Class Notes
The 1950s and ’60s featured a Winter Weekend hosted by the junior class, which included all sorts of winter fun.
1942
Engineering
Vincent Miller celebrated his 99th birthday on February 7. Vince received his degree in chemical engineering and served in the Navy during WWII, rising from ensign to lieutenant, senior grade. He designed and sold water treatment systems for everything from pharmaceutical factories to power plants. He started the Vincent J. Miller Co. in 1950, sold the company in 1987, and has been retired for the last 32 years. He has been a photographer for 70 years and is well-known for his stunning pictures of the Strathmore neighborhood in Syracuse, N.Y. Many thanks to Ed Golash ’69, who sent news about his neighbor, Vincent Miller.
Posted 2018-10-10
1945
Richard M. Ettington is still pretty healthy at age 96. He lives with his wife, Betty, 92, at their home in Palos Verdes, California. They have two grown children, Martin and Kathryn, and two grandchildren, Neil and Sarah. Richard stopped driving recently
Posted 2023-02-21
We heard from Fred Greenberg, who writes: “Any alumni residing in southeast New Hampshire (Portsmouth) or northeast Massachusetts (Amesbury) want to gather for one occasion to swap a few lines? Contact me at fredthecellist@yahoo.com or (603) 868-7303.”
Posted 2019-03-10
Fausto Hidalgo writes: “In 2013 I sent you a summary of my activities after graduation from RPI up to that date. That summary ended with a reference to my granddaughter, who was then a student at RPI (third-generation Hidalgo). I was able to attend her graduation and tour the many new buildings that have made RPI what it is now. In addition to the 10 grandchildren mentioned in the previous summary, my wife and I now have two great-grandchildren.
“There are not many new activities to add due to our age. We continue to exercise in moderation. Last January, right after celebrating my 94th birthday, I was diagnosed with colon cancer and had surgery on January 25th. The surgery was successful and there was no need for follow-up treatment, but the recovery process was necessarily slow. I am now getting back to my normal activities.”
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
Charles Peters sent his life history beginning with college; here are excerpts:
After his sophomore year at Syracuse University he received Naval orders to report to RPI in Troy. “You know the full routine we experienced there. I remained at RPI on a continuous schedule without vacation or downtime from July 1, 1943, to October ’44 and completed sufficient credits for my 3rd and 4th year of college, and then was awarded a B.Ch.E. in chemical engineering with honors.
“I then went through midshipman school on an old cruiser refitted for training berthed on the Hudson River and affiliated with additional classes at Columbia University. With my commission in January ’45, I had more training in Washington, D.C., and Hingham, Mass. Beyond all this training, my only duty assignment was at an ammunition depot in Port Chicago, Calif., supervising the loading of ammunition aboard merchant ships for transport to the Pacific. We did get to handle a top secret shipment known as ‘big boys,’ which we found a month later to be the atomic bombs on their way to Japan. My only sea duty was aboard LSTs after the end of the war when returning ammunition declared obsolete or unusable was transferred to a LST, taken three miles out from the Golden Gate Bridge, and disposed of by lowering the bow ramp and discharging into the sea. I chose to be discharged in October 1946.” Charles then drove a 1935 Plymouth across country with three buddies, buying each one out as they arrived at their destinations.
He took a job at St. Regis Paper Co. in northern NY, and after two years, married the boss’s secretary, Elinor. For her health, they moved to Florida, where Charles began a 36-year career with W.R. Grace & Co. “I worked in all phases of process planning, engineering, construction, and operating of sulfuric and phosphate acid plants and related fertilizers manufacture prior to about 10 years as the chemical plant manager. My final 10 years involved travel around the country and part of Europe in liaison with customers, engineers, and contractors developing new joint ventures and improved facilities. This was a very satisfactory and exciting job.”
Following Elinor’s death in 1996, Charles met and later married Jean. “She had three daughters and a son who readily accepted me, so all of a sudden I inherited a grown family.” He and Jean thoroughly enjoyed traveling throughout the U.S. in a small motor home and outside the U.S. on small cruise ships and river boats. After Jean’s death in 2003, he stayed active in the Kiwanis Club holding all leadership roles including president. “A special function that I much enjoyed was leadership of a group that provided wheelchair ramps for anyone in need. I prepared most of the construction drawings.”
In late 2017, Charles, still in essentially good health, invited his oldest stepdaughter and her husband to move in with him. He lives in Plant City, Fla. Posted 2019-03-10
After his sophomore year at Syracuse University he received Naval orders to report to RPI in Troy. “You know the full routine we experienced there. I remained at RPI on a continuous schedule without vacation or downtime from July 1, 1943, to October ’44 and completed sufficient credits for my 3rd and 4th year of college, and then was awarded a B.Ch.E. in chemical engineering with honors.
“I then went through midshipman school on an old cruiser refitted for training berthed on the Hudson River and affiliated with additional classes at Columbia University. With my commission in January ’45, I had more training in Washington, D.C., and Hingham, Mass. Beyond all this training, my only duty assignment was at an ammunition depot in Port Chicago, Calif., supervising the loading of ammunition aboard merchant ships for transport to the Pacific. We did get to handle a top secret shipment known as ‘big boys,’ which we found a month later to be the atomic bombs on their way to Japan. My only sea duty was aboard LSTs after the end of the war when returning ammunition declared obsolete or unusable was transferred to a LST, taken three miles out from the Golden Gate Bridge, and disposed of by lowering the bow ramp and discharging into the sea. I chose to be discharged in October 1946.” Charles then drove a 1935 Plymouth across country with three buddies, buying each one out as they arrived at their destinations.
He took a job at St. Regis Paper Co. in northern NY, and after two years, married the boss’s secretary, Elinor. For her health, they moved to Florida, where Charles began a 36-year career with W.R. Grace & Co. “I worked in all phases of process planning, engineering, construction, and operating of sulfuric and phosphate acid plants and related fertilizers manufacture prior to about 10 years as the chemical plant manager. My final 10 years involved travel around the country and part of Europe in liaison with customers, engineers, and contractors developing new joint ventures and improved facilities. This was a very satisfactory and exciting job.”
Following Elinor’s death in 1996, Charles met and later married Jean. “She had three daughters and a son who readily accepted me, so all of a sudden I inherited a grown family.” He and Jean thoroughly enjoyed traveling throughout the U.S. in a small motor home and outside the U.S. on small cruise ships and river boats. After Jean’s death in 2003, he stayed active in the Kiwanis Club holding all leadership roles including president. “A special function that I much enjoyed was leadership of a group that provided wheelchair ramps for anyone in need. I prepared most of the construction drawings.”
In late 2017, Charles, still in essentially good health, invited his oldest stepdaughter and her husband to move in with him. He lives in Plant City, Fla. Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
Lynne Wolfgang’s response to my letter reminded us again that we have lost and are losing classmates rapidly. “I regret to inform you that my father, Richard Tietze, passed away in 2016. My mom never recovered after his death and passed away March 4, 2017.”
From his obituary, supplied by Lynne, we learn that Richard enlisted in the Navy while still in high school. He was accepted into the Naval Officers training program at RPI, earning a bachelor’s in chemical engineering in three years. After the war, serving as LTJG in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, he returned to RPI and earned an M.S. in metallurgical engineering.
Dick began his career in 1948 at Revere Copper and Brass, Rome, N.Y., division. He held positions in metallurgical, production, and systems management, and was named works manager, where he served from 1971 to 1980. In 1980, he was promoted to corporate manager of energy planning and control at Revere’s executive office in New York City. In 1984, he was named National Industrial Energy Manager of the Year. He retired from Revere in 1985 and continued his career in energy and industrial consulting.
Dick was recognized by the Rome Chamber of Commerce, Rome Family Y, United Way, and the American Red Cross in Rome for his service. In retirement, he also became a trained volunteer fireman at Fripp Island, S.C. Posted 2018-10-10
From his obituary, supplied by Lynne, we learn that Richard enlisted in the Navy while still in high school. He was accepted into the Naval Officers training program at RPI, earning a bachelor’s in chemical engineering in three years. After the war, serving as LTJG in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, he returned to RPI and earned an M.S. in metallurgical engineering.
Dick began his career in 1948 at Revere Copper and Brass, Rome, N.Y., division. He held positions in metallurgical, production, and systems management, and was named works manager, where he served from 1971 to 1980. In 1980, he was promoted to corporate manager of energy planning and control at Revere’s executive office in New York City. In 1984, he was named National Industrial Energy Manager of the Year. He retired from Revere in 1985 and continued his career in energy and industrial consulting.
Dick was recognized by the Rome Chamber of Commerce, Rome Family Y, United Way, and the American Red Cross in Rome for his service. In retirement, he also became a trained volunteer fireman at Fripp Island, S.C. Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Andrea Lehman, daughter of Edgar Lehman, responded to my letter. “I just received your class notes request, forwarded from my dad’s last address. Regrettably, he passed away in 2012. I don’t have anything written about dad’s career. He worked most of his life as the VP of sales for S&S Corrugated Paper Machinery in Brooklyn, for which he traveled the world. It blended his interest in engineering with his interest in people of all backgrounds and cultures.”
Posted 2018-10-10
Bill Peace Sr. “My only news is that my darling wife, Libby, passed away this past September, and I miss her tremendously! I just passed my 95th birthday, and I’m doing pretty well. Have great friends here, which is a great comfort to me. All my close friends from RPI have gone on to their reward.”
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Richard Ettington “I graduated from Pelham High, a suburb of NYC, in June 1943, during WWII, and as no. 2 in class, was lucky enough to be accepted by the Navy in their V-12 Program (being an Eagle Scout probably helped). After two days of tests at Cornell U. they assigned a few of us to RPI where the Navy had an NROTC unit. We shared six bunks in each dorm and did our run and exercises every morning. (I was assigned to teach semaphore every a.m., having learned it in BSA.) Then I was assigned as an engineering officer to a destroyer in San Francisco, part of the Japan invasion fleet; then the war ended. I was then accepted back at RPI to complete a BSME and was hired by Ingersoll-Rand Co. in their sales training program. They had four plants and I decided to stay in their Painted Post, N.Y., plant, when my father, chief engineer of American Locomotive Co., advised that I’d make a good engineer, but a lousy salesman. I eventually met and married Betty, a school teacher in Corning, N.Y., and we moved to different jobs over several years until retirement from Dresser Industries, now Halliburton. In a suburb of Los Angeles, that company had 20 subsidiaries in 18 countries, so I did a lot of traveling. We have two wonderful children and several grandkids, most in Scottsdale, Ariz. I owe a lot to RPI and the Navy for a wonderful life!”
Posted 2018-10-10
1948
1949
“Dr. Nancy Fitzroy is a world-class engineer, a pioneer, and a remarkable leader,” said President Shirley Ann Jackson. “Her technical contributions to the fields of heat transfer and fluid flow have been fundamental to a range of technologies, from satellites, to toasters, to nuclear reactor cores."
An internationally recognized expert in the field of mechanical engineering, Fitzroy spent her career at General Electric, from 1950 until her retirement in 1987.
In 1986, Fitzroy became the first woman in the United States to head a major professional engineering society, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). She is a fellow of Britain’s Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a member of the Rensselaer Alumni Hall of Fame. In 2008, ASME awarded her with honorary membership to recognize “her tireless efforts and lasting influence as an advocate of the mechanical engineering profession.
Fitzroy has established a fellowship at Rensselaer to support graduate study for women in engineering. In her remarks, she commended the Institute for its excellent reputation and progressiveness in admitting women. “Women today have an excellent opportunity to have a fruitful and rewarding career.” Posted 2019-10-01
The Class of ’49 celebrated graduation night, June 10, 1949, at the Crooked Lake House. Do you recognize George Johns, Jack Buckley, Ed MacDuff, and Bob Jaros?
1950
Engineering
When members of the Crusader Club see the words “Last Charlie” in the subject line of the club e-newsletter, they know that they have lost yet another member. Crusader Club? Primarily naval aviators who have flown the Supersonic F8U (later F-8) single place, single engine jet fighter (not fighter-jet!) stemming from the mid-1950s.
This Last Charlie was for fellow RPI NROTC Midshipman Pete Easterling ’51 (Elec.Eng.), more formally, VADM Crawford Alan Easterling Jr. USN (ret). Pete died at age 91 on Oct. 19, 2019. Easterling stood out as a midshipman and was battalion commander during his senior year.
Following an initial assignment to a destroyer, Pete commenced flight training in January 1952. He was designated a naval aviator, joined a fighter squadron, and a year later he did what most NROTC grads did and left active duty. He continued flying at NAS Jacksonville as a Reserve Weekend Warrior.
Returning to active duty in October 1957, Pete started flying the F8U Crusader. He advanced to lieutenant commander, then earned degrees at the Naval Post Graduate School and MIT. Easterling continued to advance through the ranks until he became commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and was designated a vice admiral in December 1982. He retired to Jacksonville, Fla., in August 1985.
This March is the 10th anniversary of my multiple myeloma diagnosis. With an initial regimen of chemotherapy of one and a half years, a break of six and a half years, I now have been back on that for two years. It has been fairly easy, pills which slow the development of cancer cells in the blood stream.
Posted 2020-05-13
Science
At my Rochester Wilmot Cancer Center oncology clinic last July, I was cleared to mix with people rather than leave wearing a mask. Taking advantage of that, I was able to spend four hours with Bill Goffe (Physics) and his wife, Bernie, at their retirement village cottage in nearby Webster. Bernie does their local driving; distant family visit to help with stays at their lake cottage. We all adjust.
Posted 2020-05-13
Engineering
Also in July, Jack Haefeli (CivilEng) gave up his apartment and automobile to take up residence in an assisted living facility.
Posted 2020-05-13
Engineering
Alpha Chi Rho Brother Bill Statesir (ChemE) was among the youngest members of our class. He reports that he was feted by 27 family and friends on his March 28 90th birthday. He and Helen live in Portland, Texas, just across the bay from Corpus Christi. Bill and roommate Dick Moshier (MechE), two months younger, were prime movers in the 1948 formation of the RPI chapter of AXP. Dick died in June 2016.
Our four years at RPI were neatly sandwiched between the demobilization following WWII and the onset of the Korean conflict. Like Victor Mellen, many classmates suffered interruptions or delays of their education. Following graduation there were military recalls, ROTC obligated service, the draft, and volunteering resulting in delayed career starts. Posted 2019-10-01
Our four years at RPI were neatly sandwiched between the demobilization following WWII and the onset of the Korean conflict. Like Victor Mellen, many classmates suffered interruptions or delays of their education. Following graduation there were military recalls, ROTC obligated service, the draft, and volunteering resulting in delayed career starts. Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Irma (Shaler) Cohan (ME) has called our attention to an article in The Spirit, a local newspaper serving her Upper West Side New York City neighborhood. In it Irma is dubbed a “Globe-trotting Golden Girl.” This in recognition of her world travel as a member of organized tours such as those offered by Road Scholar. She has enjoyed 50 such tours over a period of 30 years, and plans to continue traveling, focusing on following the footsteps of favorite classical composers through the concert halls of Europe.
The article quotes Irma’s observations on unexpected similarities in disparate cultures. Then, at home, of finding previously unrecognized ethnic entities in the city mirroring those first seen on foreign tours.
A 5,500-mile Trans-Siberian Railroad tour from Moscow to Vladivostok disabused her of the notion that Siberia was just a cold, barren wasteland. Not only was it well settled, it boasted of such western amenities as IKEA stores. Irma demonstrates that at age 90, such group tours are still accessible to our generation and provide opportunities for friendly sharing with other like-minded individuals. Posted 2019-10-01
The article quotes Irma’s observations on unexpected similarities in disparate cultures. Then, at home, of finding previously unrecognized ethnic entities in the city mirroring those first seen on foreign tours.
