Paying it forward: Jack Blevins' enduring commitment to ECE

Every semester, Jack Blevins returns to The Grainger College of Engineering for a simple reason: to help students succeed.

More than 50 years after earning his education at the University of Illinois, Blevins ('70, B.S., Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; '71, M.S., Electrical Engineering) continues to give back to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering through mentorship, philanthropy, and alumni engagement. Whether he is meeting one-on-one with Senior Design teams, encouraging fellow alumni to reconnect with the department, or supporting student initiatives through charitable giving, his commitment to ECE remains as strong today as it was when he first arrived on campus.

"I'll mentor students until there is no student needing assistance," Blevins said. "I have always worked on a problem until I have a solution."

For Blevins, giving back has never been about recognition. It is about ensuring future generations of Illinois engineers have the same opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed that shaped his own life.

A foundation built at Illinois

Blevins' path to Illinois began with curiosity and opportunity.

Drawn to electrical engineering after learning about the program from his high school math teacher, he also discovered a campus job soldering circuit boards that would help pay his way through school. He earned a dual bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science in 1970 before completing his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1971.

While at Illinois, Blevins discovered that success required persistence. "I was not a straight-A student," Blevins recalled. "I had to learn how to study."

Faculty members like Dr. Gilbert H. Fett, commonly remembered as providing a foundation for problem solving, left a lasting impression. Attending lectures by Nobel laureate John Bardeen remains one of his most memorable experiences at Illinois. Professor Bardeen is known for co-inventing the transistor and being the only person to have won two Nobel prizes in physics. Blevins said hearing him present was “incredible”.

Photo Credit: Della Perrone

Outside the classroom, he competed on the University Rifle Team, worked throughout college, and met his wife, Sue, whom he married in 1969 while still a student.

A summer position at Sangamo Electric proved especially transformative as an undergrad. There, Blevins designed a 16-bit special-purpose computer using off-the-shelf integrated circuits after another approach had stalled. The project eventually became the basis of his master's thesis and launched a career built on solving complex engineering challenges.

A career driven by solving problems

Over the next 47 years, Blevins built a career spanning computer architecture, software development, engineering management, and consulting.

Among the accomplishments he is most proud of was developing software to support seed implant therapy for prostate cancer, in collaboration with physicians and engineers at Brigham & Women's Hospital and Johns Hopkins University. Before the software was released, he requested an independent physicist verify his dosage calculations to ensure the program would safely support patient care. This work has helped thousands of men.

He also spent 18 months helping Holland Company solve a longstanding challenge with railroad inspection technology. At the time, the Federal Railroad Administration developed a rail test that would eliminate visual inspection. Holland Company had failed the test for nearly five years. The work Blevins did, writing code on various trucks, allowed all 15 vehicles to pass the FRA test, allowing the company to expand its business and raise their fees.

Throughout his career, Blevins found the greatest satisfaction in tackling difficult engineering problems.

"As an engineer I helped companies develop their products," he said. "I wanted to sit in front of that computer or logic analyzer and find the problem. That decision limited my income, but not my personal satisfaction."

Returning to the classroom

Retirement didn’t mark the end of Blevins’ connection to engineering. It opened the door to a new chapter with ECE.

He contacted the department with a simple question: Could he help mentor students?

"When I was a student there was no one to mentor me," he said. "I wrote the letter to find out if there were mentors for the students. This has been a match made in heaven."

After the COVID-19 pandemic delayed those plans, Blevins eventually found his place working with ECE 445 Senior Design teams, a role he has embraced for the past four years. At the beginning of each semester, he contacts every project team, offering to meet with any group that would like guidance. He has no role in grading or evaluating students. Instead, he shares practical advice drawn from decades of engineering experience.

“Jack has been a wonderful resource for ECE 445,” said ECE Lecturer Arne Fliflet. “His conversations with students during the early phases of their projects help them understand the key features of their work and how to set themselves up for success. Many of the teams he has mentored have gone on to win awards.”

For Blevins, those conversations are just as valuable as the technical discussions.

"I enjoy every minute that I spend with a project team," Blevins said. "The students are very respectful, so I am always ready to meet with them."

He hopes students leave those conversations with a broader perspective on engineering and the many career paths available to them.

An ECE graduate should seek the old guy in the office to learn how things get done in their new digs," Blevins added with a smile.

Investing in future generations

Blevins believes supporting the department extends beyond sharing his time.

After reflecting on the role Illinois played in his own career, he and Sue chose to support the department through a gift to the ECE Building Fund, believing it would have a direct impact on students.

"We decided that I had a successful career, and my six years of education were part of it," Blevins said. "We selected the Building Fund because it is more direct to students."

He believes every contribution, regardless of size, helps strengthen the department.

"Even small gift donors like me can make a difference in maintaining the quality of ECE," he said.

As he looks ahead, he hopes Illinois continues producing graduates prepared to tackle the challenges of tomorrow while remaining connected to the department that helped launch their careers. He hopes his example encourages other alumni to stay connected in whatever way they can.