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Abstract
This article examines the historical professional project that created the Institute of Radio Engineers’ Professional Group on Engineering Writing an Speech (IRE PGEWS)—now called the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Professional Communication Society (IEEE PCS)—and recounts the group’s early history in detail. It also traces the career and recovers the professional contributions of the main organizer of PGEWS: Eleanor M. McElwee (1924–2008). The formation of PGEWS in 1957 was an intraoccupational strategy of inclusionary usurpation by “publications people” seeking to elevate their status within the engineering profession rather than attempting to build a separate profession of technical communication.
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Other Articles on Communication by This Author
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| Hallier, P. A., & Malone, E. A. (2012). Light's “technical writing and professional status”: Fifty years later. Technical Communication, 59(1), 29–31 and E13–E21. Google Scholar | |
| Malone, E. A. (2013). Elsie Ray and the founding of STC. Journal of Technical Writing and Technical Communication, 43(2), 121–143. Google Scholar | |
| Malone, E. A. (2015). Women organizers of the first professional associations in technical communication. Technical Communication Quarterly. doi:10.1080/10572252.2015. 1001291. Google Scholar | |
| Malone, E. A. (2008). IEEE-PCS's first editor. IEEE Professional Communication Society Newsletter, 52(10), 8–17. Google Scholar | |
| Malone, E. A., & Tezcan-Malone, H. (in press). Children communicating food safety/teaching technical communication to children: Opportunities gleaned from the FIRST® Lego® League 2011 food factor challenge. In D. Wright (Ed.), Communication practices in engineering, manufacturing, and research for food, drug, and water. IEEE PCS Professional Engineering Communication Series. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-IEEE Press. Google Scholar | |
| Malone, E. A., Wright, D., & Roberson, E. (2014). Technical communication at Missouri S&T: Challenges and strategies. Programmatic Perspectives, 6(1), 86–109. Google Scholar |
