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W. DEMING LEWIS
1915-1989
BY WILLIAM C. HITTINGER
WILLARD DEMING LEWIS, a major contributor to commu-
nications science and technology and to education, died
on April 19, 1989, at the age of seventy-four. He had been
president of Lehigh University from 1964 until his retire-
ment in 1982 after an illustrious career of twenty-three years
with Bell Telephone Laboratories and Belicomm, Inc., the
Bell System subsidiary devoted chiefly to systems engineer-
ing for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's
(NASA) Apollo program. His contributions cover a broad
spectrum of technical ctisciplines—mathematics, microwave
communications, digital error detection, and systems engi-
neering followed by eighteen years of leadership in di-
recting the evolution of Lehigh into a teaching and research
institution of national distinction.
Deming Lewis, son of Willard and Constance (Deming)
Lewis, was born in 1915 and was a native of Augusta, Geor-
gia. He enrolled at Harvard University at age sixteen, where
he earned the B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in physics. He received
two additional degrees at Oxford University, where he was
a Rhodes Scholar in advanced mathematics. He was awarded
seven honorary degrees in recognition of his contributions
to technology and education. He was the father of five
daughters by his first wife, Marian Carter Chapman Lewis,
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MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
who died in 1965, and added two children to his family
when he married Emmaline Hoffman in 1966.
In 1941 Deming joined Bell Telephone Laboratories as a
member of the technical staff, and rose to executive direc-
tor of communications systems. He was granted thirty-three
U.S. patents on such components and systems as microwave
filters, antennas, and digital error detection. He authored
many technical articles in his field. He was also responsible
for the research efforts of groups of scientists and engineers
in advanced telecommunications; much of the research led
to newly emerging telephone switching systems that are the
main building blocks of today's switched telecommunications
network.
When NASA requested the Bell System in 1962 to form a
systems engineering organization to guicle the Apollo moon
landing program, Deming Lewis was one of four technical
leaders who built BelIcomm, Inc. and managed this effort
to ensure the technical evolution and integrity of the lunar
· —
mission.
On October Il. 1964, Deming Lewis was installed as
president of Lehigh University. In his inaugural address,
Lewis called for broad undergraduate programs to provide
a firm understanding of fundamentals, specialized graduate
and research training, and continuing education.
Lewis' abilities were much sought after during his career.
He was a charter member of the Polaris Command and
Communications Committee and the Defense Industry Ad-
visory Committee. In 1964 he was appointed by the Secre-
tary of the Navy to the Naval Research Advisory Committee,
which he chaired} for two years. He also served as a consultant
to the President's Scientific Advisory Committee for the
U.S. Office of Science, Research, Development.
He was chairman of Pennsylvania's Board of Education,
chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission for Independent
Colleges and Universities, and president of the Lehigh Valley
Association of Independent Colleges. Also, he was chairman
of the council for the Harvard Foundation for Advanced
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W. DEMING LEWIS
209
Study and Research and a member of the Overseers' Visit-
ing Committee for Engineering and Applied Physics at HaIvard.
He was on the board of governors and was a vice-president
of the Harvard Engineering Society. He participated in
many community functions as well, including hospital and
United Way.
Deming Lewis was elected to the National Academy of
Engineering (NAE) in 1967. He was a member of NAE's
Executive Committee; he chaired the National Research
Council's Space Applications Summer Study and NAE's
Committee on Power Plant Siting.
He was a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Elec-
tronics Engineers and of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science. He was a member of many learned
and technical societies, including the American Physical
Society, Phi Beta Kappa, Tan Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, and the
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.
Industry also sought his council and wisdom through
membership on boards such as those for Pennsylvania Power
and Light Company; Bethlehem Steel Corporation; Fairchild
Industries, Inc.; Fisher & Porter Company; and Zenith Radio
Corporation.
Deming's accomplishments reflect in part his many talents
and interests. A voracious reader since early childhood
and an avid handyman around the house, Lewis rapidly did
"The New York Times" crossword puzzle daily and spent
weekends during his later Lehigh years designing and building
by hand "Capricorn", his family's 35-foot cabin cruiser. He
also continued to play his college sports of squash and
tennis and presented an imposing, towering challenge to
his opponents.
A witty idealist without illusions, he is remembered by
his colleagues for his zest for living and the breadth of his
interests. To those who knew him well, Deming Lewis was
a symbol of integrity. He did not merely advocate scholar-
ship, he was a scholar. He did not preach high ideals; he
was their embodiment. In a tribute by his university col-
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MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
leagues, it was said, "all educational institutions are measured
by the quality of students they produce. A few are fortunate
enough to want to be measured also by the quality of the
leaclers they nourish. Lehigh is proud to have flourished
under the leadership of Deming Lewis, whom it honors
and will long remember."
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
lehigh university
