Whether you ahere to the adage "birds of a feather flock together" or you live by the rule “opposites attract,” it's easy to agree that Carol and Dale Douglass fit both maxims. Dale is a dyed-in-the-wool engineer who earned both his MSEE and PhDEE degrees from Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.) and, after a 40-plus-year career, currently holds the position of principal engineer for Power Delivery Consultants Inc. (Niskayuna, New York, U.S.). Carol, a retired actuary and former high school math teacher, is an avid photographer and self-taught Web guru, who proudly professes she loves “anything to do with art.” Despite their seeming differences, the Douglasses have more in common than wedded bliss.

Married since New Years Day 1996, Dale and Carol first crossed paths 19 years ago as members of the Music Company Orchestra (MCO), a group they still belong to that plays light classical and pops music at cultural events held year round in communities in and around their home town of Niskayuna.

“Dale plays the clarinet and I play the cello,” says Carol, who has served on the MCO board for 16 years. An accomplished musician, Dale also plays saxophone in a 14-piece swing band. “We also sing at church together,” Carol adds. “Dale has the most wonderful voice.”

Besides making music together, the Douglasses are both involved in the IEEE and CIGRÉ working groups and committees — though not in the same capacity. As a member of the IEEE Transmission and Distribution Committee, Dale has served as chairman of task groups on ac resistance of overhead conductors, safe design tensions for overhead conductors, thermal rating (IEEE 738) of overhead conductors, and the working group on wind-induced line motions. In 1996, he was elected an IEEE Fellow.

“That's quite an honor,” Carol says of her husband's accomplishment. “It's a really nice accolade for Dale to have.”

In February 2004, Dale became chairman of the Tower, Poles and Conductors Subcommittee. In addition to IEEE, he has served as convener of the international CIGRÉ Working Group B2-12 (electrical aspects of transmission lines) since 2000. This group covers thermal ratings, sag tension, resistance and conductor design. In 2006, Dale became the U.S. representative to Study Committee B2 (overhead lines).

Carol's participation in the IEEE and CIGRÉ stems from her love of photography and a proclivity for Web design. “When I became chairman of CIGRÉ No. 12 in 2000, we didn't have a Web site,” says Dale. “I mentioned that Carol might be interested in designing one. She set it up and everyone was thrilled. We did the same thing with IEEE's Web site subcommittee. Carol is energetic. She attends our meetings and takes a lot of pictures of people, which has added a nice flavor to the sites.”

Carol remembers things a bit differently. “Dale enticed me to do the Web sites by promising to vacuum and walk our dogs,” she jokes.

The couple's connection to CIGRÉ has led to another common passion — travel. Carol and Dale have attended CIGRÉ meetings in several European cities, including Paris and Madrid.

“I work for a wonderful company that fully supports me in the CIGRÉ activities,” says Dale. “It's pretty unusual to find a small company that encourages international travel for professional groups. I'm fortunate.”

This summer, the Douglasses will travel to Finland, Sweden, Russia, Estonia and Lithuania, where Dale's father was born. Carol, who minored in Russian, is particularly excited about the trip. “It will give me a chance to use a little bit of what I've forgotten,” she says.

Children and grandchildren give Dale and Carol another reason to traverse the United States. Between the two of them, the Douglasses have five children — though none together. Dale has three sons and Carol has two. “The kids are scattered all over the country,” says Dale. They also share five grand-children, with the sixth one due to arrive in July.

Despite retiring in 2002 from the New York State Teachers' Retirement System after 23 years as an actuary, Carol manages to stay occupied. “I coach youth bowling, do mathematics tutoring for teens and young adults, and make craft show items, including painted slate, gourds, glass, tiles, handmade earrings and photo greeting cards. And I take photos anytime I can.”

As part of his work at Power Delivery Consultants, in addition to his involvement in professional engineering groups, Dale teaches courses and seminars involving transmission line design, uprating and upgrading. His extensive engineering knowledge comes from a career spent at some of the country's top companies. Before joining Power Delivery Consultants, Dale held various positions at the Boeing Co., Bell Laboratories, Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corp., and Power Technologies Inc.

Carol adds one final sentiment about her husband. “Make sure the readers know that Dale is the character of the article. I'm as straight as an arrow.”