drs. F. E. Brooks and Archie
W. Straiton in the research program in electromagnetics at the Electrical
Engineering Research Laboratory, and also with Drs. H. W. Smith and
Francis X. Bostick in electric well logging for petroleum exploration
and production.
Dr. Duesterhoeft's contributions to
the faculty and students of the department as an advisor and administrator
were significant over many decades. Although he was never chairman,
Dr. Duesterhoeft "ran" the teaching program of the department
for many years. He negotiated teaching assignments, assigned graders
and teaching assistants, managed the registration process, produced
the course schedule, and oversaw the faculty advising system, doing
much of the detailed advising himself. His door was always open, and
he always had time to help someone or for a good story. His contributions
to student advising were recognized by a Certificate of Merit from the
National Academic Advising Association in 1985.
Professor Duesterhoeft was a member
of numerous honorary and professional organizations: Phi Eta Sigma,
Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, the American Institute for Electrical
Engineers, the Institute for Radio Engineers, the American Physical
Society, the National Panel for the Engineering Council for Professional
Development, the American Society for Engineering Education, and the
Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, which elected him
a Life Fellow. He was a registered professional engineer in Texas, and
consulted with many industrial organizations. He was listed in Who's
Who in Engineering and American Men of Science.
Dusty was a strong family man. He
was fond of his many relatives around the Austin area. He was devoted
to his wife. He was very proud of the achievements of his daughter,
Dr. D'Ann Duesterhoeft, who graduated from the electrical and computer
engineering department and went on to become a doctor specializing in
anesthesiology. D'Ann is married to Dan McGraw, M.D., and is the mother
of Meridith and Madeline McGraw.
Dr. Duesterhoeft was an active Lutheran
all of his life. He served St. Martin's Lutheran Church both as trustee
and president. His Christian faith was sincerely held and expressed
itself in his personal integrity and willingness to serve where needed.
<signed>
Larry R. Faulkner, President
The University of Texas at Austin
<signed>
John R. Durbin, Secretary
The General Faculty
This memorial resolution was prepared
by a special committee consisting of Professors Francis X. Bostick (chair),
John R. Cogdell, Edward J. Powers Jr., and Baxter F. Womack.
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