Dr. George Bekey (d. 2024), Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Biomedical Engineering, devoted more than four decades to the University of Southern California and remained professionally and civically engaged well into retirement.
After 40 years as a full-time faculty member, Dr. Bekey transitioned gradually into retirement, continuing to teach part-time at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo in the biomedical engineering program. He also taught a course on world religions through the university’s continuing education program. Beyond academia, he worked with two start-up companies—Patient Patents, Inc. in San Luis Obispo and RoboDynamics in Los Angeles—and served on the advisory boards of several high-tech companies.
In 2005, Dr. Bekey published Autonomous Robots (MIT Press) and later continued work on a book in biomedical engineering. He also served on a local committee dedicated to helping K–12 teachers learn how to use robots in the classroom, with the goal of inspiring students to pursue careers in science and mathematics. Outside of his professional life, he enjoyed spending time in his Central California community, gardening, walking on the beach, and participating in a local hiking club.
Dr. Bekey joined USC in 1962 as an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, became an Associate Professor in 1964, and was promoted to Full Professor in 1969. He served as Chair of the Electrical Engineering Department from 1978 to 1982, Chair of the Computer Science Department from 1984 to 1989, and Associate Dean of Research for the School of Engineering from 1997 to 2001. He was a founder of USC’s Biomedical Engineering Department and the Robotics Research Laboratory.
His honors and awards included election as a Fellow of the IEEE in 1972 for contributions to hybrid computation, man–machine systems, and biomedical engineering; the USC School of Engineering Distinguished Faculty Award in 1976; election to the National Academy of Engineering in 1989 for pioneering work in computer science contributing to biomedical engineering, man–machine systems, and robotics; and the USC Presidential Medallion in 2000. He stepped down from full-time status in 2002, continuing part-time before fully retiring from USC.
Reflecting on retirement, Dr. Bekey once advised:
“Don’t drop your professional career all at once. Reduce your work slowly and ease off from your responsibilities. Don’t drop everything at once because many people who enter retirement this way end up unhappy and bored.”
— George Bekey, 2006