A 5,500-mile Trans-Siberian Railroad tour from Moscow to Vladivostok disabused her of the notion that Siberia was just a cold, barren wasteland. Not only was it well settled, it boasted of such western amenities as IKEA stores. Irma demonstrates that at age 90, such group tours are still accessible to our generation and provide opportunities for friendly sharing with other like-minded individuals. Posted 2019-10-01
Architecture
What follows about Victor Mellen is edited from an email and an obituary sent by Victor’s granddaughter, Caitrin Facini ’08. Victor passed away at age 94 in December. “Like many of his year, he lived an amazing life. He had an architectural career in Rochester, and was an avid supporter of RPI. He was so proud that I was also an RPI graduate.
“Victor’s college studies at Rensselaer were temporarily interrupted by his active military service from 1943 to 1946 in the WWII Pacific- Asian theatre as a first lieutenant and navigator of a B-24 bomber in the Army Air Force. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1950 and a Master of Architecture in 1951. Victor earned his architectural license in 1955.
“Victor first joined the design firm of A. Charles Pioch as a draftsman and subsequently became partner. He primarily designed retail plazas and buildings, with a mix of more commercial buildings and a couple of homes in the Rochester area. Most notable are those for Wegmans Enterprises and Food Markets, including Chase Pitkin, and the iconic round branches for Columbia Banking. Victor retired from commercial work in 1981.
"In 1951 he designed a family summer home on Canandaigua Lake. He enjoyed sailing, collecting interesting small trees, cedar ‘driftwood’ from nearby shores and cliffs, and unusual rocks and concretions from the shores and the lakebed.
“Throughout his life, Victor showed a love of the outdoors and natural environment. He procured land in Victor, N.Y., where he designed and built another residence, planted many thousands of trees, and developed and maintained trails.
“Victor had an interest in Suiseki viewing stones and was a member of California Aiseki Kai. He became internationally known for his Suiseki stones. He also enjoyed nurturing his bonsai, being at one time president of the Bonsai Society of Upstate New York.”
Although I do not remember Victor, his Transit entry includes Camera Club membership. We may have had a fleeting acquaintanceship. If he had used the club darkroom in the bowels of the dorms, we would have had a unique shared experience. Posted 2019-10-01
“Victor’s college studies at Rensselaer were temporarily interrupted by his active military service from 1943 to 1946 in the WWII Pacific- Asian theatre as a first lieutenant and navigator of a B-24 bomber in the Army Air Force. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1950 and a Master of Architecture in 1951. Victor earned his architectural license in 1955.
“Victor first joined the design firm of A. Charles Pioch as a draftsman and subsequently became partner. He primarily designed retail plazas and buildings, with a mix of more commercial buildings and a couple of homes in the Rochester area. Most notable are those for Wegmans Enterprises and Food Markets, including Chase Pitkin, and the iconic round branches for Columbia Banking. Victor retired from commercial work in 1981.
"In 1951 he designed a family summer home on Canandaigua Lake. He enjoyed sailing, collecting interesting small trees, cedar ‘driftwood’ from nearby shores and cliffs, and unusual rocks and concretions from the shores and the lakebed.
“Throughout his life, Victor showed a love of the outdoors and natural environment. He procured land in Victor, N.Y., where he designed and built another residence, planted many thousands of trees, and developed and maintained trails.
“Victor had an interest in Suiseki viewing stones and was a member of California Aiseki Kai. He became internationally known for his Suiseki stones. He also enjoyed nurturing his bonsai, being at one time president of the Bonsai Society of Upstate New York.”
Although I do not remember Victor, his Transit entry includes Camera Club membership. We may have had a fleeting acquaintanceship. If he had used the club darkroom in the bowels of the dorms, we would have had a unique shared experience. Posted 2019-10-01
Alpha Chi Rho fraternity at RPI was chartered in October 1948. Its 70th anniversary was celebrated a month early to coincide with Reunion & Homecoming Weekend. Staged at The Desmond Hotel Albany, in excess of 100 attended. Of 26 charter brothers, three survive, Bill Statesir (B.Ch.E.), charter president, Bill Goffe (B.Physics), and me. Both Bills live in retirement communities with their wives; Statesir in Portland, Texas, and Goffe in Webster, N.Y.
It was my good fortune to be able to represent the founders and I enjoyed the support of Alan McKersie ’52 and his wife, Jane (Russell Sage). Alan lives in Chelmsford, Mass., and was a member of our first pledge class. The next oldest attendee was from the Class of 1965
I left Seneca Falls early enough to meet freshman roommate Jack Haefeli (B.C.E.) for lunch after which I visited Susan, the widow of fraternity roommate Frank Kolesinskas ’51 (B.Ch.E.). Frank died in 1994.
We had lost charter brother Tom Donnelly (B.Chem.) in April 2018 a week after his 90th birthday and two weeks after our last personal exchanges. Tom was NROTC, and earned his chemistry Ph.D. at Cornell in 1955. Tom’s career included research and management at Swift & Co. In 1979 he turned to teaching at Loyola University, Chicago, and Mundelein College. A holder of patents in his field, he served as a member of a food enzymology delegation to China People to People in 1985.
Tom was a founder of the St. John of the Cross Parish, Western Springs, Ill., where he served in several capacities including cantor, member of two choirs, and a chorale. He was known at RPI for his singing, especially in quartets. He was a dedicated family genealogist, publishing his research. He and Jean had three daughters and one son along with a large and close set of relatives.
Another AXP brother, first pledge class, Tom Bent, now 93, is going strong in Florida. An Air Force aviator at the end of WWII, his “retirement” career was as advanced flight instructor offering experience in a Pitts and a Decathlon. Now 93, Tom decided at 90 that time for that was past. He lost his wife, Ellie, in 2016 but is supported by the Port Saint Lucie aviation community in which he has been living and by nearby family. Posted 2019-03-10
It was my good fortune to be able to represent the founders and I enjoyed the support of Alan McKersie ’52 and his wife, Jane (Russell Sage). Alan lives in Chelmsford, Mass., and was a member of our first pledge class. The next oldest attendee was from the Class of 1965
I left Seneca Falls early enough to meet freshman roommate Jack Haefeli (B.C.E.) for lunch after which I visited Susan, the widow of fraternity roommate Frank Kolesinskas ’51 (B.Ch.E.). Frank died in 1994.
We had lost charter brother Tom Donnelly (B.Chem.) in April 2018 a week after his 90th birthday and two weeks after our last personal exchanges. Tom was NROTC, and earned his chemistry Ph.D. at Cornell in 1955. Tom’s career included research and management at Swift & Co. In 1979 he turned to teaching at Loyola University, Chicago, and Mundelein College. A holder of patents in his field, he served as a member of a food enzymology delegation to China People to People in 1985.
Tom was a founder of the St. John of the Cross Parish, Western Springs, Ill., where he served in several capacities including cantor, member of two choirs, and a chorale. He was known at RPI for his singing, especially in quartets. He was a dedicated family genealogist, publishing his research. He and Jean had three daughters and one son along with a large and close set of relatives.
Another AXP brother, first pledge class, Tom Bent, now 93, is going strong in Florida. An Air Force aviator at the end of WWII, his “retirement” career was as advanced flight instructor offering experience in a Pitts and a Decathlon. Now 93, Tom decided at 90 that time for that was past. He lost his wife, Ellie, in 2016 but is supported by the Port Saint Lucie aviation community in which he has been living and by nearby family. Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
Burl Wilder (B.M.E.) was interviewed on the June 25, 2018, anniversary of the Korean War on which date he turned 90 years. The Citrus County Chronicle, Crystal River, Fla., newspaper coverage contains his reflections on choosing enlistment over the draft upon RPI graduation. His service did not take him to the war zone but provided contrasting adventures out of Key West and Norfolk. He tells of making a winter icebreaker trip supplying bases in Greenland. This in seas full of ice sometimes occupied by polar bears.
“Wilder moved to Crystal River in 1970 and is a former owner of Twin Rivers Marina. He and his wife, Nancy, enjoy the quiet living but Burl says he’s feeling a little old — he no longer has the physical ability to take out the sailboat. ‘I think it is amazing that I got this far,’ he said. ‘I have no regrets.’ ”
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
I received clippings about two of our class members. The first provides insights into the saga of Max Bleck (B.M.E.) and his career of musical chairs in the aviation industry. For 30 years Max provided executive leadership and engineering expertise to the general aviation industry. At various times in his career he served as president of Cessna, Beechcraft, and Learjet in Wichita, Kan., as well as Piper Aircraft in Vero Beach, Fla. He also served as chairman of the Aviation Manufacturer’s Association and as president of Raytheon Corp. during the time Beechcraft was a Raytheon subsidiary. In 1992 he was inducted into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame.
Entering RPI at age 16, his tenure was interrupted in 1945 by service in the U.S. Navy as a radar technician.
Max was a licensed 1,300-hour private pilot with single engine, multi-engine, and instrument ratings. He flew an experimental biplane of his own design which he constructed in his Wichita basement and garage. He was an avid tennis player and, in retirement, returned to his youthful fascination with golf.
Max received honorary doctorate degrees from Daniel Webster College in 1992 and Rensselaer in 1993. Max died on Sept. 2, 2018.
Posted 2019-03-10
Our previous (2002-2016) class correspondent, Herbert Kee (B.Met.E) died at age 88, March 15 of this year, from complications of Parkinson’s disease.
Herb was a beloved pillar of New York’s Chinatown community. Entering RPI from Brooklyn Technical High School as one of the youngest members of our class, he went on to earn a master’s degree from Penn State. He first worked as an engineer and editor at McGraw-Hill but, following a visit to the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Haiti, was inspired at age 36 to enter medical school.
Herb graduated from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1970 and established a private practice in the heart of Chinatown, where he treated patients regardless of their ability to pay. He was a physician at Gouverneur Hospital, which awarded him for his contributions to Lower East Side patients. He was also recognized for his contributions and leadership involving youth, Head Start, and the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, where he volunteered after his own office hours, as well as by other health organizations.
He was active as a Presbyterian Church elder, and Democratic District Leader, and as a board member of Hong Ning Housing for the Elderly, and the Senior Citizen Advisory Board. The Kees’ prominence in politics is attested to by two quotations from his memorial service: “The Kees are to Chinatown politics what the Kennedys are to American politics,” and “Everyone’s here. It’s wall-to-wall judges.”
That April 7 service was attended by more than 300 distinguished guests and described: “All of Chinatown was here. A lot of people knew each other for 40 years.”
Among these numerous recognitions was one, in 1999, from The United Jewish Council for building relations between the Jewish and Chinese-American communities.
Herb and Virginia (Hunter College) married young (21 and 19), enjoying 66 years together. They had no children but were dedicated to youth issues. Five high-achieving godchildren are cited in his obituary. Other sources suggest very close relationships with these and other young people. They established scholarships at Brooklyn Tech and RPI as well as endowments to other organizations. Herb was a member of the Patroon Society of RPI and the Dean’s Club of Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Not to slight Virginia, she had been a co-protagonist in many of these endeavors and a leader in her own right.
Among all of these distractions, Herb found time for introducing city children to the wonders of beach nature, doing sculpture and ceramics, specialty cooking, carpentry, and gardening. Known as a storyteller, he also took up the ukulele late in life. He and Virginia found time to travel widely across the world, often with godchildren and their families, well into his last years.
This inspiring, commendable life story is burnished by descriptions of Herb as a quiet, humble person.If you would like to learn more, an internet search would be rewarding. Posted 2018-10-10
Herb was a beloved pillar of New York’s Chinatown community. Entering RPI from Brooklyn Technical High School as one of the youngest members of our class, he went on to earn a master’s degree from Penn State. He first worked as an engineer and editor at McGraw-Hill but, following a visit to the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Haiti, was inspired at age 36 to enter medical school.
Herb graduated from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1970 and established a private practice in the heart of Chinatown, where he treated patients regardless of their ability to pay. He was a physician at Gouverneur Hospital, which awarded him for his contributions to Lower East Side patients. He was also recognized for his contributions and leadership involving youth, Head Start, and the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, where he volunteered after his own office hours, as well as by other health organizations.
He was active as a Presbyterian Church elder, and Democratic District Leader, and as a board member of Hong Ning Housing for the Elderly, and the Senior Citizen Advisory Board. The Kees’ prominence in politics is attested to by two quotations from his memorial service: “The Kees are to Chinatown politics what the Kennedys are to American politics,” and “Everyone’s here. It’s wall-to-wall judges.”
That April 7 service was attended by more than 300 distinguished guests and described: “All of Chinatown was here. A lot of people knew each other for 40 years.”
Among these numerous recognitions was one, in 1999, from The United Jewish Council for building relations between the Jewish and Chinese-American communities.
Herb and Virginia (Hunter College) married young (21 and 19), enjoying 66 years together. They had no children but were dedicated to youth issues. Five high-achieving godchildren are cited in his obituary. Other sources suggest very close relationships with these and other young people. They established scholarships at Brooklyn Tech and RPI as well as endowments to other organizations. Herb was a member of the Patroon Society of RPI and the Dean’s Club of Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Not to slight Virginia, she had been a co-protagonist in many of these endeavors and a leader in her own right.
Among all of these distractions, Herb found time for introducing city children to the wonders of beach nature, doing sculpture and ceramics, specialty cooking, carpentry, and gardening. Known as a storyteller, he also took up the ukulele late in life. He and Virginia found time to travel widely across the world, often with godchildren and their families, well into his last years.
This inspiring, commendable life story is burnished by descriptions of Herb as a quiet, humble person.If you would like to learn more, an internet search would be rewarding. Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Bill Statesir (ChE) had a 35-year DuPont career with assignments in New Jersey and Texas. In 1985 he retired in Texas and worked in realty until 1991. He moved into a retirement complex in Portland near Corpus Christi with his wheelchair-bound wife, Helen, five years ago, and sent this Hurricane Harvey report:
“...thank you for thinking of us. We evacuated to San Antonio to our son’s home for five days. Then we came back to Portland and stayed with our daughter for four weeks when they got power. Our retirement home had quite a lot of water damage and a lot of the roof blown off. They installed a new roof on the whole place and installed a lot of new flooring and rugs. Also a lot of Sheetrock that had to be replaced. We have been back two weeks and had to put all the furniture back in place and put everything away that was piled in a heap in the middle of the floor while they painted the walls. No losses of anything, thank goodness. It was like moving into a new cottage. Our health seems to be about the same. Hope that you are fine. See you at the 70th Reunion?”
Bill’s reunion reference is to the October 2018 celebration of the 1948 charter of the Delta Phi Chapter of Alpha Chi Rho of which Bill was charter president. He and freshman Church II roommate Dick Moshier (ME) (d. 2016) were prime movers in the formation of a local fraternity, Phi Delta Rho, which went national with AXP. Starting in 1988, 10-year celebrations of the charter have been held with very high attendance from all years and especially by charter brothers. Out of 26 charter brothers, only five survive as of Oct. 2017.
The 1988 gathering resulted in the formation of what became known as The Vintage Crows, which included all brothers as of June 1950, totaling 50. Varying numbers from this group enjoyed intermediate reunions every two years at locations conducive to golf at first and history/culture later. The wives were included, of course, and many good friendships were established. Snail and email newsletters kept everyone up-to-date. Biographies were shared before the 1988 meeting and updated as a booklet in 2002.
