Schweitzer gift in memory of powerful professor Flechsig

By Marissa Mararac, Voiland College of Engineering & Architecture

PULLMAN, Wash. – In honor of a fondly remembered professor, Edmund Schweitzer and Schweitzer Engineering Lab are making donations of $100,000 each to the Alfred and Nancy Flechsig Fund for Laboratory Improvement at Washington State University.

Alfred (Al) Julius Flechsig Jr. passed away in August. He was a WSU alumnus (BS ’57) and a professor of electrical engineering at WSU for 42 years until his retirement in 2003. He did important research in power grid protection and was influential in setting up the Western Protective Relay Conference in the power industry.

“His influence on power system protection is worldwide,” said Schweitzer. “In the classroom … his love of learning and discovery was infectious. He led by example, and pushed his students, including me, to be more than we ever imagined.”

Upon Flechsig’s retirement, the Voiland College’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) established a fund in the couple’s name to ensure that students have up-to-date labs for hands-on activities.

“Al’s specialty was in power grid protection,” said Behrooz A. Shirazi, Huie-Rogers chair and director in EECS. “The Flechsig Lab Improvement Fund continues his tradition of exposing our students to the best laboratories for teaching grid protection.”