Paul Brokaw IEEE Donald O. Peterson Award Winner David H. Robertson T he IEEE Donald O. Peterson Award recognizes " outstanding contributions in the field of solid-state circuits. " Paul Brokaw's award citation is " For Leadership in design of voltage references, amplifiers, and power management, and contributions to the principles of analog circuit design. " The citation is appropriate for Paul, because it humbly understates his tremendous impact on our field. The Early Days: Semiconductors and References Paul joined Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) in 1971 in the fledgling days of analog semiconductor integration. He came to ADI with a diverse circuits background, from radio autopsy to radar resuscitation to instrument neonatology. Paul joined ADI's semiconductor operation when it was less than a year old, and he fundamentally shaped the engineering approach that was to become the foundation for the company. His background provided a healthy engineering breadth of handson intuition combined with unflagging rigor. He possesses a boundless curiosity with patience and determination to push to the very root of an issue. Paul came to ADI well grounded in circuits physics (these were the days before Spice simulation was a primary force in product development) and in old-fashioned Midwestern " horse sense. " He could shift from the complicated transcendental equations of solidstate conduction to country aphorisms, Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MSSC.2020.3036174 Date of current version: 25 January 2021 16 WINTER 2021 IEEE SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS MAGAZINE 1943-0582/21©2021IEEE