This association has been especially rewarding to me as I have had the pleasure of visiting 24 of these brothers at their homes during my travels by car, my airplane, or RV. Many of these visits involved multiple times as well as multiple days. They included meeting children, grandchildren, siblings, and friends. This activity encompassed 12 states or provinces from Nova Scotia to Florida, California, and Alaska. Eleven bothers, mostly with wives, have visited our home, some with overnight stays. Posted 2018-03-15
“...thank you for thinking of us. We evacuated to San Antonio to our son’s home for five days. Then we came back to Portland and stayed with our daughter for four weeks when they got power. Our retirement home had quite a lot of water damage and a lot of the roof blown off. They installed a new roof on the whole place and installed a lot of new flooring and rugs. Also a lot of Sheetrock that had to be replaced. We have been back two weeks and had to put all the furniture back in place and put everything away that was piled in a heap in the middle of the floor while they painted the walls. No losses of anything, thank goodness. It was like moving into a new cottage. Our health seems to be about the same. Hope that you are fine. See you at the 70th Reunion?”
Bill’s reunion reference is to the October 2018 celebration of the 1948 charter of the Delta Phi Chapter of Alpha Chi Rho of which Bill was charter president. He and freshman Church II roommate Dick Moshier (ME) (d. 2016) were prime movers in the formation of a local fraternity, Phi Delta Rho, which went national with AXP. Starting in 1988, 10-year celebrations of the charter have been held with very high attendance from all years and especially by charter brothers. Out of 26 charter brothers, only five survive as of Oct. 2017.
The 1988 gathering resulted in the formation of what became known as The Vintage Crows, which included all brothers as of June 1950, totaling 50. Varying numbers from this group enjoyed intermediate reunions every two years at locations conducive to golf at first and history/culture later. The wives were included, of course, and many good friendships were established. Snail and email newsletters kept everyone up-to-date. Biographies were shared before the 1988 meeting and updated as a booklet in 2002.
This association has been especially rewarding to me as I have had the pleasure of visiting 24 of these brothers at their homes during my travels by car, my airplane, or RV. Many of these visits involved multiple times as well as multiple days. They included meeting children, grandchildren, siblings, and friends. This activity encompassed 12 states or provinces from Nova Scotia to Florida, California, and Alaska. Eleven bothers, mostly with wives, have visited our home, some with overnight stays. Posted 2018-03-15
1951
Carlton Peter Dewitt was named the grand marshal for the 2019 Copperfest Parade in Oconto, Wis., last June. An extensive article about him was published in the Green Bay Press Gazette. Peter had a long and distinguished career in which he worked on rockets and developed high-tech instruments.
At Convair, he was part of a team developing early missile and rocket systems, including ones designed by Wernher von Braun. Peter’s suggestion helped stop rockets from crashing after going into uncontrollable spins.
Peter moved back to his hometown of Oconto in 1957 and founded Holt Instrument Laboratories. The company became a leader in the development of precision measurement instruments, some of which are still used by the National Bureau of Standards. The company’s highest profile work was with NASA, to whom Holt supplied calibration and measurement systems used extensively during the development of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo systems. Posted 2020-05-14
At Convair, he was part of a team developing early missile and rocket systems, including ones designed by Wernher von Braun. Peter’s suggestion helped stop rockets from crashing after going into uncontrollable spins.
Peter moved back to his hometown of Oconto in 1957 and founded Holt Instrument Laboratories. The company became a leader in the development of precision measurement instruments, some of which are still used by the National Bureau of Standards. The company’s highest profile work was with NASA, to whom Holt supplied calibration and measurement systems used extensively during the development of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo systems. Posted 2020-05-14
Fred Williamson writes: Some (probably most) of the ’51 class is not on this side of the grass, and that makes sharing news a bit of a problem. Just memories. I have lots. To be sure, most are great. If I may share the biggest one — it is that although I got an excellent education in chemical engineering, the largest one is that mine didn’t stop at graduation — it just began.
Other memories include the opening lecture by Dr. Harry Faigenbaum. “Gentlemen — look to your right and to your left. Neither of those will be here at your graduation.” Interesting to note that there were no women mentioned; I think we had two or three in my class. Contrast this with life at RPI today in which women are a significant part of every class.
The grading system was a real challenge. In each course in the “advance,” you were graded in the two-week period, “the Review.” If your average on a 4.0 basis was 3.4, you didn’t have to take the final. It was a strong incentive to master the material. Along with the memories of playing lacrosse — we were in the top 10 in the NCAA all my years — the thought of Campus Review is still with me.
On Monday nights we had a radio show and it was broadcast to the greater Albany area. We played music records, covered campus life, the sports, and ran a radio skit. Imagine going to a party in Schenectady and hearing one of the dates say she always tuned in. In later years, one of Mary Jane Sunderland’s daughters sent me a copy of the script “The Christmas Story.” MJ was a Sage student and couldn’t participate in RPI activities, but played the part of Mary with a nom de plume. The radio show gave me experience in public speaking, which was as important as the academic studies, and the lacrosse sure taught team play. Posted 2019-10-01
Other memories include the opening lecture by Dr. Harry Faigenbaum. “Gentlemen — look to your right and to your left. Neither of those will be here at your graduation.” Interesting to note that there were no women mentioned; I think we had two or three in my class. Contrast this with life at RPI today in which women are a significant part of every class.
The grading system was a real challenge. In each course in the “advance,” you were graded in the two-week period, “the Review.” If your average on a 4.0 basis was 3.4, you didn’t have to take the final. It was a strong incentive to master the material. Along with the memories of playing lacrosse — we were in the top 10 in the NCAA all my years — the thought of Campus Review is still with me.
On Monday nights we had a radio show and it was broadcast to the greater Albany area. We played music records, covered campus life, the sports, and ran a radio skit. Imagine going to a party in Schenectady and hearing one of the dates say she always tuned in. In later years, one of Mary Jane Sunderland’s daughters sent me a copy of the script “The Christmas Story.” MJ was a Sage student and couldn’t participate in RPI activities, but played the part of Mary with a nom de plume. The radio show gave me experience in public speaking, which was as important as the academic studies, and the lacrosse sure taught team play. Posted 2019-10-01
Bob Fopeano noted that in late April he emailed the annual report for the Class of 1951 Student Entrepreneurship Award, The Class of 1951 Transfer Student Scholarship, and Class of 1951 Teaching Awards Fund to all 1951 class members for whom we have valid email addresses. For those of you who didn’t get this email and are interested in obtaining a hard copy or email version, please contact Bob at rfopeano@gmail.com or at (518) 810-3885. Learn how your generosity is continuing to support excellence at Rensselaer. According to Bob’s report, we have sent many students on to graduation with our scholarship endowment, made numerous awards to teachers for their excellence and inno-vative approaches to teaching, and have awarded funds to promising entrepreneurial projects that in some cases have spawned new businesses.
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Bob Pavan received the Albert Fox Demers Medal at the RAA Awards Dinner held during Reunion & Homecoming weekend in October. The Demers Medal is the second highest award bestowed by the alumni association.
His citation begins: “Robert J. Pavan understands firsthand the importance of providing Rensselaer students with the necessary resources, so they might have the same opportunities that a Rensselaer education afforded him. As a result, our students reap great benefits from his exceptional altruism.”
Bob attended Rensselaer on a four-year alumni scholarship. He credits his Rensselaer experience as the dawning of his professional success. In 2002, in a remarkable act of giving back, he and his wife, Barbara, initiated a scholarship fund, which supports graduates of his alma mater, Brooklyn Technical High School.
Over the years, Bob has served Rensselaer in many capacities, including president of the Rensselaer Chapter of Long Island, board member of the RAA, and phonathon volunteer.
After earning two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree from Rensselaer, Bob later earned his doctorate at Harvard. He went on to serve on the faculty there. Now retired, his career path included work as a structural engineer, real estate entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and recipient of a Fulbright Research Fellowship.
Bob, congratulations on a much deserved honor. Posted 2019-09-11
His citation begins: “Robert J. Pavan understands firsthand the importance of providing Rensselaer students with the necessary resources, so they might have the same opportunities that a Rensselaer education afforded him. As a result, our students reap great benefits from his exceptional altruism.”
Bob attended Rensselaer on a four-year alumni scholarship. He credits his Rensselaer experience as the dawning of his professional success. In 2002, in a remarkable act of giving back, he and his wife, Barbara, initiated a scholarship fund, which supports graduates of his alma mater, Brooklyn Technical High School.
Over the years, Bob has served Rensselaer in many capacities, including president of the Rensselaer Chapter of Long Island, board member of the RAA, and phonathon volunteer.
After earning two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree from Rensselaer, Bob later earned his doctorate at Harvard. He went on to serve on the faculty there. Now retired, his career path included work as a structural engineer, real estate entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and recipient of a Fulbright Research Fellowship.
Bob, congratulations on a much deserved honor. Posted 2019-09-11
Fred Williamson I lost my wife March 3. We had a relationship that even Hollywood can’t top. My first wife (a Sage grad) decided in 1974 that the assistant minister at our church would make a better mate and left me. Friends at UCC arranged for me to make sales calls while she was packing. It was Christmas time. A friend in Oklahoma City said no point in staying at a motel. This friend was my first wife’s sister. And yes, we put two families together and had a great 43-year marriage.
Posted 2018-10-10
1952
Phil Brock wrote: “I spoke to Noel Siegel, and we talked about having a Phi Sig reunion sometime soon in NYC. I have been quite busy. I am still working, doing some part-time consulting work for two of my ex-competitors, one of whom used to work for me, and I find it very stimulating. I also play tennis three times a week, mostly doubles and sometimes singles. I’m lucky I can still run around. I’ve had a few replacements in recent years, a shoulder, two knees, and a hip. It’s amazing what can be done today.”
Posted 2020-07-10
I received an email from C.J. Nager about a class reunion that was planned for this October. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, plans for future events, including class reunions, have been postponed. C.J. also sent his own news: “This was a busy year for us. Selling our home in South Carolina, moving to Longboat Key, Fla., and recovering from open heart surgery ... we are the walking wounded!” Let’s all wish C.J. a great recovery.
Posted 2020-07-10
Engineering
On a personal note, I was honored to be selected as one of two alumni to receive the Albert Fox Demers Medal along with John S. Hamilton, Class of 1973, at the RAA Awards Dinner during the 2019 Reunion. Past recipients from the Great Class of 1952 were John Horton (in 1982), Al Krause (in 1987), Harvey Zeve (in 1989), and Robert J. Pavan (in 2017). I feel honored to join such elite company.
Posted 2020-05-18
Finally, on a somber note, we lost another classmate, Frederick E. Clark Jr., on June 21, 2019. Fred enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and, after completing his training as an aviation machinist’s mate third class, served in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations. He was honorably discharged April 29, 1946. He then graduated from Hartford Veterans High School and, under the GI Bill, attended and graduated from RPI, with a BAE degree. He then worked at local engineering firms in Connecticut and then Jeter and Cook Architects before starting his own architectural firm. Ultimately, Fred was hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, serving as the Illinois State Architect for Farmers Home Administration in Champaign.
Posted 2020-05-18
John Winter also reminded me about our RPI days and said he uncovered a photo showing our classmate John Margenot, the president of the IFC (Interfraternity Council), awarding prizes to the queen and her court at the Interfraternity Ball, also called the Harvest Moon Ball. John Winter was the treasurer and recalled issuing a check to the Tommy Tucker Orchestra. They were one of the last to play on the college circuit. While at an EMPAC banquet two years ago, John was seated next to the current Grand Marshal. He had never heard of the IFC Ball. It went away with the “smokers” that the political parties ran to influence us naive freshmen. You can find more info about the balls at this site: https://archives.rpi.edu/exhibit-gallery/. Click on Student Traditions, then Dances.
Incidentally, John mentioned that he was impressed with the record that John Margenot has achieved as First Selectman “Mayor” of Greenwich, Conn. Look him up to get the full story.
John Winter told me he donated his ham radio equipment to a local club. It included a full Collins S-line. He and his wife, Marge, RSC ’55, are happy in their retirement home in Wichita, Kan. His son is now running his company, Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics. He is making lithium-ion batteries for business aircraft and has doubled the company’s size. Posted 2019-10-01
Incidentally, John mentioned that he was impressed with the record that John Margenot has achieved as First Selectman “Mayor” of Greenwich, Conn. Look him up to get the full story.
John Winter told me he donated his ham radio equipment to a local club. It included a full Collins S-line. He and his wife, Marge, RSC ’55, are happy in their retirement home in Wichita, Kan. His son is now running his company, Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics. He is making lithium-ion batteries for business aircraft and has doubled the company’s size. Posted 2019-10-01
John Drake read about the “First to Cross Atlantic Flight to Ireland” article in the Spring 2019 issue and requested a copy. He also mentioned that though he graduated with a B.S.E.E. and after consulting for 15 years, he taught aeronautical engineering at Purdue for 20 years. Now he is in a retirement home in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Posted 2019-10-01
Bud Hovey writes: My wife, Esther, and I celebrated our 62nd wedding anniversary on May 11, 2019, in Ogunquit, Maine.
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
In December 2017, Frank Wolz (BME) and his wife, Jean (née Mylner), celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary and Frank’s 90th birthday. Jean is a 1953 graduate of Russell Sage, where she majored in organic chemistry. Frank designed electrical and mechanical systems for commercial enterprises during his last dozen years of employment in the Orlando, Fla., area. They are now living in the Westminster Winter Park retirement community.
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
I received a most interesting article, which I will send to anyone interested as an email attachment, titled “Who was first to fly across Atlantic Ocean from America to Ireland?” It was prepared by a friend of Lewis Dewart (BAE), who resides in Nottingham Village, Northumberland, Pa. Lewis, who served as a 1st Lt. in the Air Force during the last two years of the Korean War, assembled the information about the early attempts to fly across the Atlantic in 1919 and provided it to his friend. Spoiler alert! One of four teams was successful.
Posted 2019-03-10
Harry (Bud) Hovey writes: Esther and I celebrated our 61st wedding anniversary by going to Shelburne, Vt., and visiting and touring the Shelburne Museum, the Vermont Teddy Bear Store and Factory, and the Shelburne Winery. Our anniversary dinner was at a quaint South Burlington restaurant called Pauline’s, where we had filet mignon and fiddleheads. (I think the chef gathered them himself.) On the way home on Mother’s Day, we stopped at Ben & Jerry’s and toured their factory. All told, it was a great weekend.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
It is with deep regret that I have to inform you that Joseph Mansfield (B.Ch.E.), a longtime Morris County, N.J., resident, passed away on Feb. 16, 2018. He was 87 years old.
Joe grew up in Manhasset, N.Y. He graduated from Xavier High School in New York City, where he was a member of their highly decorated Rifle Squad. He was in officers’ training in ROTC and was the senior class president. He was a very active member of the Class of 1952, organizing and participating in RPI reunions until very recently.
He entered the U.S. Navy upon graduation and served as a junior officer aboard the destroyer USS Daly during the Korean War. After leaving active duty, Joe began his long and successful career as an investment banker, consultant, and venture capitalist. During this time, he obtained his MBA from New York University.
Joe married his beloved wife, Grace, in 1958 and moved to Morristown in 1963 with their growing family. They enjoyed a very active life together and traveled throughout the world until Grace’s death in 1991. His greatest joys were his family and his faith. Joe was a parishioner of the Church of Christ the King for over 50 years. He was an usher for more than 35 years at the Sunday mass, always wearing a vast assortment of what are fondly called “Joe’s fancy pants.” Those of you who attended our reunions may remember some of those pants.
As a very active grandfather, Grandpa Joe/Poppy attended countless birthdays, special occasions, sporting events, holidays, and graduations with great joy and enthusiasm, always cheering and sporting his colorful pants.
He is survived by his children, Robin O’Connell and her husband, Sean, Kristin Dunn and her husband, Chris, Joe Jr. and his wife, Susan, Kelly Brown and her husband, Allan, and Megan. He will be greatly missed by his 11 grandchildren.
