1935–2020
SWE Fellow, first woman president of the Colorado Engineering Council
Word recently reached SWE that Darlyne C. Fuller, F.SWE, died in June 2020. A longtime member based in Denver, she graduated from the University of Denver in 1958 with a B.S. in electrical engineering. Fuller’s career included various positions with Stearns-Roger Corp., Martin Marietta Corp., and Lockheed Martin. Much of her work involved high-level responsibilities for power plants located in the western United States. In these positions, she was able to encourage other women engineers by her personal example and counsel. She also was an instructor of electronic circuits at Metro State College.
Fuller brought great visibility to women engineers throughout the region, most notably through her involvement in the Colorado Engineering Council. This umbrella organization consisted, at the time, of 25 engineering societies with local chapters in the Rocky Mountain area. Fuller was the SWE representative to the council, and later was elected to every office. She became president for the 1981–82 term, the first woman to hold the position in the organization’s then 64-year history. Following her term as president, she served as a director.
Fuller joined SWE in 1963. On the section level, she served as Denver section chairman — as the position was designated at the time — as well as section representative, secretary, and chair of several committees. She represented the section at local science fairs, and spoke at career development seminars. On the Society level, Fuller chaired the scholarship committee, the career information committee, and the tours committee for the 1976 annual convention. She was also a member of IEEE.
As a successful engineer, wife, and mother, with a busy career and community activities, Fuller was a role model who elevated the stature of women engineers in the region. She retired in 1999, remaining involved in the community through volunteer activities at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and the performing arts center at the University of Denver.
Fuller is survived by her sister, her two children and their families, including four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Services were held June 10. Donations in her memory can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.
— Anne Perusek, SWE Director of Editorial and Publications
Sources: SWE Archives, personal correspondence, https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/14961686/Darlyne-C-Fuller