Rest in peace Alan … my sincere condolences to your family.

Only today I learned about his passing. I am so sad and so sorry for his family and other friends. He was a very valuable gift from God. I wish to share his last communication to me  May 12 at 5:51 PM: "Geoff, I’ll do my best to get to editing this soon  [a note I sent him on magnetism] , but the deadline for the Global Humanitarian Techn. Conf. IEEE GHTC 2025 is coming up and I am co author of three papers in need of work. ...re magnetism: I believe you would have reveled in interacting with Dr. Papas, my adviser (CalTech). He would call us in and for hours we would discuss all aspects of such problems. If others of the group wandered by, he would call them in. We were all on call to discuss basic physics and electromagnetism at essentially all hours. The discussions were wide ranging. Former students in the area would stop by for the discussions. Former students in other parts of the country or other countries would come back to tech and stay extra days just to take part in his almost daily multi-hour sessions. ...Member of the Soviet or Armenian Academy of Sciences who would come to Tech for days at a time considered this the way to do science and awarded Papas prizes that he was not awarded in the US. Oh, those days. 
  I do enjoy your questions. ...Have a great day and evening, 
Alan    [this was so typical of the Alan Mickelson I was fortunate to know.    ....Geoff Lindsay : geoffandmikie@yahoo.com ]

Very sad to hear about Prof. Mickelson’s passing. May his sole rest in peace. Undoubtedly, the kindest person I ever met came across in my life.  He made me a better engineer. He gave me an opportunity in his team when nobody else looked at this underdog. 
He always strived to explore opportunities to help the undeveloped countries. Very adventurous.
 He continues to inspire me even today.

I am glad to have known and learnt from him.
Jyothi

To the Family of Professor Alan Mickelson,
It is with profound sadness that I write to express my heartfelt condolences for the passing of Professor Mickelson. After several weeks of attempting to reach him by email—something quite unusual given his consistent and thoughtful responsiveness over the years—I grew concerned. A recent internet search revealed the devastating news of his passing. It is a loss I and other members of our community are still struggling to fully process.
Professor Mickelson has been a valued and an unwavering supporter of our work at the Institut Technique de la Côte-Sud (ITCS) https://go-to.itcs-tech.education/ in southwest Haiti. Since 2015, leading the various phases of a renewable energy initiative aimed at building local capacity in Haiti's remote and underdeveloped regions. His contributions have had a lasting impact on the lives of our students and the community at large. His many travels to Haiti, often under difficult conditions, were a testament to his commitment not only to science but to the well-being of others.
We were recently preparing to co-present a paper together titled “Ten Years Working with Haitian Educators” at the upcoming IEEE conference in Colorado this October 2025. He was eager, enthusiastic, and deeply invested in the project, and we were both looking forward to the event as a capstone to a decade of collaboration. His absence will be deeply felt.
Professor Mickelson was a man who constantly sought elegant and simple solutions to complex problems. He brought clarity where there was confusion, and always did so with humility and compassion. He inspired not only students, but all of us privileged to work with him.
Please know that his legacy will live on through the work we continue at ITCS. We will honor his memory by pursuing the vision we shared: to empower young minds through education and sustainable technology.   With deep sympathy and gratitude,
Morisset St. Preux

I will never forget his visit to Rabat for the NSF workshop I organized (Photo above is in Tangier, Morocco, 2014), a moment that reflected not only his commitment to science but also his generous spirit and belief in nurturing others. That visit, and so many others, are memories I will always cherish.

Alan sponsored my masters practicum work.

I reflect on how deeply grateful I am for what Alan made possible for me—the chance to study and carry out fieldwork in Napo, to learn through experience, and to immerse myself in the culture of Amazonian Peru. That time shaped so much of who I am. 

I regret not connecting with him before he passed, both to express my gratitude and reflect on our time.

NapoNet has a special place in this life experience for me. Thank you for the gift you gave me in changing my life and how I see the world. May you be blessed as you move forward into what is next.

With care,
McClees Stephens

In Loving Memory of Professor Alan Mickelson
1950 – 2025

My heart sank when I received the news.
The world feels dimmer, quieter, with the passing of a brilliant mind,
a gracious soul, a true gentleman.
To me, he was more than a professor—
he was a mentor, a guide, and a treasured friend.

I first met Alan in the 1980s,
when I was a student eager to learn optoelectronics and he, already a beacon of wisdom.
He taught not only with intellect, but with heart.
He joined his students on summer hikes,
rode with me on long drives to Denver in search of Asian food,
and shared stories of cultures, ideas, and values that stretched far beyond the classroom.

Even as decades passed, my admiration only deepened.
When Alan visited Asia, I was privileged to sit with him again—
this time not as a young student, but as a lifelong learner
still captivated by his insights on science, patents,
and the ever-evolving world of optoelectronics.

But behind every accolade, every invention,
stood a man deeply devoted to his family.
Alan spoke of them often—with pride, with joy, with love that was boundless.
He was a loving husband, father, father-in-law, and grandfather,
and he carried their names in his heart like cherished verses of a sacred song.

Alan loved life—and life loved him back.
He touched the minds of many, but even more so, he touched our hearts.