While I sent Joe’s obituary by email to my mailing list, there are some Class of ’52 members who are either not on my list or who have new email addresses and did not get the obit. So, if you want to honor Joe, please feel free to make a donation to RPI in his memory. Posted 2018-10-10
Joe grew up in Manhasset, N.Y. He graduated from Xavier High School in New York City, where he was a member of their highly decorated Rifle Squad. He was in officers’ training in ROTC and was the senior class president. He was a very active member of the Class of 1952, organizing and participating in RPI reunions until very recently.
He entered the U.S. Navy upon graduation and served as a junior officer aboard the destroyer USS Daly during the Korean War. After leaving active duty, Joe began his long and successful career as an investment banker, consultant, and venture capitalist. During this time, he obtained his MBA from New York University.
Joe married his beloved wife, Grace, in 1958 and moved to Morristown in 1963 with their growing family. They enjoyed a very active life together and traveled throughout the world until Grace’s death in 1991. His greatest joys were his family and his faith. Joe was a parishioner of the Church of Christ the King for over 50 years. He was an usher for more than 35 years at the Sunday mass, always wearing a vast assortment of what are fondly called “Joe’s fancy pants.” Those of you who attended our reunions may remember some of those pants.
As a very active grandfather, Grandpa Joe/Poppy attended countless birthdays, special occasions, sporting events, holidays, and graduations with great joy and enthusiasm, always cheering and sporting his colorful pants.
He is survived by his children, Robin O’Connell and her husband, Sean, Kristin Dunn and her husband, Chris, Joe Jr. and his wife, Susan, Kelly Brown and her husband, Allan, and Megan. He will be greatly missed by his 11 grandchildren.
While I sent Joe’s obituary by email to my mailing list, there are some Class of ’52 members who are either not on my list or who have new email addresses and did not get the obit. So, if you want to honor Joe, please feel free to make a donation to RPI in his memory. Posted 2018-10-10
Harry "Bud" Hovey was pleased to celebrate his class' 65th Class Reunion on October 12-15, 2017 with a total of 15 of his classmates attending: Howland (Bud) Adams, Charles Ammann, Frederick Beyerlein, Reyman Branting, Alan Conners, John Crush, Harry (Bud) Hovey, Walter Johnson, Alfred Krause, William Lillis, Charles (C.J.) Nager, Arnold Silver, Paul Totta, Robert Sy, and John Winter, along with some wives and other guests.
Bill Lillis, who was co-captain of the lacrosse team, and Bud Adams, who was the equipment manager, sat at the same table and had a great time discussing their roles during RPI’s fantastic lacrosse years. During the dinner, John Crush gave a tribute to their deceased classmates, and later, they all had an opportunity to discuss briefly (some less briefly than others) what they got out of RPI. The highlight of the evening, however, was guest speaker Dr. Mary Simoni, dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS), who became an honorary member of the Great Class of 1952 when she donned one of their commemorative golf shirts! The event closed with all attendees singing Rensselaer's alma mater along with the a cappella group Duly Noted.
John Margenot, who was the elected vice president of the Class of ’52, phoned C.J. Nager after Reunion and said he has been serving as the mayor of Greenwich, Conn., for 10 years. Posted 2018-03-15
Bill Lillis, who was co-captain of the lacrosse team, and Bud Adams, who was the equipment manager, sat at the same table and had a great time discussing their roles during RPI’s fantastic lacrosse years. During the dinner, John Crush gave a tribute to their deceased classmates, and later, they all had an opportunity to discuss briefly (some less briefly than others) what they got out of RPI. The highlight of the evening, however, was guest speaker Dr. Mary Simoni, dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS), who became an honorary member of the Great Class of 1952 when she donned one of their commemorative golf shirts! The event closed with all attendees singing Rensselaer's alma mater along with the a cappella group Duly Noted.
John Margenot, who was the elected vice president of the Class of ’52, phoned C.J. Nager after Reunion and said he has been serving as the mayor of Greenwich, Conn., for 10 years. Posted 2018-03-15
1953
Robert Goldberg and his wife, Marge, are now in an independent facility in Portland, Maine. “As with most of the other residents, it is because a child or other relative is close by. We don’t travel too much anymore but we both still drive. Here’s to old RPI.”
Posted 2024-01-10
Arthur Goldstein thanks his classmates who contributed to the column. “Some who added their thoughts and accomplishments are Sam Wait, Bill Moller, Rick Schoenhardt, Harry Carlson, John Lavery, Bill Glaser, John Foehl, Richard Greenberg, Gordon Kilby, Bob Eltz, Michael Rose, and Arnold Berger, to name a few. Thanks, also, to my wonderful wife, Gloria, who reviewed and edited the column. Stay involved and healthy,” he says.
Posted 2021-09-29
After 32 years, about 150 columns highlighting the exploits of about 400 members of our class, and enjoying wonderful interaction, I have decided to retire from Class Notes. Throughout this period of time, our great Class of ’53, which included many veterans of WWII, have made a distinct mark on society. Our families, professions, travel, schooling, hobbies, politics, and support of organizations has shown a level of commitment, morals, and ethics to have moved our school, country, and the world in significant directions. Stay safe and involved! — Arthur Goldstein ’53; agaent@aol.com
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Arthur Goldstein writes: Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson was appointed president of RPI in September 1999. Gloria and I were present at the inauguration where then-Senator Hillary Clinton made a stimulating address. Since then the changes have been monumental. Rensselaer magazine, fall 2019 issue, has a wonderful review of the 20 years of progress. We have become leaders in biotechnology, nanoscience, design prototyping, advanced computing, and media arts. Facilities equal to these innovations have been built along with the East Campus Athletic Village. Dr. Jackson has served on many boards of leading organizations, becoming an outstanding ambassador for the college. She follows in the footsteps of former President George Low. RPI is a world-class school for the 21st century. The progress has not come easily, however. It makes us proud to see our alma mater advance in a multitude of directions. Read “Celebrating 20 years of Leadership” in the fall issue.
Posted 2020-05-18
Bill Glaser (L PD1723@aol.co m) sold his Naples, Fla., home and purchased a senior housing condo on the Florida Gulf. Now he doesn’t have to change light bulbs or perform maintenance. He is free to concentrate on intellectual and physical activities. Bill drives a Chevy Volt which has great gas mileage, but has to push the car after 60 miles on battery.
Posted 2019-10-01
Richard Greenberg (rich9830@aol.com) was preparing his superb collection of Brazilian stamps for a show in June 2019 in Washington, D.C. He was aiming to receive a gold medal. Hope all philatelists and alumni show support.
Posted 2019-10-01
Arthur Goldstein writes: I know that our group is advancing in age, especially the World War II veterans. I would still appreciate information from you such as books, movies, family news, travel, hobbies, education, politics, or any things you would like to share.
I am teaching a Great Decisions course with A/V by the Foreign Policy Association (FPA) for the fourth year at Westchester Community College. We have an oversubscribed adult group for this non-partial class covering subjects such as Migration, Nationalism, China Trade, and Cybersecurity. This excellent course is given in libraries, houses of worship, schools, etc., throughout the U.S. Check it out.
A book I recommend is Presidents in War by Michael Beschloss. It highlights seven presidents and presents a historical perspective that is new and revealing with excellent writing. Especially interesting are Polk, FDR, and Truman. Please keep in touch. Posted 2019-10-01
I am teaching a Great Decisions course with A/V by the Foreign Policy Association (FPA) for the fourth year at Westchester Community College. We have an oversubscribed adult group for this non-partial class covering subjects such as Migration, Nationalism, China Trade, and Cybersecurity. This excellent course is given in libraries, houses of worship, schools, etc., throughout the U.S. Check it out.
A book I recommend is Presidents in War by Michael Beschloss. It highlights seven presidents and presents a historical perspective that is new and revealing with excellent writing. Especially interesting are Polk, FDR, and Truman. Please keep in touch. Posted 2019-10-01
Dr. Robert Pavan (’51, ’52, ’53 M.S.) was awarded the Demers Medal, for long-term service, at the October Awards Dinner at RPI.
Posted 2019-09-11
Arthur Goldstein writes: Our 65th Reunion took place the weekend of Sept. 27, 2018. In attendance were Bob Goldberg and Marge, Al Birks and Joan, Charles Bucci, Harry Carlson, John Kaestle and Louise, Warren Rasmussen, Brooke Schumm, Gordon Kilby and Judy, Jack Newton, and Stephen Puzier.
President Shirley Ann Jackson presented a stimulating talk on campus life. Some highlights! We are preserving our Greek System; however, we need to control hazing, drinking, drugs, and other distractions. We had over 20,000 applicants to the college with scores that are higher than ever. RPI is considered one of the best STEM and architecture schools and is now planning to offer new music and academic programs. Diversity among male and female students is at an all-time high.
Our school is deeply involved in health informatics using AI, intelligent machines, and large-scale data accumulation and processing. We partner with IBM and the famous Watson computer system affecting electronic health data. An excellent panel of experts in health care followed the president’s presentation.
The weekend also included “RED” Talks (similar to TED Talks) on subjects where RPI is influential in biotechnology and interdisciplinary studies.
Participants attended the 50 Year Club Luncheon at Heffner Alumni House and an elegant dinner at the East Campus Athletic Village. There were many stimulating choices of events to attend and people to mix with on campus.
Bob Goldberg provided an excellent summary of the weekend. Bob and Marge live in Portland, Maine, in an adult community. They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary and make use of the cultural and physical facilities of the area. They keep in touch with Jacques Stanlea (Switzerland), Warren Rasmussen (Florida), Harris Siegel (Rochester), and Harry Carlson (Altamont, N.Y.). Bob’s advice is to downsize while you are still able to.
Gloria and I were not able to attend due to a severe cold. So sorry we missed the event.
A wonderful source of information is the ability to stream speeches on the RPI website. Go to: president.RPI.edu and look for the September 2018 speech. Very, very stimulating!
Posted 2019-03-10
Bruce Clements ’85 sent a letter highlighting his “student liaison” with our class at our 30th Reunion in 1983. We had 52 alums which I believe included Dick Somers, Bill Shoop, Bill Glaser, Bob Graham, Sam Wait, Gordon Kilby, Rick Schoenhardt, Bill Moller, Sam Markowitz, Arthur Huff, Francis Skelly, Rod Procaccino, Mike Maas, Len Kranser, Harry Carlson, Don Beebe, Don Beard, and Hank Clark. (Who else?).
Some from Phi Sigma Delta were Jim Silberman, Chester Gerber, Jim Markin, Larry Michaels, Richard Greenberg, Herb Cohen, Mike Rose, Ron Rubin, and Carl Puchall. Bruce (’85) remembers our singing RPI fight songs as we moved to each event. He sent thank you notes to all 52 but only received my acknowledgement, thus sending me this letter. He hoped his 1985 class would be as enthusiastic as ours, as he said, “you guys rocked back in 1983.” Thanks, Bruce, for stimulating our nostalgia.
Some highlights from 1983: the internet officially begins as Arpanet migrates to TCP/IP; seat belts become in wide use; Mash closes its run; the head of the EPA resigns because of a scandal; Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) proposed by President Reagan; Michael Jackson introduces the “moon walk”; U.S. brokers a withdrawal of Israel from Lebanon; HIV virus is discovered; Japan has a major earthquake and tsunami; severe drought in our Midwest; Sally Ride boards the Challenger; nuclear plants in many countries have problems; Hurricane Alicia hits Texas; Soviets shoot down Korean Air 007; GPS becomes available for civilians; N. Korea kills S. Korea’s foreign minister; Baltimore wins World Series; speed of light confirmed; 241 U.S. servicemen killed in Beirut; MLK Jr. Day is created; first Dodge minivan introduced; Argentina, Turkey, and Venezuela begin free political regimes; Irish (IRA) bomb Harrods in London; drug resistance (DARE) is launched; DeLorean Motor ceases production; Arthur Godfrey, Jack Dempsey, Gloria Swanson, Buckminster Fuller, and Joan Miró pass away.
Comic book writer Peter Tomasi, along with artist Sara Duvall, has written a “graphic novel” on the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. The book had a fine review in the NYT, April 16, 2018, titled “A Family, a Vision, and a Bridge.” The book illustrates Washington Roebling (Class of 1857) and his wife, Emily, and their Herculean task. Remember also The Great Bridge by David McCullough and Chief Engineer by Erica Wagner (reviewed previously). Our RPI legacy is secure with the bridge and the world-famous Ferris wheel, which illuminates so many cities around the world. Posted 2018-10-10
Some from Phi Sigma Delta were Jim Silberman, Chester Gerber, Jim Markin, Larry Michaels, Richard Greenberg, Herb Cohen, Mike Rose, Ron Rubin, and Carl Puchall. Bruce (’85) remembers our singing RPI fight songs as we moved to each event. He sent thank you notes to all 52 but only received my acknowledgement, thus sending me this letter. He hoped his 1985 class would be as enthusiastic as ours, as he said, “you guys rocked back in 1983.” Thanks, Bruce, for stimulating our nostalgia.
Some highlights from 1983: the internet officially begins as Arpanet migrates to TCP/IP; seat belts become in wide use; Mash closes its run; the head of the EPA resigns because of a scandal; Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) proposed by President Reagan; Michael Jackson introduces the “moon walk”; U.S. brokers a withdrawal of Israel from Lebanon; HIV virus is discovered; Japan has a major earthquake and tsunami; severe drought in our Midwest; Sally Ride boards the Challenger; nuclear plants in many countries have problems; Hurricane Alicia hits Texas; Soviets shoot down Korean Air 007; GPS becomes available for civilians; N. Korea kills S. Korea’s foreign minister; Baltimore wins World Series; speed of light confirmed; 241 U.S. servicemen killed in Beirut; MLK Jr. Day is created; first Dodge minivan introduced; Argentina, Turkey, and Venezuela begin free political regimes; Irish (IRA) bomb Harrods in London; drug resistance (DARE) is launched; DeLorean Motor ceases production; Arthur Godfrey, Jack Dempsey, Gloria Swanson, Buckminster Fuller, and Joan Miró pass away.
Comic book writer Peter Tomasi, along with artist Sara Duvall, has written a “graphic novel” on the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. The book had a fine review in the NYT, April 16, 2018, titled “A Family, a Vision, and a Bridge.” The book illustrates Washington Roebling (Class of 1857) and his wife, Emily, and their Herculean task. Remember also The Great Bridge by David McCullough and Chief Engineer by Erica Wagner (reviewed previously). Our RPI legacy is secure with the bridge and the world-famous Ferris wheel, which illuminates so many cities around the world. Posted 2018-10-10
Arthur Goldstein shared some of his personal highlights from the Reunion & Homecoming weekend, which was held in October 2017 and coincided with the kickoff of a campaign to raise $1 billion for student scholarships, supporting faculty, and updating infrastructure.
One highlight from the weekend was Dr. Robert Pavan (’51, ’52, ’53 M.S.) being awarded the Demers Medal for his long-term service; another was Bill Glaser’s Entrepreneur of the Year award being given to Jayant Kadambi ’85 ’86 (B.S., M.S.) as founder and former CEO of YUME Corp. Arthur also cited the "Red" talks as another highlight; during the talks, attendees listened to five short discussions on current technology such as “Listening to the Climate of the Earth,” “Architecture Acoustics and Music,” “Big Data Exploration,” “Synthetic Biology,” and “The State of AI and Cognitive Sciences.” In Arthur's words: "Amazing and stimulating!"
