Abstract :
The IEEE Communications Society, together with the larger IEEE community, was saddened by the death on September 15, 2013 of a deeply respected and admired colleague, Frederick T. Andrews. Fred was President of ComSoc in 1986-87, among many other responsible positions he held in both ComSoc and the IEEE. He was elected to IEEE Fellow grade in 1973 for "contributions to digital transmission and to systems, and to transmission objectives and standards." He eventually became an IEEE Life Fellow and was elected in 1988 to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. He was a noted communications industry innovator and executive, retiring as Vice President for Technology Systems of Bellcore, the telephone companies\´ R&D organization that came out of the breakup of AT&T. It later became Telcordia and, most recently, a unit of Ericsson. To the many people he worked with in ComSoc and the telecommunications industry he was also a modest and good natured colleague and friend, a model for the idea that a great manager can at the same time be a gentle and considerate human being.
