tapped delay line with adjustable gains at each tap. The equalizer used a steepest descent algorithm to minimize distortion. It was initially trained by a series of known pulses, but during actual data transmission it relied upon decision-directed adjustment, which assumed that decisions about pulses were largely correct and could be used for reconstruction of the ongoing error. The first adaptive equalizer, in 1964, used 13 adjustable gains, each set by 8 relays. The rack of equipment was about 5 feet high. Its use immediately made possible data transmission at 9600 bits per second – four times the highest previously attainable speed. Shortly thereafter, the relays were replaced with transistor switches, then in succeeding years the equalizer was implemented with a special purpose integrated circuit. Today adaptive equalization is built into almost every modem and is simply a subroutine in the instruction program for an embedded microprocessor. Advisory positions Throughout his career, Lucky was heavily involved in advisory and participatory roles in engineering societies, universities, and government. In the IEEE he was editor of the Proceedings of the IEEE, president of the Communications Society, and executive vice president of the parent IEEE. His government service included being chairman of the United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Technological Advisory Council, chairman of the statutory visiting committee of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and membership on the Defense Science Board. He was active with the National Academy of Engineering and on the advisory boards of several universities. Honors and awards Among his honors, Lucky was awarded four honorary doctorate degrees, the 1987 Marconi Prize, the 1995 IEEE Edison Medal, and the 1998 Golden Jubilee Award for Technological Innovation from the IEEE Information Theory Society. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for contributions to the theory and practical development of data communication systems. He was an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. Writings Lucky was the author (with J Salz and EJ Weldon) of a textbook, Principles of Data Communications (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1965). He wrote a popularized account of information theory in Silicon Dreams (St Martins Press, New York, 1989). A compilation of his essays was published under the title Lucky Strikes Again (Wiley/IEEE Press, 1992). After 1982 he wrote a bi-monthly column, Reflections, in IEEE