
Michael B. Pursley, known for his contributions in information theory and spread spectrum communications, passed away on January 14, 2025 at the age of 79. Â He wrote many seminal papers on cross-correlation properties of sequences and performance evaluation for both direct sequence and slow-frequency-hopped multiple access communication over fading channels and in packet radio networks. Â He is the author of two textbooks published by Prentice Hall: Random Processes in Linear Systems (2002) and Introduction to Digital Communications (2005).
Dr. Pursley was elected Fellow of the Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» in 1982 and President of the Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» Information Theory Society in 1983. He was a member of the Editorial Board of the Proceedings of the Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» during 1984–91. He was awarded an Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» Centennial Medal in 1984, the Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» Military Communications Conference Award for Technical Achievement in 1999, and an Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» Millennium Medal in 2000. He received the Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» Communications Society Edwin H. Armstrong Achievement Award in 2002. He received a distinguished alumnus award from the University of Southern California in 2005, he was named Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineer by Purdue University in 2008, and he received the Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» Communication Theory Technical Achievement Award in 2017.