Arthur also mentioned an excellent book which he recommends: Chief Engineer by Erica Wagner, which tells the story of Washington Roebling (Class of 1857) and the family history. Arthur notes page 71 may be of particular interest. Before reminding his 1953 classmates of the September 2018 alumni weekend celebrating their 65th Reunion, Arthur closed with the following poem, entitled "Why," from their poet laureate Michael Rose: The young ask “Why”?/ Why do nations fight for “face”/Risking our entire race? Why can’t people live in peace?/Why can’t war and turmoil cease? Why do some get rich and some stay poor?/Why do those who have fight for more? Why do people hate their brother?/Why not learn to trust each other? Why do we waste nature’s grants/To improve our circumstance? Why do cities rot from blight?/Why can’t mankind do it right? The young ask “Why”/Until they’re old…and die. Posted 2018-03-15
One highlight from the weekend was Dr. Robert Pavan (’51, ’52, ’53 M.S.) being awarded the Demers Medal for his long-term service; another was Bill Glaser’s Entrepreneur of the Year award being given to Jayant Kadambi ’85 ’86 (B.S., M.S.) as founder and former CEO of YUME Corp. Arthur also cited the "Red" talks as another highlight; during the talks, attendees listened to five short discussions on current technology such as “Listening to the Climate of the Earth,” “Architecture Acoustics and Music,” “Big Data Exploration,” “Synthetic Biology,” and “The State of AI and Cognitive Sciences.” In Arthur's words: "Amazing and stimulating!"
Arthur also mentioned an excellent book which he recommends: Chief Engineer by Erica Wagner, which tells the story of Washington Roebling (Class of 1857) and the family history. Arthur notes page 71 may be of particular interest. Before reminding his 1953 classmates of the September 2018 alumni weekend celebrating their 65th Reunion, Arthur closed with the following poem, entitled "Why," from their poet laureate Michael Rose: The young ask “Why”?/ Why do nations fight for “face”/Risking our entire race? Why can’t people live in peace?/Why can’t war and turmoil cease? Why do some get rich and some stay poor?/Why do those who have fight for more? Why do people hate their brother?/Why not learn to trust each other? Why do we waste nature’s grants/To improve our circumstance? Why do cities rot from blight?/Why can’t mankind do it right? The young ask “Why”/Until they’re old…and die. Posted 2018-03-15
Science
During his 40-year career at Uniroyal, Frank Cesare accumulated 14 patents in organic chemistry. He has six children and eight grandchildren.
Posted 2018-03-15
Sam Wait and his wife Carol celebrated their 60th anniversary in June 2017. Married in London, England, in 1957 while Sam was at the University College on a Fulbright Scholarship, Sam and Carol have now moved to the Glen Eddy retirement community in Niskayuna, New York. Sam reports that classmate Gordon Kilby and his wife Judy are also Glen Eddy residents.
Posted 2018-03-15
Reunion & Homecoming weekend, October 2017, focused on “Transformative,” which coincided with the kickoff of a campaign to raise $1 billion for student scholarships, supporting faculty, and updating infrastructure. They announced they had already raised over $400 million.
Frank Cesare (B.S. Chem., Ph.D.) attended the weekend with me. He has six children, eight grandchildren, and while at Uniroyal for 40 years, accumulated 14 patents in organic chemistry. The evening included a beautiful dinner at the Curtis Priem ’82 (EMPAC) Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center and a concert by the RPI student orchestra.
Bill Glaser’s Entrepreneur of the Year award went to Jayant Kadambi ’85 ’86 (B.S., M.S.) as founder and former CEO of YUME Corp. It is a digital video advertising media and software technology company. The award is based at the Lally School of Management.
One of the highlights of the weekend included the “Red” Talks. We listened to five short discussions on current technology such as “Listening to the Climate of the Earth,” “Architecture Acoustics and Music,” “Big Data Exploration,” “Synthetic Biology,” and “The State of AI and Cognitive Sciences.” Amazing and stimulating!
An excellent book that I recommend is Chief Engineer by Erica Wagner. It is the story of Washington Roebling (Class of 1857) and the family history. See page 71 in particular.
A poem by our poet laureate Michael Rose: “Why.”
The young ask “Why”?/ Why do nations fight for “face”/Risking our entire race? Why can’t people live in peace?/Why can’t war and turmoil cease? Why do some get rich and some stay poor?/Why do those who have fight for more?
Why do people hate their brother?/Why not learn to trust each other? Why do we waste nature’s grants/To improve our circumstance? Why do cities rot from blight?/Why can’t mankind do it right? The young ask “Why”/Until they’re old…and die. Posted 2018-03-10
Frank Cesare (B.S. Chem., Ph.D.) attended the weekend with me. He has six children, eight grandchildren, and while at Uniroyal for 40 years, accumulated 14 patents in organic chemistry. The evening included a beautiful dinner at the Curtis Priem ’82 (EMPAC) Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center and a concert by the RPI student orchestra.
Bill Glaser’s Entrepreneur of the Year award went to Jayant Kadambi ’85 ’86 (B.S., M.S.) as founder and former CEO of YUME Corp. It is a digital video advertising media and software technology company. The award is based at the Lally School of Management.
One of the highlights of the weekend included the “Red” Talks. We listened to five short discussions on current technology such as “Listening to the Climate of the Earth,” “Architecture Acoustics and Music,” “Big Data Exploration,” “Synthetic Biology,” and “The State of AI and Cognitive Sciences.” Amazing and stimulating!
An excellent book that I recommend is Chief Engineer by Erica Wagner. It is the story of Washington Roebling (Class of 1857) and the family history. See page 71 in particular.
A poem by our poet laureate Michael Rose: “Why.”
The young ask “Why”?/ Why do nations fight for “face”/Risking our entire race? Why can’t people live in peace?/Why can’t war and turmoil cease? Why do some get rich and some stay poor?/Why do those who have fight for more?
Why do people hate their brother?/Why not learn to trust each other? Why do we waste nature’s grants/To improve our circumstance? Why do cities rot from blight?/Why can’t mankind do it right? The young ask “Why”/Until they’re old…and die. Posted 2018-03-10
Sam Wait wrote that “Carol and I celebrated our 60th anniversary in June. We were married in London, England, in 1957 while I was at the University College on a Fulbright. We are now living in the Glen Eddy retirement community in Niskayuna, N.Y. Gordon Kilby and Judy are at the same center.”
Posted 2018-03-10
1954
Gerald H. Brody says that Marvin Menzin’s letter triggered some memories. “Before COVID, Marvin and Peggy used to host a gathering at his cape house for a few of his RPI/AEPI schoolmates and wives. Attendees included Jerry Olderman (’58), Ken Lissak (’54), Stan Shaffran (‘57), and myself. One year, a contingent (with wives) from New York/New Jersey drove up to join us, including Bob Meyers (’54), Murray Boden, Jerry Alderman, and Sheldon Kozlowski. In recent years, we have lunched annually with Marvin and Jerry Olderman. I retired from Raytheon in 1994 after 40 years of design and program management assignments, half on commercial projects and half on government contracts, mostly Navy. They included two years of overseas airport cutovers involving reservation and boarding activities for multiple airlines. My last assignment was deputy program manager for NESP, a $500 million-plus contract for the Navy’s portion of the Milstar program. We designed, developed, and manufactured ground terminals for ships, submarines, shore stations, and a transportable system used in Desert Storm to provide secure communications between the Pentagon and commanders in theater.”
Posted 2024-01-10
Bill Neuberg says that at RPI, he studied things he was interested in, but didn’t care about marks and graduated next to last in the class. He went into the Navy flight training program and was the first in the class to graduate. He did active duty as a flight instructor, flew in three reserve squadrons, and went back in for the Cuban Missile Crisis in the ferry squadron. That got him involved with the flight information system called NOTAMs, where he made a significant contribution. He then got out of the Navy and developed a process to make Cream of Tartar with his father. He next got involved with printing ink, where he developed micronized wax and later the use of micronized PTFE, better known as Teflon. This was just prior to 1970. Since then, he developed the five-man company into one of 250 people with worldwide sales and manufacturing. “I met my wife, Ricki, 60 years ago. She taught school and had the riding club. We now live on a horse farm in New Jersey. I go to work in Newark three days a week and still play with chemistry and horse around. I hope to be last in the class to retire.”
Posted 2024-01-10
Bob Meyers writes: A group of stalwarts celebrated our 65th Reunion on campus at the end of September. Unfortunately, at the last minute, I was unable to attend. Those who made it included Glenn Brown, our former Grand Marshal, Gus Albern, Henry Rosenblatt, Bob Thieringer, Bob Meade, and Jim Shildneck, the starting defenseman on the 1954 NCAA championship hockey team, and their guests.
Posted 2020-05-14
On March 17, RPI alumni from Alpha Epsilon Pi, representing classes from 1954 to 1962, met for their annual reunion at BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Present were 20 alumni and an equal number of wives, significant others, and widows. You might call them brothers and sisters-in-law.
Representing the Class of 1954 were your reporter (Bob Meyers), Henry Rosenblatt, and Zev Rosen. After a sumptuous brunch, the program included a rendition of the alma mater, an old cheer (e to the x, dy/dx), a report on the state of the Institute, a discussion of fraternity-related issues, all sorts of fun and games, and telling of old stories by old alums. All present are looking toward next year’s get-together. Posted 2019-10-10
Representing the Class of 1954 were your reporter (Bob Meyers), Henry Rosenblatt, and Zev Rosen. After a sumptuous brunch, the program included a rendition of the alma mater, an old cheer (e to the x, dy/dx), a report on the state of the Institute, a discussion of fraternity-related issues, all sorts of fun and games, and telling of old stories by old alums. All present are looking toward next year’s get-together. Posted 2019-10-10
I got a long letter from Gus Albern, who, with his wife, Lee, is living in a retirement community in Middlebury, Vt., after having spent 10 years in Kinderhook, N.Y., and many more years in Wilmington, Del. They have an active retirement life — walking, gardening, and enjoying the benefits of living in a college town. They have five grandchildren, one of whom is on the ski patrol at Middlebury. Gus has survived a few medical issues and is doing pretty well for an old geezer — as we all are in the Class of ’54.
Posted 2019-10-10
Also got a note from Miki Fedun ’81, son of our classmate Basil Fedun, who passed away about two years ago.
And, I learned from his wife, Ann, that Dan Kiely passed away last September. Dan got master’s and doctoral degrees from Yale after his graduation from RPI (in mechanical engineering), taught at Yale for several years, and became a research associate at the Penn State Applied Research Lab, retiring as chief scientist in 2012. He received numerous awards for his contributions to the science of closed-cycle propulsion systems for underwater vehicles, including the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award. He was a brother of Phi Mu Delta, and was a regular at alumni reunions. Posted 2019-10-10
And, I learned from his wife, Ann, that Dan Kiely passed away last September. Dan got master’s and doctoral degrees from Yale after his graduation from RPI (in mechanical engineering), taught at Yale for several years, and became a research associate at the Penn State Applied Research Lab, retiring as chief scientist in 2012. He received numerous awards for his contributions to the science of closed-cycle propulsion systems for underwater vehicles, including the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award. He was a brother of Phi Mu Delta, and was a regular at alumni reunions. Posted 2019-10-10
We received another of our periodic updates from Andy Pouring, who is still active with the company he co-founded, Sonex Research. He writes: “I presented a PowerPoint overview on 40 years in the development of Sonex Controlled Auto Ignition (SCAI) in October 2018 at Engine Expo in Novi, Mich., titled ‘Saving the IC Engine through SCAI.’ The most important point in my presentation of our ultra-lean flameless radical ignition combustion process is it reduces emissions within the cylinder to minimal CO2, water, traces of NOx and hydrocarbons with no systems added to a normal direct injected diesel or gasoline engine. Moreover, gasoline consumption is reduced by 25%. Too bad it is so disruptive no one cares. Also in October I added a Chinese counterpart to my U.S. patent for 2-stroke natural gas engines, granted in 2017. Check out our URL: sonex research.com for more.”
In June, Andy and his wife celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary with their four children and 12 grandchildren. Posted 2019-10-10
In June, Andy and his wife celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary with their four children and 12 grandchildren. Posted 2019-10-10
Miki Fedun ’81 sent word that his father, Basil Fedun, passed away in August. Basil was a retired hydrodynamicist and torpedo control specialist who worked at Gould/Westinghouse/Northrop Grumman. Miki says his dad was an eternal optimist, always at the door with a smile, a warm embrace, and a Slavic kiss on the cheeks.
Posted 2019-10-10
Bob Meyers writes: Back in Florida for the winter season, I have lunched with Zev Rosen ’54 and Phil Gross ’62, and have been playing bridge with Martin Rogers ’56 and with Mel Hirsch ’57, and regularly conversing with my son, Ross Meyers ’84. I was still awaiting the arrival of Jerry Schneider ’59, and looking forward to a visit from Henry Rosenblatt ’54, who keeps me informed of exploits of the RPI football team, which has now won five times as many games as the team won in our entire four years—but then again, RPI won national championships in lacrosse and hockey during those same four years.
— Bob Meyers ’54; bnpmeyers@aol.com
Posted 2019-03-10
Architecture
In February, the New York Times had a detailed obit on Lee Pomeroy, who passed away Feb. 19. Long before Lee became a famous architect he was editor in chief of the Poly, and was elected to Phalanx. I was privileged to be a features writer on the Poly staff, where I first met Lee. Over the years he brought many honors and plaudits to himself and to RPI, and he will be sorely missed.
Posted 2018-10-10
Miki Fedun ’81 sent word that his father, Basil Fedun, passed away in August. Basil was a retired hydrodynamicist and torpedo control specialist who worked at Gould/Westinghouse/Northrop Grumman. In his note, Miki said that his dad was an eternal optimist, and was always at the door with a smile, a warm embrace, and a Slavic kiss on the cheeks.
Posted 2018-03-15
1955
Janet Bauer and Lloyd Bauer ’55
James Ingle died in July 2021. After a career with Bell Labs, he retired in 1994 to start his own consulting firm. Jim served as vice chair of the city planning board in Fair Haven, New Jersey, and led a Green Acres land purchase to create a 40-acre municipal park that he managed for many years. He and Audrey enjoyed visits with their grandchildren and many Elderhostel trips around the U.S.
Posted 2023-02-21
Lawrence Kashar died in August 2021 after battling prostate cancer. Larry earned his Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon, then worked on the B-1 Bomber at North American Rockwell and on the Sprint anti-ballistic missile at Martin Marietta. Until shortly before his death, he worked as a private forensic metallurgist consulting on failure analysis, often for litigation.
Posted 2023-02-21
Sal Magnano serves on the Executive and Budget Committees of the retirement community where he has lived for eight years, and also was elected Resident Trustee of the parent organization. The community president, a good friend, is Charles Urmson ’59. Though dealing with prostate cancer for almost 30 years, Sal has managed to stay active thanks to new medications. He is in his 40th year of service as a trustee of the Nashua, New Hampshire, Boys and Girls Club. He and Lois walk regularly, and he enjoys working on numerical puzzles.
Posted 2023-02-21
Victor Nadaskay died in September 2020. He had suffered a heart attack more than 30 years ago but had recovered well, moving to Florida and able to play golf and swim laps daily. Vic was a four-year starter and captain of the RPI basketball team and continued to play in the Air Force after graduation. After serving as an Air Force pilot, he worked as a manager at Pratt & Whitney.
Posted 2023-02-21
Joe Pilaro reports that he is still in good health thanks to golfing two or three times a week, usually nine holes. The Pilaros have given up their timeshare in Bermuda: “The government changed policy to favoring cruise ships, and the clubs have folded.”
Posted 2023-02-21
John Schmidt notes that he and Marcia have avoided COVID but are pretty much staying around their retirement community, located outside Princeton amid fields, woods, and streams. He keeps busy with twice-daily dog walks, a bocce league, duplicate bridge, and serving on five local committees. “Retirement communities have lots of committees; you don’t control but can advise and advocate.”
