Betty Preece passed away Sunday, May 17, 2009She was the first woman to graduate from the University of Kentucky with a degree in electrical engineering, was inducted into the University of Kentucky Hall of Distinction and was, in 1950, the first woman engineer at the Eastern Test Range, Cape Canaveral. Betty was an organizing member of the Society of Women Engineers in 1950 and a member of the Florida Independent Living Council. She served as civil engineer with over 10,000 volunteer hours as the Handicap and Accessibility Coordinator at Patrick Air Force Base, Adjunct Professor at F. I. T., physics teacher at Melbourne High for 18 years, and science fair judge for state and county competitions. She served on Indialantics Code Enforcement and Parks and Recreation Boards and on the Board of Space Coast Independent Living; was a Mentor for Take Stock in Children, and a member of and held local, state, and national office in the following: IEEE, AIAA, Phi Delta Kappa, Delta Kappa Gamma, Environmentally Endangered Land Society, Abigail Wright Chamberlin Chapter NSDAR, Daughters of 1812, Daughters of American Colonists, American Association of Physics Teachers, National Science Teachers Association, Women in Engineering Pro Active Network, Junior Engineering Technical Society, South Brevard Historical Society, SCSEA, Scots-American Society of Brevard, and Women Engineering Society in United Kingdom. She was a more than 50 year member of Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Indialantic. In addition, for many years she traveled the world as a speaker and teacher to show children that "Science could be fun." Betty was a cherished member in all of these organizations and will be missed by her many friends and family. Survivors include sons Eric and George.

Published in FLORIDA TODAY on May 24, 2009