Gary Campbell, ACESA Board Member  at the ISA Honors ceremony in Houston receiving the Distinguished Society Service Award.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Edward “Ed” Francis McBrien, a longtime resident of the valley, past president of the Arizona Council of Engineering and Scientific Associations, and Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University (ASU) departed this life on August 14, 2006. He was 80 years young.

As a professor at ASU for 10 years, he was well-liked, respected and appreciated by his students. Outside of the classroom, Ed was known as one who took on the challenge of supporting the move of the Applied Technology curriculum to the ASU East Campus at Williams Field in Mesa, AZ.

Ed was a participant, volunteer and leader within the engineering community. He was also a big promoter of engineering and science fairs such as the Young Engineers and Scientists (YES) at the Arizona State Fair, Central Arizona Regional Science and Engineering Fair(CARSEF), Phoenix Region Future City Competition, and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). He served as a judge for these and other science fairs for many years. Through the Choices Program he spent a lot of his free time talking to students in grades K-12 about career opportunities in engineering, and he participated in student-based organizations such as the Delta Partnership, Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA), Science Olympiad, and Academic Decathlon. He was an advisor for the Instrument Society of America’s ASU Student Section.

Ed was also a “computer buff” and he shared his skill with Easter Seals’ computer refurbishment program. He served as the “go-between” for the organization and those who needed computers.  Ed was a stickler for customer service, so he was always careful to make sure that the computer(s) would fill the need of the requestor, and that the requestor knew how to use it. He was extremely effective in transitioning people with little or no computer experience into accepting and using computer systems that were donated, refurbished and made ready for a second or third use. It was the quiet, sincere way in which he dealt with technologically apprehensive people that was indeed impressive. One of Ed’s most proud moments with Easter Seals was his involvement with a team of disabled children that completed and presented a project in the Phoenix Region Future City Competition. He was also a member of the Phoenix PC Users Group for a number of years.

Ed was a very patient, soft-spoken, and understanding person. He sought more cooperation than he obtained. He had a subtle humor that one had to concentrate on to understand. He was always one of the first to volunteer, one of the first to assume responsibility, and he had a keen ability to understand things that others did not.  With his passing, Phoenix has lost one of its pioneers in science and engineering, a leader, and a dear friend. 

Prior to arriving in Phoenix, Ed worked for NASA, taught at Cleveland State University, and served in the Army during WWII.  He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, and daughter Pamela Karen McBrien and husband Ed Petryk, and grandchildren Michelle Sablatura (12) and Curtis Sablatura (9).

Ed was a graduate of Fenn College (Cleveland) with bachelor and master degrees in electrical engineering. Fenn College later became Cleveland State University. 

A memorial service will be held at Danforth Chapel on the ASU Tempe Campus, September 23, 2006 at 10:00 am with a reception following.

To continue his legacy of inspiring young people a scholarship has been established in his name.  Contributions can be made payable to:

ASU Foundation/Mr. Ed McBrien Memorial Scholarship

Please send them to:

ASU Foundation
P.O. Box 2260
Tempe,  AZ  85280

ACESA Officer Chuck Terrey passed away from an unconquerable bladder cancer at the age of 75 on December 21 2006, at Hospice of the Valley. He was a magician, an inventor, a visionary, a teacher, an engineer, an artist and a student of the world, its systems and its people. He knew that hydrogen power would save the world from its own pollution and worked very hard speaking to groups, thinking and writing about the dangers of US foreign oil dependency and the goal of a hydrogen economy. He was born and grew up in Michigan City, IN. He served overseas as an electronic technician with the US Coast Guard during the Korean War (1951-54). Later, he earned a BS degree in Electrical Engineering at Purdue University (1958). Since then, he has worked in quality assurance, and manufacturing engineering for electronics and computer manufacturers in California and Arizona before joining Hypercom in 1995. He has several inventions to his credit, including a circuit board analyzer. He was a member of IBM, SAM, SME, ACESA and a director of the Phoenix-based American Hydrogen Association. No services are planned. His ashes will be distributed in the Grand Canyon. He will be missed by all of us.

Ed Sharpe of CouryGraph Productions Receives 5 Emmy® Nominations.

Phoenix, Ariz. Ed Sharpe, webmaster and board member for the Arizona
Council of Engineering and Scientific Associations, is the recipient of
5 Emmy(R) Nominations in recognition of outstanding programming. 

Sharpe oversees The Glendale Daily Planet - KKAT Streaming TV, Glendale's homegrown Internet video news source.

About Southwest Museum of Engineering Communications and Computation
(SMECC): SMECC's mission is to preserve engineering, communications
and computation history. The museum is located in the historic district
of Glendale, AZ at 5802 W. Palmaire Avenue, and is always seeking three
dimensional artifacts, papers, and thoughts on those who pioneered the
technology. For more information about SMECC, call 623-435-1522 or visit
the website: http://www.smecc. org/ <http://www.smecc. org/>

About ACESA: ACESA was created in the 1950s by the leaders of the
various professional engineering and technical societies in the valley.
Recognizing that a coordinating group could enhance their ability to
achieve their individual society objectives, ACESA became the primary
means of disseminating information and promoting these activities. Today
ACESA serves as a communications network into Arizona's pool of
scientific, engineering, and technical practicing professionals.
Engineer's Week, State and County Science Fairs, Career Days, Future
City Competition, Choices Program and the Delta Partnership are notable
examples of programs and activities that involve the science and
engineering community. Visit the website at: http://www.acesa. org
<http://www.acesa. org/> .

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Last modified: March 10, 2008

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