Posted 2023-02-21
Allen Seckner died in September 2020 after battling Parkinson’s disease for more than 10 years. Al spent four years as a U. S. Navy aviator, then had a career with DuPont in marketing and sales. For many years, he and Freddie gathered their three children and six grandchildren for family vacations at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. He also enjoyed golf, bridge, and travel.
Posted 2023-02-21
Richard Williams passed away in January. He had an early start to his career in the metallurgical industry. After freshman year at RPI, he was introduced to the president of Consolidated Industries, a company that forged aluminum alloys for aircraft. By his junior year, he was solving the challenges it faced with improperly heat-treated parts. After graduation, he worked for Anaconda American Brass, rising to plant manager at several plants. He was happy with his career and credited it to his time spent at RPI. He also spent many years as a scoutmaster and as an executive board member of area councils.
Posted 2021-09-29
Rick Setlowe is featured in a wonderful narration at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego about his experiences on the Midway during the 1962 China/Quemoy crisis. Recorded during the shut-in times of 2020, it shows Rick a long way from his last haircut but with vivid recall of the dangerous nuclear threat.
Posted 2021-09-29
Willy Lick has been expanding his interest in painting. “I’ve been trying to learn about oil painting for several years. As part of that, I got interested in color, not only as part of a painting, but also the science of color,” he says. “I tried to answer a few simple questions, such as: ‘What are primary colors?’ and ‘What is the mechanism by which the human eye can see all the colors that it does?’” After having much trouble finding answers to these two questions in books on art, color technology, and physics, Willy has written his own treatise on the subject. Those interested may contact him at willy@ucsb.edu. Meanwhile, he continues to be an active painter, holding art gallery exhibitions in Santa Barbara.
Posted 2021-09-29
Larry Kashar is still doing professional work. For years, he has worked as an expert witness on forensic metallurgical cases. “I’m still theoretically somewhat employed, still retained on three cases. But it’s very slow now with the pandemic. How can you inspect a laboratory when no one is allowed in? How can they seat a jury? I get copies of discovery documents, which are really good sleep inducers,” he says. Larry has been battling prostate cancer and is enrolled in the trial of a new drug. “It’s stopped the growth, and it’s fortunately covered by insurance.” He and his wife, Barbara, are active supporters of a local Los Angeles symphony orchestra now presenting virtual recitals. “I’ve become almost competent on Zoom.”
Posted 2021-09-29
Jim Ingle has lived on the New Jersey shore, in the same four-bedroom house, for 60 years. He and his wife, Audrey, plan to move to a retirement community as soon as the pandemic situation permits. Over the years, he has enjoyed surf swimming in the ocean. “But we couldn’t surf swim last summer. Also, I’m running out of energy,” he says. Jim keeps in touch with several Theta Xi fraternity brothers, including Bill Taubert, who lives in Nevada; Lloyd Bauer, who divides his time between Florida and Germany; and Dick Maher, who lives in California. Sadly, the Napa Valley fires destroyed the homes of Dick and his two sons. All three households escaped unhurt with only minutes to spare.
Posted 2021-09-29
Thomas Hill still divides his time between homes in upper New York state and Orlando, Florida. Trouble with macular degeneration forced him to sell his New York farm in 2014 and purchase another residence in nearby Cato. He still has hunting privileges on his old farm. “I pretend I’m hunting. I don’t have the stamina anymore,” he says. Tom marvels at the pace of construction in Florida — 72 new developments in the state in 2020. He enjoys a rare golf outing in the pandemic era. “We don’t care about the score. Just try to hit the ball as well as you can.” Tom recently reconnected by phone with his old roommate, Connie Bassilakis.
Posted 2021-09-29
John Cummings was cofounder and chief executive officer of Comptek Research, a defense electronics business that he sold in 1999 to Northrup Grumman. Now in Sedona, Arizona, he and his wife, Barbara, celebrated his 88th birthday with a two-week trip to Hawaii.
Posted 2021-09-29
Bob Bozzone continues to serve as an emeritus trustee on the Carnegie Museum Board and its Investment Committee. Over the years, he has been a Rensselaer trustee, chairman of the Federal Reserve Board in Pittsburgh, a board member of the Science Center, a major supporter of Catholic schools, and an advisory board member of the Salvation Army. “I fell in love with the Salvation Army; I try to be there for them,” he says. Bob says that his 10 grandchildren keep him going.
Posted 2021-09-29
Ted Baglin qualifies as the class’ senior member, having started out in the Class of 1951. “After freshman year, the dean said it would be a good idea to take some time off,” he says. Following four years in the Navy, he returned to graduate. Then came an adventurous bachelor life — where Ted worked as a contract engineer in aerospace, worked at ski resorts, climbed to the base camp of Mount Everest, started scuba diving at age 70, and attended widespread diving trips. Ted lives with his widowed sister in Northern California, with her daughter and family nearby. He swims daily and keeps in touch with some classmates, including Erv Reschke.
Posted 2021-09-29
Rajai Atalla still operates his own research company in Wisconsin, though at age 86, he is considering selling. His firm works on corn ethanol and develops enzymes to convert cellulose to sugar and eventual fermentation to ethanol. Rajai and his wife enjoy life in a church-affiliated retirement community.
Posted 2021-09-29
John Schmidt thanks his classmates for their contributions to Class Notes. “Thanks for all of our pleasant exchanges and conversations over the years and for sharing so many of your life experiences with your classmates,” he says.
Posted 2021-09-29
Burt Tregub had a very interesting and satisfying career, being in on some very early decisions developing the internet and earning a half-dozen patents in the field of cryptography.
Posted 2021-02-26
Ed Stofka reports that he has recovered well from a stroke five years ago. “The only thing I lost is my whistle.” He and his wife, Sam, are sports fans, and for many years, worked for the Minnesota Twins during spring training in Florida. They recently took cruises in the Caribbean and are regular bridge players. “We played regularly with Larry Bloom and his wife before they moved to Connecticut to be near their son.”
Posted 2021-02-26
Ron Smith is still an active scuba diver and is looking forward to his next trip to the reefs of the South Pacific. Seven years ago, he sold his 17-foot racing sailboat, marking the end of 44 years of racing at major regattas all over the country. A jogger until his knee replacement, Ron works out regularly on ellipticals and treadmills at a fitness center.
Posted 2021-02-26
Though he’s given up golf, Herb Schaeffer gets out for walks and is active in the stock market. He and his wife, Rita, live in New Canaan, Conn. Herb keeps in touch with Steve Whitman, George McBride, and Ray Hofker.
Posted 2021-02-26
After a career at Mobil, which included three years in Saudi Arabia, Joe Pilaro retired in 1994 from corporate planning. He used his MBA background to start an investment advisory company and, among other things, helped set up a network of brew pubs in New Jersey.
Posted 2021-02-26
Don Peterson has recovered well after a recent angioplasty stent procedure and is in pretty good health. He has reluctantly had to give up golf, a major activity since his days on the RPI golf team. Don and his wife, Shirley, continue to enjoy their lives in Tucson.
Posted 2021-02-26
John Magadini still coaches and teaches at the Pingry School in New Jersey. After a long and successful career as their head hockey coach, he continues as head coach emeritus. “Just being around the kids is a treat. They call me Mags.” He recently had to start teaching online and keeps in touch with Steve Whitman, his former roommate.
Posted 2021-02-26
Ray Hofker does some legal work. He had a large case against a chemical company that lasted 10 years, slowed by politics between the U.S. and China. Ray recalls arriving at RPI “with my Samsonite piece of luggage, which housed my first suit. My parents drove me to the Quadrangle and dropped me off. RPI was a societal learning pit for me. While I didn’t mature until much later, the experience was my foundation for personal growth. It was a long journey, and I appreciate every step of it.”
Posted 2021-02-26
Jim Hoffman still lives on his 120-acre farm near Lake Ontario, and leases it out for field crops. “I have a huge garden and a huge yard. My wife and I were urban people, and we enjoy the space.” After 30 years of service, he retired from his local Planning Board but remains deeply active in his church. He also works to oppose installation of wind turbines nearby.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
John Schmidt writes: Happy anniversary. Let’s get back for our 65th Reunion! Marcia and I moved to a retirement home near Princeton, N.J., in September — a path many of us have taken by now.
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
Barnett “Barney” Behrenfeld reports that he has arthritis and takes physical therapy twice a week but is not yet ready to move to a retirement home. “My neighborhood has turned over many times, and I like to see the young people. It always makes me feel good.” He and his wife can still drive and get around, but they have hired help for gardening and cleaning. Both their children live nearby, which also helps. Barney still keeps in regular contact with Bill Barbash.
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
Constantine Bassilakis worked for GE on aircraft engines and then had his own business consulting on gas turbines for the government and GE. He now works out at the Andover, Mass., YMCA two or three times a week. Connie also enjoys league bowling, bass fishing at his son’s camp in Maine, rooting for the NE Patriots, and dancing at least once a month. “I just dance the fast ones. I don’t enjoy slow dances.”
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
In July, Phil Carroll organized a mini-reunion in Santa Barbara with Willy Lick and Joan and Ron Smith. Rick Setlowe got sick at the last minute and couldn’t attend. “We enjoyed continuous recollections of the old days, starting with lunch at a great beachside café, through a tour of UCSB (where Willy taught), and a long evening at his beautiful house in the foothills, including catered dinner and viewing of his paintings. I bought one of his paintings, and it’s nice to see it every day.” In November Willy had an exhibition of his paintings at a Santa Barbara gallery. See www.paintingsbywilly.com.
Posted 2020-05-18
Ilmars “Herb” Dambergs wrote with a great life story. “I came to this wonderful country as a Latvian displaced person in March 1950. In the fall of 1951, after eagerly requesting admission to the ROTC program at RPI, I was informed that I was not eligible by not being a citizen. The sergeant who told me that was wrong, but I had to accept his word. Instead of ROTC, RPI required me to take Chemistry 101. Well, my mind, lack of good high school preparation, my English, whatever, did not produce. Dr. Faigenbaum gave me a fat “F.” In my junior year I was required to repeat the failed subject. Although I was hoping for a D-minus, the professor was relentless and flunked me again. In the spring of 1954 RPI put me on probation; there was a possibility of getting drafted, and things looked bleak. Not even telling my parents, I visited the Army recruiting station, passed the requirements, and in May 1956 became an Infantry 2nd Lieutenant. The Army allowed me to obtain my baccalaureate degree and later a master’s in systems management. After nearly 30 years of service I retired in 1984. I belong to several veterans’ professional organizations. Last year the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School Alumni Association inducted me into the OCS Hall of Fame.”
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
Bob Hirshson had a career with Douglas Aircraft and Hughes Aircraft, eventually as manager of software development. No longer skiing or doing as much photography, he still keeps up with the computer world, especially for entertainment options. He and his wife have lived in their large house for 44 years but are not yet ready to downsize.
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
A former Air Force pilot, George Lamb has for many years built and flown radio-controlled model planes. He still builds models but no longer flies them. “My latest project is to divest myself of all my models.” Flying them had become increasingly difficult. “They get up high, about 2,000 feet, and you can’t see them. I don’t like to look into the sun.” Previously George had been filming some of his flights and entering the filmed results into international competitions. He and his wife have cut back on travel but still enjoy reading, walking, and visiting their grandchildren.
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
David Levine had a 34-year career at Sperry Rand/Unisys, then two five-year post-retirement jobs, first assembling and warehousing medical supplies and then in furniture and high-end gift shops. He reminisced about RPI days, when as president of Kappa Nu fraternity he doubled the house size and built a party room and bar. “It’s still there. My wife and I visited two years ago with all seven of our grandchildren and took photos at the bar. It’s now an RPI sorority house, and it’s immaculate. They were great — bused us to a hockey game and back. We also visited some of the joints we used to go to on 15th Street.”
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
John Lukacz reports that he is in good health and playing golf regularly. He and his wife drive regularly from Massachusetts to Maryland to visit their daughter’s family, including watching the games of three grandsons who are excelling in high school football and lacrosse. Their son also visits from San Diego. John hopes to attend our 65th Reunion.
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
Jerry Pollock moved to Florida 50 years ago to be near his parents and brother and sister. He reports that he has recovered well after fracturing four ribs last year. With two knee replacements, he doesn’t walk as far these days but gets to the gym to work out and swim. But with heavier knees, “I couldn’t keep my feet up.” In his Navy days Jerry made 21 crossings of the Atlantic and grew to love the sea. He and Jean live close to Ft. Lauderdale and have taken 77 cruises. “It’s so convenient.”
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
Steve Whitman has given up his house in New Jersey, and he and Janet now divide their time between homes in Connecticut and Texas. “But economic conditions in Connecticut are no better than in New Jersey. They kept raising the taxes on GE until GE left the state. The irony was that GE sold the land to a nonprofit, the Catholic Church.” Steve keeps up with the business world, including ties to AI research at Caltech, but says he doesn’t do much anymore. “I keep a black suit in each house and go to weddings and funerals.”
Posted 2020-05-18
Chase (“Sal”) Adams said 10 years ago: “I’m never going to retire,” and he has kept his word. He no longer has his law practice but still runs a life insurance agency. With a current focus on gift planning strategies, Sal has developed a financial formula aimed at generating income for charities. The Adamses moved a few years ago from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to Sioux City, Iowa, to be near his wife’s mother. “It’s a much smaller town, only three flights a day from the airport. I sit at my desk and I work, as there is nothing else to do.” Sal has four sons living across the country.
Posted 2019-10-10
Engineering
Richard Anderson still volunteers to help maintain portions of the Erie Canal. Drawing on his ChemE background, he recently helped select cement for a hard-to-patch canal aqueduct. Richard’s wife died two years ago. “I was married to a really tremendous lady. She received a letter from President Obama thanking her for her contribution to early childhood education.” When one of their sons lost his hearing at age 3, they went back to college and worked to set up appropriate education programs. Their son was able not only to succeed academically but also to go on to help develop the 911 network and the EZ-Pass system. Richard now works out five days a week at a Silver Sneakers aquatic exercise program.
Posted 2019-10-10
Like the rest of us, Charles Coe has had to cut back on his sports activities. “I used to play tennis but lost my partners and had to give it up. I skied until I was 71. They had super senior rates at the lift line. But I took a spill and had a compression fracture in my back, and gave that up.” Chuck is still a lap swimmer at a local outdoor pool. He and Judy enjoy theater, symphony, and lecture programs in Los Gatos, Calif.
Posted 2019-10-10
Clifford Hastings reports that he does a lot of reading and is a longtime volunteer manning the desk at his local library. The Hastings have traveled widely, with cruises to Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, and from Spain to Florida. “We’ve spent the last few years on the water.” They just gave up their annual visits to Nantucket because the terrain became too difficult for walking. Cliff has also given up golf. “My social life revolves around my physicians.”
Posted 2019-10-10
Edward Kaiser moved from Arkansas to near Dallas, Texas, several years ago to be near his children and grandchildren. Still an avid gardener, he found that he had to change some crops: Texas was too dry for mushrooms and a wrong pH for blueberries, but he now does well with two growing seasons and other crops including boysenberries, spinach, and kale. “We also used to hunt and fish, but we got old.” Ed traveled widely during his 39 years with Bell Helicopter/Textron but no longer wants to: “I got burned out then on planes. Now I hate to get on one — too cramped.” Also in the past are brewing his own beer and making wine: “I could buy better wine than I could make.”
