Baldy's 50th Anniversary of All Things I&CPS and IAS [History]

The Industrial Power Systems Committee, established under the umbrella of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), was renamed the "Industrial and Commercial Power Systems (I&CPS) Committee" in 1963 with the formation of the IEEE. It was assigned as a technical committee under the General Applications Group and remained as such even when, in 1966, the General Applications Group became the IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS). Then, in 1977, the committee was elevated to a department as part of the overall IAS reorganization. The following is the history of Baldwin (Baldy) Bridger, Jr., one of our most dedicated and exemplary members, who passed away on 11 August 2019 and who, for the past 50 years, helped transform the IAS and I&CPS into the dominant industry authority within the IEEE it is today.