The Life Members designation, awarded based on age and the length of membership, first started in 1884 when the American Institute of Electrical Engineers was founded. When the AIEE merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers in 1963 to form IEEE, the Life Member Fund was created, along with the Life Member Committee Fund, later simply Life Member Committee (LMC).

The LMC has invested in our Life Members by providing local social, technical, and humanitarian activities that:

• Keep Life Members active in the IEEE community.
• Encourage life-long learning with events and resources.
• Mentor students and young professionals with outreach and grant initiatives
• Support fellowships and award programs
• Honor our legacy by capturing the life histories of our Life Members
• And so much more!

IEEE Life Membership has grown from 1,045 in 1945 to over 38,000 worldwide in 2022.