Posted 2019-10-10
Neil Krebs recalls that he took almost no liberal arts courses at RPI, partly because of ROTC requirements. But after Army service in Korea he returned to RPI for his Ph.D. and developed a love of classical music, twice winning radio station contests to be the first to identify pieces. “I rushed to the post office to mail my entries. The prizes were tickets to concerts at the Field House. One was by the Mantovani Orchestra.” He lives in Stephentown, N.Y., where his wife, a descendant of Stephen Douglas, has a 300-acre property dating back to the Douglas family in 1765. Neil and his wife keep very busy raising Scottie Terriers, llamas, alpacas, chickens, and ducks.
Posted 2019-10-10
Daniel Murphy reports that he and his wife are fine. He walks a mile and a half most every day. Dan used to race sailboats on a large lake nearby but has given that up. He has a lifetime love of sports cars, having raced in the ’50s “until I got married and couldn’t afford it.” Now the owner of two Alfa Romeos, he drives regularly around the countryside with a group of owners from the St. Louis area. Lacking power steering “does wear out my arms.” Dan works on the cars himself, with the 1961 model now taken apart for new wiring. “Surprisingly, parts are easier to get now than 20 years ago.” Dan visited RPI in 2013 for the renewal of his DKE fraternity.
Posted 2019-10-10
Shelby Putnam reports that he and his wife are “doing reasonably well.” In past years they sailed their trawler on summer trips from Maine to the Florida Keys and Bahamas, but they have given that up. They also recently gave up their summer house on Chebeague Island near Portland. “Things got a little heavier than they used to be.” Shelby sold his candy manufacturing business in 1992 but still goes in part time, several owners later, taking care of the machinery.
Posted 2019-10-10
Engineering
In what may be a class record, Arthur Rathbun worked full time with the same company, Bettis, for 58 years. Getting his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering along the way, he designed nuclear reactors for the U.S. Navy’s submarines and carriers. Since retiring at age 81 he has had to give up skiing but keeps busy with cruises, visits to his children in California and France, and numerous trips with Road Scholar’s Signature Cities program.
Posted 2019-10-10
Harvey Rosenhouse still gets around well, driving regularly from New Jersey to visit his sons, a math professor in Virginia and a lawyer in Brooklyn. He and Sandy had a recent family vacation at Disney World. “Surprisingly, I enjoyed it. My grandchildren persuaded me to go on the roller coaster. I hadn’t been on one for 30 years. Once every 30 years is enough.” Harvey works out at home with dumbbells and push-ups — “at least I call them push-ups.” He keeps in touch with Rajai Atalla, who according to Harvey is still running a research laboratory.
Posted 2019-10-10
Norman Schwartz earned a law degree and practiced real estate law in California for 30 years. An avid pilot since RPI days, he has flown around the world, over the North Pole, and across Africa bush country. He had to sell his plane and give up flying several years ago: “The insurance companies are prejudiced against people over 80. I’ve adopted a more passive hobby, photography. Street photography has become a passionate hobby.” Norman has received several awards, and his works hang in local galleries and have been featured in publications including the cover of the UCLA extension course catalog. His portfolio website is www.nsapc.com/run.
Posted 2019-10-10
Playing tennis three times a week keeps Brooks Vogt in shape. “But getting up at 7:30 is no fun. And the game is slowing down. People don’t remember who is serving.” Brooks is nostalgic about his former days in a motorcycle group. “We were known as the Del Monte Vultures. We rode all over the place. Riding in a group is fun. Riding solo is scary — too many people don’t see you.” The Vogts keep busy tracking their three grandsons: a 17-year-old playing goalie in an elite hockey league (and thinking about attending RPI), a 15-year-old playing football and hockey, and a 9-year-old who has recovered from cancer and who now appears on TV as an ambassador for his children’s hospital in Los Angeles.
Posted 2019-10-10
When I spoke in October with Gordon (Russ) Wilmot, he was getting ready to turn his four-bedroom house over to his son and move to a nearby apartment. “We built the house, and I have 55 years worth of stuff to get rid of.” A lifetime amateur clarinetist with local orchestras and bands, he stopped playing recently to become a full-time caregiver for his wife. “Once we get settled, I might pick it up again.”
Posted 2019-03-10
Ted Sargent has a third generation at RPI. Both his son and son-in-law attended, and his granddaughter is now a freshman. “She loves the campus and the people she’s met.”
Posted 2019-03-10
Pete Nicholson earned an M.S. at Cornell and then worked at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, where he founded and developed a satellite ground facility, earning two Meritorious Civilian Service Awards. He had a second career at the Department of Defense working on satellite communications for troops in the field, finally retiring two years ago. Pete keeps active by maintaining the family homestead in Maryland and reminiscing with lasting friends from work. He remembers his RPI roommate Spiro Pappas and Professors Spiegel, Guilford, and Weaver, who were most influential during his academic life. He and Beth have two children, including a son who is emergency backup goalie for the Washington Capitals, and a grandson who they think is heading for engineering, perhaps at RPI.
Posted 2019-03-10
George McBride reports that he is still enjoying life despite some back problems. “I walk around the block, and I can still drive. I do a lot of reading, including biographies of all of the U.S. presidents through Lincoln.” Growing up in the Detroit area made him a lifelong Lions fan, and in October he and Nan drove there from Maryland to see a game, joining their children for a family reunion. They also met with Steve Whitman and Herb Schaeffer and their wives for the group’s annual production of pickles, canning about 80 jars. Steve now has residences in Connecticut and Texas, the latter near his children.
Posted 2019-03-10
Lois and Sal Magnano moved to a retirement community in Nashua, N.H., five years ago. “We get fed very nicely.” Sal serves on the facility’s resident council and on its board of trustees. He has also served on the board of Nashua’s Boys and Girls Club for an incredible 36 years. “Our major task is raising money. The club serves about 500 kids each day.” Lois has been slowed by arthritis, but Sal still works out on the treadmill and enjoys walking.
Posted 2019-03-10
Prof. Willy Lick continues to spend much of his time painting, turning out many lovely works in oil. He exhibits at galleries in Santa Barbara. “I get lots of compliments but few sales. I mainly do it because I enjoy painting. It’s a learning process. I never had art classes.” He does a painting of his granddaughter at least once every year. “It’s sort of a record.” Willy still consults for the government on environmental problems, mostly for the EPA. In the past he and his students worked extensively on pollution of the Hudson River by PCBs, modeling sediment transport, chemical absorption by sediments, effects of storms, etc.
Posted 2019-03-10
Stephen Jaff has lived in NYC all his life, currently in a condo he bought 20 years ago. “I couldn’t afford it now.” When we spoke in October, the Jaffs had just returned from three weeks in Paris and were planning a similar trip to London in March—“God willing, and if we get the bathroom renovated.” He was also looking forward to seeing the latest Harry Potter film, after he and his wife took turns reading a Potter book to each other: “I’ve not completely gotten the boy out of me.” The Jaffs are active attendees at concerts, theater, and lectures. Another favorite is the Met Opera HD series, performed in a nearby theater whose entire interior was rebuilt by Stephen years ago when he operated his family’s interior renovation business. The Jaffs have two daughters, both in Manhattan. “I wish them well, and I wish they’d get married.”
Posted 2019-03-10
Age has slowed Ronald Harris, but not much. After retirement from MIT, he and his wife bought a 17-acre property near Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks. “It’s a lot of work, and a lot to maintain.” He has stopped rock climbing but still hikes, climbs slopes, and skis. Until his wife’s death two years ago they traveled widely around the western U.S. and Alaska, including a visit with Chuck Parker in Arizona. They towed a jeep behind their motor home, for exploring off-road trails.
Posted 2019-03-10
Joel Feinberg says he is in pretty good health, still drives, and works out at the gym. He lives alone and is getting ready to sell his house and downsize. His second wife died four years ago, and he has a new girlfriend. “I’ve pretty much given up things I used to do, like collecting cameras and raising fish.” In earlier years Joel taught computer services for senior citizens, led discussion groups for seniors at Iona College, and was a master gardener.
Posted 2019-03-10
Phil Carroll registered to run another Detroit full marathon in October but had to skip it when he didn’t have enough time to train. “I figure I could have walked it in 10 hours. But the finish line stays open for only six and a half. My worst finish has been 6:25.”
He has run more than 60 full marathons and hopes to run another this year. Ann Arbor has no central park, and Phil is busy campaigning to convert a parking area to a park rather than a high-rise. He is not yet ready to downsize, but, “I have a 10-year plan to continually reduce the amount of stuff in the house.” Posted 2019-03-10
He has run more than 60 full marathons and hopes to run another this year. Ann Arbor has no central park, and Phil is busy campaigning to convert a parking area to a park rather than a high-rise. He is not yet ready to downsize, but, “I have a 10-year plan to continually reduce the amount of stuff in the house.” Posted 2019-03-10
Prof. Eugene Byrnes earned his Ph.D. at the U. of New Hampshire and taught organic chemistry at Assumption College in Worcester. After retirement, “I like to get outside of chemistry and do many other things.” In the past he has been very active in his church and helping elderly and infirm neighbors, but now has had to stick closer to home. “Mostly I am taking care of my wife. She needs help, and I need help remembering.”
Posted 2019-03-10
Ernest Berger spent three years in the Navy and then joined his father’s firm, designing kitchens and selling appliances. He recently retired, has much more free time, and has started to work out with a personal trainer. A bachelor, he lives with his sister.
Posted 2019-03-10
Dr. Marvin Warshay died in July after battling pancreatic cancer and Parkinson’s disease. He had retired after 36 years with NASA in Cleveland, having served as chief of their Electrochemical Technology Branch, leading the development of phosphoric acid fuel cell power plants, and receiving their Exceptional Service Award. He then worked for 14 years as a consultant to the fuel cell industry. He authored/co-authored over 40 technical reports on advanced energy production and conversion.
Posted 2018-10-10
Allen Seckner has been dealing with Parkinson’s disease for 10 years. After a couple of falls he had to give up golf and recently driving, but enjoys playing bridge several times a week. “My wife got sensitive about my driving.” A career DuPonter, Al reports that fellow retirees formed a committee out of concerns that the recent DuPont-Dow merger might affect retiree benefits, but the outcome looks quite favorable.
Posted 2018-10-10
Science
A new University of Massachusetts building has been named for former U.S. Congressman John Olver. The $52 million, 87,000-square-foot facility houses architecture, building construction, and regional planning programs. Initially it was set to be built with the more common steel and concrete construction materials, but at John’s urging it was built with more environmentally friendly laminated wood, cross-laminated timber, and wood-concrete composite. It is the largest modern wood building in the Northeast and saves the equivalent of over 2,300 metric tons of carbon compared to a traditional energy-intensive steel and concrete building. John taught chemistry at UMass before being elected a state legislator. He was first elected to Congress in 1991 and retired in 2013.
Posted 2018-10-10
Dick Maher says he is NQR — not quite retired. After the Marine Corps and a Stanford MBA he spent most of his career in the wine industry. He has served as president of Beringer Vineyards, the Seagram Wine Co., Christian Brothers Winery, and Heublein Fine Wines, as well as chairman of the California Wine Institute and president of the Napa Valley Vintners Association. “I got fired every 20 years.” He still serves on several boards, consults for the wine industry, and consults in real estate with one of his sons. Three of his five children live nearby. Dick has a tennis court in his yard but can no longer play, after knee and shoulder injuries. The wine business involved frequent travel, and after his first wife’s death 10 years ago he met his second wife on a trip to Hawaii. We are grateful to Dick for his many donations of fine wines for our class reunions.
Posted 2018-10-10
Business
Joe Keating is delighted that his granddaughter is a student at RPI, studying business. “The first assignment was to start her own business. The second was to help Fitbit stabilize their business. They were interviewed by a Fitbit board member who is an RPI alumnus. When we were at RPI we just fooled around the first year.” The Keatings recently moved to a retirement village in Lancaster, Pa. “Between doctor visits and 16 grandchildren, we keep busy.” Joe plays in a harmonica trio to entertain assisted living residents and plays a weekly round of golf with his son, a priest. His wife stopped him from playing racquetball, but he still plays pickleball and competes in senior games including ping pong and mile walking. A cross country runner at RPI, Joe still stays in touch with the RPI team and contributes to their support.
Posted 2018-10-10
When I talked with Franchard (“Mike”) Clarke in April he was about to celebrate his 86th birthday. The Clarkes have seven children, three adopted, and 10 grandchildren, and have served as foster parents for more than 50 children. Recently Mike has been a caregiver: “My wife had a heart attack, and I’ve had a lot on my plate.” He visits with his grandchildren, does some yard work, and continues to be active in his church.
Posted 2018-10-10
After RPI, Frank Chiarelli played professional hockey for five years, then decided that it was time to settle down. He studied at the U. of Toronto to qualify as a teacher and then taught math, history, and Italian for 25 years. “I had two opportunities to get into the business of hockey and after careful consideration I rejected both. Each would have required me to be an absent parent and I was not prepared to do that. I made the right decision each time.” Frank did other things as well. For years his family operated a road building business where he learned about heavy construction equipment and how to operate it. He and his four brothers built a golf and country club and then, on his own, Frank built and operated three golf courses. “The golf operation became too much and I had to leave teaching. I would have preferred not to.”
Frank reports that he is in pretty good shape at age 87. “My wife pushes me to go out and walk.” He has sold the golf courses and become an author. After writing some technical papers on golf he has written five full-length books—three about hockey, two not—and is working on a sixth. They can be acquired through Amazon. “I sit in a La-Z-Boy chair. When the thoughts come I put them down. When there are no thoughts there is no production.” The Chiarellis have two sons and two daughters. Both boys are in the business of hockey. Peter was hockey captain at Harvard, became GM of the Boston Bruins when they won the Stanley Cup in 2011, and is now GM of the Edmonton Oilers. Michael was a scout with the Bruins and is now with the Oilers. Frank reminisced about the immigrant experience: “I had two older brothers born in Italy. My father came to Canada and brought the family over five years later. I was the first born in Canada and later was much involved in my father’s five businesses.” Frank keeps in touch with his remaining teammates from RPI’s 1954 national championship hockey team, including Lloyd Bauer and John Magadini. Posted 2018-10-10
Frank reports that he is in pretty good shape at age 87. “My wife pushes me to go out and walk.” He has sold the golf courses and become an author. After writing some technical papers on golf he has written five full-length books—three about hockey, two not—and is working on a sixth. They can be acquired through Amazon. “I sit in a La-Z-Boy chair. When the thoughts come I put them down. When there are no thoughts there is no production.” The Chiarellis have two sons and two daughters. Both boys are in the business of hockey. Peter was hockey captain at Harvard, became GM of the Boston Bruins when they won the Stanley Cup in 2011, and is now GM of the Edmonton Oilers. Michael was a scout with the Bruins and is now with the Oilers. Frank reminisced about the immigrant experience: “I had two older brothers born in Italy. My father came to Canada and brought the family over five years later. I was the first born in Canada and later was much involved in my father’s five businesses.” Frank keeps in touch with his remaining teammates from RPI’s 1954 national championship hockey team, including Lloyd Bauer and John Magadini. Posted 2018-10-10
Tom Bolam and Sally were in Alaska when Hurricane Harvey struck Houston in August 2017. “The Corps of Engineers had to open their dam, flooding thousands of us. We had four feet of water in our house and could not get into it for three weeks. The entire downstairs had to be rebuilt.” Fortunately, they had flood insurance. Many in their community did not, and some houses were torn down. Mail delivery stopped, and a major frustration was having to go to their post office, which serves a half million people, standing in line, ringing a bell, and waiting for someone to go back and look. The Bolams are considering selling and consolidating life in their other house in NY state, but probably won’t be able to sell until their Houston community is further restored. Meanwhile Tom and Sally, avid golfers, hadn’t played for more than eight months. He expects to keep shooting his age: “It’s getting easier.”