Goodbye, my dearest professor.
Thank you for the light you shared,
the wisdom you gave,
and the kindness you lived.
Till we meet again. rest in peace in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Singapore River cruise.  Dear Alan, rest in peace in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ.  A perfect gentleman, my professor, my mentor, and a dear friend.  Till we meet again at the golden shore !

Singapore Oct 25, 2015.  A grandfather whose eyes brighten up whenever he spoke of his grand daughter and shown so much love and took tremendous pride in her.

Bangkok Dec 22, 2017.  A man who knew and seek to understand different values and culture. A man who travelled globally and  understand them all.

A great professor, a fabulous person, the smartest mathematician I ever met, and most of all, a mentor who shaped my life

Alan loved Life and enjoyed it to the fullest

My deepest condolences. I truly lost a friend as well as a teacher who guided me through my PhD's program. Rest in peace Alan. You are always remembered.

Indrajaya Januar, PhD

Professor Mickelson was my first instructor at CU when I started the PhD program.  I use the concepts taught in his Physical Optics course nearly every day in my engineering work, and always think back to that class and Professor Mickelson when I lean on the fundamentals that he instilled in us.  But my best memory of Alan was attending a conference in Breckenridge.  He invited all of the CU participants to a very early morning hike up a local 13-er.  Being new to Colorado, I decided to go.  It turned out that the two of us were the only ones to show and I had a great 6 hours or so of one-on-one time with Alan.  It was a really great experience.  Alan was one of the most unique, kind, and insightful people I've known and am very sad at his passing.  Thanks for sharing him with us.  
-Miller Schuck

As a long-time office neighbor of Alan’s, I would often hear jazz or classical music coming from his office. I saw him meeting with groups of students, initially to discuss research, and then to work with him on humanitarian projects helping groups in less developed countries establish power and communication systems. When I’d stop by his office, he was always willing to discuss almost any topic in physics or engineering, and was surprisingly knowledgeable about about topics ranging from nonlinear optics, electromagnetics, solid state, computing interconnects and systems, quantum mechanics, all the way to general relativity. Even with our conversations, he remained aloof.

Only in the last year or so, when he became increasingly ill, did we become friends. He was always warm and generous as we chatted on his porch or exchanged messages, preparing a little paper for me on whether the four Maxwell’s equations we use use today are missing any of the information from his original equations in quaternion form (they aren’t), or advising my son in helping a friend in Burkina Faso set up a solar powered water pumping system in his village. I so wish I had reached out years ago to Alan to connect more closely.

During his last months, his regular sessions of chemotherapy clearly took an increasing toll on him, and yet he remained good spirited. A month ago he mentioned how delighted he was to spend time with his granddaughter and family and take a narrow gauge train with them, and that he had hopes of traveling abroad this summer. Recently, after I went through the many books and papers in his office to pick ones that could be moved to his smaller retirement office, the two people who were doing the moving and I wondered whether Alan would ever make use of his new office. Sadly, no.

Rest in peace Alan!

As the husband of Alan’s sister Ann, I saw a great deal of Alan as a teenager and young adult. Alan was at the time a quite rebellious character, super smart and able to drive his parents nuts. On the day Ann and I were married in Westport Connecticut Alan did his regular run as a garbage man. Then cleaned up and attended the wedding. After Ann and I moved to Amsterdam he came to stay with us and was able to buy the BMW motorcycle he coveted.  That motorcycle gave him the independence to move to El Paso Texas where he completed his undergraduate degree. Next, he went to CalTech in Pasadena from where he launched his career as a highly respected scientist. He never lost his rebelliousness but put it to good use in pursuit of humanitarian causes all over the world.  He was a loving father, father in law and grandfather.  You made a powerful impression on people you met. We cherish our memories of you. Adieu brother in law!
Chris

Alan Mickelson was a visionary whose dedication to advancing communications for underserved communities was truly inspiring. As Chair of the IEEE Smart Village Operations Committee, he brought passion and expertise to every initiative. Working alongside him since 2016, I witnessed his unwavering commitment to innovation and impact. His legacy in bridging technological gaps will endure, and his kindness and leadership will be deeply missed.

Mike Wilson, Senior Program Manager, IEEE Smart Village (Staff).

Alan played a cŕitical role for IEEE Smart Village as the first Operations Chair which needed a very strong leader which he filled admìrably, as well as a role with his students in devèloping our wireless communìcations system for Papua New  Guinea and initeated developments in Africa among the poorest of the poor and education in Vietnam. His pioneer work and passion for the poor  will never be forgotten Our sincerest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
Rest in peace, Ray and Albe  Larsen, ISV CoFounder

Fisherman's home in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. January 2020

Alan was an esteemed colleague: academician, scientist, technologist and humanitarian. I had the privilege of knowing him through IEEE Smart Village, where he brought me on board seven years ago. I will always be grateful for his drive to elevate others, including myself.
May he rest in peace.
-rajan

My deepest condolences to Alan's family. We never met in person. We were planning to meet at a conference in October in Golden. Since 2018, we began working on various IEEE committees, and then he gave us great help developing humanitarian projects in Argentina. Until a few weeks ago, we were still working on publications. I am deeply sorry for the loss of this great person. Rest in peace.

OBITUARY

Alan Rolf Mickelson

2 May, 1950 – 5 June, 2025

Crist Mortuary & Cremation and Mountain View Memorial Park

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