Donald Heirman

He died from congestive heart failure, possibly alongside COVID-19 complications, on October 30, 2020 aged 80 years old, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery alongside his wife.

He mentored and encouraged other engineers to participate in EMC Society standards work, such as Alistair Duffy, IEEE EMC Society president (2020–2021). Due to his contributions to the field over the years he was called "Mr. EMC Standards".

In 1997, after retiring from Bell Labs, he started his own EMC consulting company, Don Heirman Consultants, located in Lincroft, New Jersey. He was also associate director of the Wireless EMC Center at the University of Oklahoma, in Norman.

Heirman worked for Bell Labs in different capacities for over 30 years, mainly at the Bell Labs Holmdel Complex. He focused on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) compliance testing and interference suppression research, for example in RF absorbers and anechoic chamber measurements. He received the Bell Labs Distinguished Technical Staff Award in 1982. He was the founding manager of the Lucent Technologies (Bell Labs) Global Product Compliance Laboratory.

Heirman was very involved with the activities of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), joining in the early seventies, serving in different capacities and eventually reaching leadership positions such as president of the EMC Society (1980–1981), and president of the IEEE Standards Association (2005–2006). He was named IEEE Fellow in 1987 for "leadership in establishing techniques and standards for accurate electromagnetic emission measurements", and IEEE Life Fellow in 2007.

He obtained a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in 1962, and a master's degree in 1963, with Floyd Van Nest Schultz, a radar and radio pioneer, being one the professors that most influenced him. While enrolled on his master's degree he met Lois Marlene, a local West Lafayette girl working as secretary of the men's residence hall. They were married on June 8, 1963 at the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in the Purdue campus.

Heirman was an ensign in the US Navy Reserve, promoted to executive officer in the 1961 annual Navy review. During active duty at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in the Pentagon from 1963 to 1965, he worked on predicting ship-to-ship high-frequency radio propagation. He retired in 1985 with the rank of Commander.

Donald Heirman was born and raised in Mishawaka, Indiana, where his father worked as a foreman for Uniroyal (US Rubber). His potential as a student was evident from his time in Mishawaka High School, where he was involved in several extracurricular activities such as science and engineering clubs, choir, photographer for a newsletter, editor-in-chief of the yearbook, drama production, among others. He also excelled academically, being inducted into the National Honor Society as a junior. Graduating in 1958, he was co-salutatorian of his senior class, and received a Lions Club Award and a college scholarship from the Kiwanis Club.

Donald Nestor Heirman (August 16, 1940 – October 30, 2020) was an American electrical engineer, U.S. Navy Commander, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) expert, and IEEE Life Fellow. He was a major contributor to international EMC standardization, serving as president of the IEEE Standards Association, and chair of the International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR). He received the IEC Lord Kelvin Award in 2008, among other awards.