Alumnus’ gift focused on developing future leaders in engineering

Gordon Myers arrived at UNM in the mid-1960s, fresh from earning his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and applied science from Caltech. While he enjoyed his time at the prestigious institution, UNM was appealing to him because it was a leader in the computer field, and he craved being at a large university with a broader set of educational opportunities.

Gordon and Diane Myers

He found that — and a lot more — at UNM. It was at UNM that Myers met his wife, Diane. The couple remained married until her death in 2014, just after the couple’s 47th wedding anniversary. They had two daughters, Wendy and Laura, and three grandchildren.

Although the couple had divergent academic paths (Diane earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Gordon a master’s degree in electrical engineering, both in 1968), they both were passionate about improving public education, especially in under-served communities. Since they held such fond memories of their time at UNM, Gordon was looking for a way to make a big impact on campus that would honor Diane.

Gordon Myers found that opportunity with the establishment of the Diane and Gordon Myers Honors Engineering Fund. The fund will support programs at UNM for Honors College students in the School of Engineering to add to the richness and depth of their educational experience.

He was inspired to create the fund after he met Christos Christodoulou, Jim and Ellen King Dean of Engineering and Computing, and Greg Lanier, who served as dean of the Honors College. The two deans had collaborated on projects to expand honors opportunities to engineering students, and their enthusiasm was infectious. Plus, Diane had benefitted from the honors courses she took at UNM, so it was a natural fit to support an honors program.

Over his long and successful career at IBM that took him all around the country, he managed thousands of people, learning that “you don’t manage, you inspire.” Myers feels strongly that while a strong technical background is important in engineering, true success in the field requires an expanded set of experiences. “You need a blend of skills to be successful,” he said. “We are all a prisoner of our own experiences. There’s a broader world, a bigger world out there. You need to experience life outside your normal comfort zone.”

Developing these unique experiences will be the goal of the fund. Possible uses include curriculum development, assisting with undergraduate research expenses and funding student travel. Myers was encouraged by the first honors engineering course, taught by Christodoulou in 2019, and how it attracted so many females, so he feels that a strong honors collaboration will diversify the student base in the School of Engineering.

After graduating from UNM, Myers started his career as a programmer for IBM, supporting the Apollo missions at NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston. He joined at a fortuitous time, serving as one of the programmers on the historic Apollo 11 that put the first man on the moon, as well as the “successful failure” Apollo 13 mission, which was dramatized in a popular movie. For the latter, he was one of a team to be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1970 for helping to bring the three-man crew home safely after a nail-biting journey.

These days, instead of calculating maneuvers for lunar modules, he has his sights on the stars, serving as president of the American Association of Variable Star Observers, and enjoying life in the San Francisco Bay. Myers also has his sights set on the stars for the School of Engineering and the growth of the honors program. “I hope a program like this will bring more women and minorities to UNM,” he said. “There is no quick solution, but UNM is in a unique position to grow diversity in the sciences and engineering.”