With deep sadness, we want to share that Professor Glen Hower, former ECE Department Chair, EECS Associate
Director, and a much-loved member of our faculty and WSU family, has recently passed away. Glen was instrumental in founding the WSU Power Professorship program in 1973, which continues to support undergraduate power engineering education at WSU. Glen was 90 years old. Our prayers are with his family.
The following is a memorial statement from Professor Anjan Bose:
“Glen came to WSU as an undergraduate and never left except to take a leave of absence from his faculty job at WSU to go get a PhD at Stanford. He was the ECE Department Chair for some years and then stepped down to be the Associate Chair. When The School of EECS was formed, he continued as the Associate Director of EECS. When I came to WSU in 1993 as the Director of EECS, Glen was the Associate Director and he did that job till he retired. With his many years of experience running that department, he continued running it like a well-oiled machine and spared me from having to deal with many awkward situations. He had taught EE for so long that he was always a hit with our alumni and Glen remembered the names of almost all who had taken his class. Our development staff loved to have glen along to all these alumni events. He also had many students in his class who were the children of his previous students.
He told me once that if he had a student who claimed that Glen had taught his grandfather, he would retire.
And that’s when he did. Of the many, many, many professors of EE, Glen had a bigger hand in shaping it. He was the one who led the effort to start the Power Professorship in 1973 by raising funds from the Northwest power industry. That enabled him to recruit Cliff Mosher from Drexel as the first Distinguished Power Professor. I hold that Power Professorship with some pride to this day.”
Here is a note from ESIC Director Professor Mani Venkatasubramanian:
“Glen was the Interim EECS Director when I joined WSU in 1992 as an Assistant Professor. He was kind and incredibly supportive in helping me learn the many responsibilities of being an academic faculty member. I will never forget Glen’s advice and mentorship, which helped me mature as a teacher and researcher. Glen was very passionate about the WSU power program, which he supported until retirement. He was masterful in handling budgets and accounts and always had a solution for any problem in managing research projects. I am proud to have known Glen as my colleague and mentor and grateful for all his contributions to the WSU power program and WSU.”
A dear friend and long-time trusted ESIC advisor, Steve Muchlinski, has fond memories of Prof. Hower. The following is Steve’s statement honoring Prof. Glen Hower.
“I was truly honored and privileged to meet Glen in the early 1970s, as I embarked on my journey to become an electrical engineer. At the time, he chaired the Department of Electrical Engineering and quickly became a cherished and sought-after professor by my fellow students and me. Glen always found time to advise and mentor students, helping with course selection, homework, and eventually guiding our career paths. After graduating from WSU, I was fortunate to remain in contact with Glen. We worked together on curriculum planning to meet power industry needs and promote the Power Professorship Program. Glen’s openness to suggestions and new ideas helped elevate the Department’s visibility and solidify its reputation as a leader in electrical engineering, preparing students to tackle challenging engineering, societal, and environmental issues.
Glen’s kindness, patience, and steady guidance were defining aspects of his personality and typified how he interacted with everyone. While his significant contributions to academia, student success, and the field of electrical engineering are widely known and respected, I will deeply miss his unwavering friendship and commitment to all who were fortunate enough to know him.”
Prof. Hower has received numerous awards for his work, garnering accolades from researchers and industry alike. Upon his retirement, Prof. Hower received the WSU Alumni Achievement Award for his 43 years of service as a highly respected faculty member. An article covering this honor with the WSU Insider can be found here.
ESIC recently recognized Prof. Hower and his achievements at the 50th-anniversary celebration event of the WSU Power Professorship program. His nephew, Bill Dearing, received a plaque in his honor. The video of the celebration can be found here.
We will miss Glen dearly; our thoughts and prayers are with his family.