In memoriam: Joe Yaver, SPIE leader and visionary

Joe Yaver, Executive Director of SPIE from November 1969 until 1993, died unexpectedly in his sleep on 29 November. He was 83.

Yaver is credited with keeping the Society vibrant, building the foundation for SPIE’s current scope, and shaping its place in the photonics industry.

“This was a shock to us all,” said SPIE CEO Eugene Arthurs. “I was bantering with him a few weeks ago at a Spark Museum board meeting. He told me he was still monitoring SPIE with ‘great pride’ and with the endless anxiety that was so Joe. I am deeply grateful for what he did for SPIE, for our entire community, and for all the staff over the years. I am humbled by his extraordinary legacy with our organization, and for his guidance since I took his old role in 1999.”

(l to r) 1979-1980 President Robert R. Shannon, Technical Director Yale Katz, Executive Director Joe Yaver, Symposia Chair Andrew G. Tescher, Secretary H. John Caulfield, and volunteer Bruce Steiner gathered at SPIE headquarters in Bellingham, WA, in March 1979.