Developed standards for electric power systems

Life Fellow, 99; died 6 January.

Koepfinger was an active volunteer with the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), an IEEE predecessor society. He made significant contributions to the fields of surge protection and electric power engineering.

In the early 1950s he took part in a three-year task force studying distribution circuit reliability as a member of AIEE’s surge protective devices committee (SPDC), according to his ArresterWorks biography.

In 1955 he helped revise the AIEE Standard 32 on neutral grounding devices and was part of a team that developed guidelines for power transformer loadings.

In the 1960s he became chair of the SPDC and initiated efforts to develop standards for low-voltage surge protectors. Later, Koepfinger served on the IEEE Standards Association Board and contributed to the development of IEEE standards for lightning arresters and surge protectors.

He received several awards for his work in standards development, including the IEEE Standards Association’s first Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 and the 1989 IEEE Charles Proteus Steinmetz Award. In 2008 he was inducted into the Surge Protection Hall of Fame, a tribute webpage honoring engineers who have contributed to the field.

Koepfinger had a 60-year career at Duquesne Light, in Pittsburgh, retiring in 2000 as director of its system studies and research department. After retirement, he continued to serve as a technical advisor for the International Electrotechnical Commission, a standards organization.

He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 1949 and 1953.

Friends and colleagues who want to share their memories of Koepfinger can do so on his obituary page on the Copeland Funeral Home’s website.