Posted 2018-10-10
Dr. Marvin Warshay died in July after battling pancreatic cancer and Parkinson’s disease. He had retired after 36 years with NASA in Cleveland, having served as chief of their Electrochemical Technology Branch, leading the development of phosphoric acid fuel cell power plants, and receiving their Exceptional Service Award. Marvin, who then worked for 14 years as a consultant to the fuel cell industry, also authored/co-authored over 40 technical reports on advanced energy production and conversion.
Posted 2018-03-15
Paul Vinett, who played on the RPI baseball team along with Frank Chiarelli and Abby Moore, still enjoys telling people that he played with two All-Americans. Paul recalls: "After the 'Wow!' comments, I tell them they were hockey All-Americans on the RPI NCAA '54 championship team. Those hockey games were the greatest. I played the drum in the Pep Band, and we sat on the center line with our girlfriends (my wife).” In a 40-year career with Central Hudson Gas & Electric, Paul served in several management positions, and on national committees dealing with power system protection. Paul, who has been battling melanoma since 2012, says: “Thank God I was able to get into a clinical trial at Sloan Kettering. They saved my life.”
Posted 2018-03-15
Charles Viens, who had a career in the petroleum industry, has lived in a retirement home in South Hadley, Mass., for 19 years, having moved there when his late wife suffered from ALS. Charles was an avid golfer until suffering from a bout of pneumonia in December 2016.; Charles says: “I’m still on oxygen; I don’t know if I’ll ever get off. My golfing buddies have gotten me to go out with them once a week, sitting in a cart, but not swinging a club. It’s certainly changed my lifestyle. I used to go to lots of concerts and activities.” Charles feels that entering the retirement home has been the right move for him, observing, “I think a lot of people wait too long. They have been very helpful here in my rehab.”
Posted 2018-03-15
Bob Tewell died in February 2017 after bouts with leukemia and prostate cancer. Bob had taught courses in electrical engineering and control systems at RPI for eight years before a 32-year career at Lockheed Martin, where he worked with astronauts on the Gemini and Apollo programs.
Posted 2018-03-15
Irving Paris still works in his architectural practice —“whatever comes in the door,” he says. Irving does mostly forensic work, which requires keeping up with many changes in building codes, but fortunately, these are listed on the internet. Irving also tends his two-acre lawn; “I try to sit on the mower,” he quips. Irving and Myrna were preparing for a Mediterranean cruise last fall, and they also enjoy reading; as Irving puts it: “We can buy used books for a dollar, read them, and pass them along to friends.”
Posted 2018-03-15
Winslow Oakes had a Navy career that included service in the Vietnam War; after the war, he and his wife Fran worked for more than 30 years as independent distributors of Christian books along the West Coast and in Hawaii. The business went by the wayside after the 2008 downturn decimated private Christian schools, but Win and Fran continued to collect and distribute books on a volunteer basis. “It used to be a business ministry, but the back end has also been good," adds Win, who also reworks jewelry into Christian forms and donates it. Fran died three years ago, so Win now lives with his daughter, son, and granddaughter. “I’m in fairly good health and taking care of myself," he says. "I am well cared for and well distracted.”
Posted 2018-03-15
Fred Mussler has moved from Florida to North Carolina to be near his son and daughter. In addition to staying active as a business broker, playing some golf, and reading history, Fred also paints in oil and watercolors and has exchanged works with another class painter, Willy Lick. He also alternates running and walking, saying, “I have trouble with my hip but I keep doing it anyway.” Fred and Becky have raised their grandson, Chase, and acted as his legal guardians until he turned 18 last fall.
Posted 2018-03-15
John Lukacz no longer works as a starter at his golf course, but he still plays golf three or four times a week and works out at a health-care center. Except for visiting their son in San Diego and their daughter in Maryland, he and his wife no longer travel much. “I did my traveling in the Navy,” he explains.
Posted 2018-03-15
Berdj Kalustyan was a serial entrepreneur, founding half a dozen businesses in diagnostic management, computer leasing, chiropractic, hospital exercise equipment, and a computer maintenance company with offices in 50 states. He retired 10 years ago, stating, “I’ve sold my businesses and downsized everything including my health. I’m just trying to stay alive. I’ve had 17 operations in 20 years.” He and his wife Alice sold their house on the New Jersey shore and now divide their time between Palm Beach, Fla., and downsized quarters in central NJ. Berdj keeps busy tracking investments, noting, “I spend half the day in front of the computer and half the day doing whatever my wife tells me to do.”
Posted 2018-03-15
Bill Headden lives on two golf courses, one in Washington and one in Arizona. He usually plays regularly, often with his wife, but has lately been sidelined with a detached retina. According to Bill: “It’s like looking through a fish bowl. It pretty much guarantees that you won’t be doing much for six months.” Their life in the San Juan Islands is ideal for boating, and Bill recently replaced his sailboat with a motor craft that sleeps two. “I’ve had a lot of boats,” he adds. Bill also keeps busy with gardening, yard work, and reading.
Posted 2018-03-15
Bill Barbash and his wife Susan recently moved to a retirement home in New Paltz, N.Y., and are enjoying their new lifestyle. “It reduces isolation,” he observes. Bill continues his longtime practice of taking courses at the Marist College Center for Lifetime Study, and also works at getting some regular physical exercise.
Posted 2018-03-15
Paul Vinett writes: “I played on the RPI baseball team, along with Frank Chiarelli and Abby Moore. I still enjoy telling people that I played with two All-Americans. After “Wow!” comments I tell them they were hockey All-Americans on the RPI NCAA ’54 championship team. Those hockey games were the greatest. I played the drum in the Pep Band, and we sat on the center line with our girlfriends (my wife).” In a 40-year career with Central Hudson Gas & Electric, Paul served in several management positions and on national committees dealing with power system protection. He has been battling melanoma since 2012. “Thank God I was able to get into a clinical trial at Sloan Kettering. They saved my life.”
Posted 2018-03-10
After a career in the petroleum industry Charles Viens has lived in a retirement home in South Hadley, Mass., for 19 years, having moved there when his late wife suffered from ALS. He was an avid golfer until a bout of pneumonia in December 2016. “I’m still on oxygen; I don’t know if I’ll ever get off. My golfing buddies have gotten me to go out with them once a week, sitting in a cart, but not swinging a club. It’s certainly changed my lifestyle. I used to go to lots of concerts and activities.” He feels that entering the retirement home has been the right move for him. “I think a lot of people wait too long. They have been very helpful here in my rehab.”
Posted 2018-03-10
I learned from his son that Bob Tewell died in February 2017 after bouts with leukemia and prostate cancer. Bob had taught courses in electrical engineering and control systems at RPI for eight years before a 32-year career at Lockheed Martin, where he worked with astronauts on the Gemini and Apollo programs.
Posted 2018-03-10
Architecture
Irving Paris still works in his architectural practice —“whatever comes in the door.” He does mostly forensic work, which requires keeping up with many changes in building codes. Fortunately, these are listed on the internet. He also tends his two-acre lawn: “I try to sit on the mower.” He and Myrna were preparing for a Mediterranean cruise when we spoke last fall. They also enjoy reading. “We can buy used books for a dollar, read them, and pass them along to friends.”
Posted 2018-03-10
After a Navy career that included service in the Vietnam War, Winslow Oakes and his wife worked for more than 30 years as independent distributors of Christian books along the West Coast and in Hawaii. “The business went by the wayside after the 2008 downturn decimated private Christian schools.” They continued to collect and distribute books on a volunteer basis. “It used to be a business ministry, but the back end has also been good.” Win also reworks jewelry into Christian forms and donates it. His wife, Fran, died three years ago, and he now lives with his daughter, son, and granddaughter. “I’m in fairly good health and taking care of myself. I am well cared for and well distracted.”
Posted 2018-03-10
Fred Mussler has moved from Florida to North Carolina to be near his son and daughter. He stays active as a business broker, plays some golf, and enjoys reading history. Fred also paints in oil and watercolors and has exchanged works with another class painter, Willy Lick. Another activity is alternating running and walking. “I have trouble with my hip but I keep doing it anyway.” Fred and Becky have raised their grandson, Chase, acting as legal guardians until he turned 18 last fall.
Posted 2018-03-10
John Lukacz no longer works as a starter at his golf course, but he still plays golf three or four times a week and works out at a health-care center. Except for visits to their son in San Diego and their daughter in Maryland, he and his wife no longer travel much. “I did my traveling in the Navy.” John and I reminisced about many of our classmates, and he hopes to attend our 65th Reunion in 2020.
Posted 2018-03-10
Berdj Kalustyan was a serial entrepreneur, founding half a dozen businesses in diagnostic management, computer leasing, chiropractic, hospital exercise equipment, and a computer maintenance company with offices in 50 states. He retired 10 years ago. “I’ve sold my businesses and downsized everything including my health. I’m just trying to stay alive. I’ve had 17 operations in 20 years.” He and Alice sold their house on the New Jersey shore and now divide their time between Palm Beach, Fla., and downsized quarters in central NJ. Berdj keeps busy tracking investments. “I spend half the day in front of the computer and half the day doing whatever my wife tells me to do.”
Posted 2018-03-10
Bill Headden lives on two golf courses, one in Washington and one in Arizona. He usually plays regularly, often with his wife, but has lately been sidelined with a detached retina. “It’s like looking through a fish bowl. It pretty much guarantees that you won’t be doing much for six months.” Their life in the San Juan Islands is ideal for boating, and Bill recently replaced his sailboat with a motor craft that sleeps two. “I’ve had a lot of boats.” He also keeps busy with gardening, yard work, and reading.
Posted 2018-03-10
Susan and Bill Barbash moved recently to a retirement home in New Paltz, N.Y., and are enjoying their new lifestyle. “It reduces isolation.” Bill continues his longtime practice of taking courses at the Marist College Center for Lifetime Study. He also works at getting some regular physical exercise.
Posted 2018-03-10
1956
Arturo Guerra Mondragón, Grandfather-in-law of Charlie Buttz ’56.
Jerry Reinert, 1956 Class President, writes: “Fellow 1956 classmates, many strange things have happened recently. Our 65th 2021 reunion was canceled due to COVID 19. This fall, we joined the 1957 class for a joint dinner at the Troy Club. About 10 or 12 attended the reunion from each of the two classes. Each year the crowd gets smaller. Unfortunately, due to two heart procedures, I was unable to attend; the first time in 66 years I haven’t attended. Attendees had a wonderful time; including meeting the new president of RPI, Dr. Martin Schmidt. He’s a few years younger than us, but a fellow alumnus. Rensselaer is about to celebrate 200 years old; the oldest engineering school in the USA. We have four years until our 70th reunion, which I hope you are able to attend in the fall of 2026, likely each of our 90th birthday year. All the best to you and your family. Be happy and healthy.”
Posted 2023-02-27
Peter Goetz vacationed in Naples, Florida for the winter. He is still living in Cold Spring, New York. He sold his co-op in Greenwich Village last year but has a one-bedroom rental in Manhattan, which he plans on using for Broadway shows (when COVID slows down). He is still a Patroon at “dear old RPI.” He is also still flying. “Fortunately, my wife is also a pilot and we try to fly once a week,” Peter says. “We have a small single engine Cessna 172 as I was forced to sell my twin engine because I couldn’t get insurance after I turned 85. It made me angry since I had over 60 years of flying experience. I also retired from the practice of law last year. I now have two alpacas and a gaggle of Pekin ducks which I keep in a barn that I had built on my property. I consider them all my pets and I sometimes feel like ‘farmer Jones’ minus the overalls.”
Posted 2023-02-27
Marvin Menzin says, “We are very fortunate to be able to move between pleasant ‘prisons’ in Lexington, Cape Cod, and Killington, Vermont, to get a safe seasonal change of venue. Zoom helps us stay in touch with friends and relatives. With 13 grandchildren, some event is always going on to relieve loneliness. We do miss travel and hope normalcy will resume in the spring. I do some engineering mentoring for Northeastern University and will be doing some design reviews for senior ME capstone projects.”
Posted 2023-02-27
Ted Angel, Alan Dolmatch, and Bill Galloway emailed Frank Griggs that they are well.
Posted 2023-02-27
Ronald Rosien is semi-retired, doing some consulting and real estate finance. “Here in Los Angeles, we are shivering in sub-70 temperatures!"
Posted 2023-02-27
Steve Georgopoulus’ two boys took him to Athens, Greece, after his wife passed away. “I visited with my sister for about a month and took care of some business. I was amazed how much of the Greek language I remembered after 70 some years. Hope I am well enough when we have our next Reunion next year to see all the old classmates. I meet with Crispin Hall from time to time when we do not have anything better to do.”
Posted 2023-02-27
Kenneth G. Marti died in late 2021. His obituary noted, “Ken was raised in Arlington, New Jersey. He served in the U.S. Army in Korea during the Korean Conflict. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1956. In 1957, he married Dot and settled in Manchester in 1961 where they raised their four children. Ken was an engineer for Pratt and Whitney Aircraft for 33 years until his retirement in 1992.”
Posted 2023-02-27
Stephen Kiedrowski died in 2021. “He graduated from high school in Milwaukee and went into the service of the Navy becoming a naval aviator. He served seven years in active duty and returned to civilian life in 1953, whereupon he entered Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). He graduated from RPI in 1956 with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and then worked for a petroleum company in New York City.
Posted 2023-02-27
Tobey Nadler also passed away in Syracuse in early 2021. His obituary indicated “he was a nationally renowned architect specializing in roofs.”
Posted 2023-02-27
Peter Wayner Jr., professor emeritus of chemical engineering at Rensselaer, recently won the 2020 Max Jakob Memorial Award. This award — given in memory of Max Jakob, a pioneer in heat transmission research — recognizes “eminent achievement of distinguished service in the area of heat transfer.” It’s given jointly by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Posted 2021-09-29
Ron Neaton died on Dec. 29, 2019. He was a regular attendee of many reunions. His obituary, in part, noted, “Ronald was a graduate of RPI, receiving a master’s degree. While in college, he served in the United States Navy Reserve. While in the reserve, Ronald worked his way up to captain. Ronald was a retired employee of GE as a welding engineer. Ronald was also an active member of the Jermain Memorial Presbyterian Church as an elder helping with readings, cooking, and teaching Sunday school. He also loved the outdoors, especially hunting. Ronald was also heavily involved in the Military Officers Association of America and served as president.”
Posted 2021-09-29
Marvin Menzin and his wife, Peggy, are well and still living in their house in Lexington, Massachusetts, and their summer place on Cape Cod. They are glad vaccines work and that “life is now back to normal.” They are enjoying their five married children, 13 grandkids, and three great-grandkids. Marvin still skis a few hours a day. He is doing some mentoring for startups at Northeastern University and judging senior capstone projects. “It’s nice to use some of my engineering skills to help younger people, but alas, it shows me just how rusty I am in real engineering,” he says. He started writing a memoir with a group in late 2018 and is up to age 50 out of 86 years.
Posted 2021-09-29
Alan Dolmatch and his wife delayed their trip to Portugal and may try to visit in the fall. They stayed mostly in Skaneateles, New York, since last winter, except for a couple of trips to the Berkshires to see family and stay in well-isolated inn facilities. Alan shops for groceries, shovels the walk from time to time, and does most of the family cooking. “I’m not totally in a vegetative state,” he says. “I used the epidemic as a rationale for dropping some excess weight (about 20 lbs), which has benefited me both in terms of condition and ability to fit into my 20-year-old clothing that hangs discretely in the closet.”
Posted 2021-09-29
Frank Griggs reports that all is well in Rexford, New York. He is still working on his golf game, but on Memorial Day, while golfing with his two sons and daughter, he shot his age (86). The first nine was a 47, which is his normal score, but on the back nine, he shot a 39. “I checked and found only .0000089% of people accomplish the feat,” he says. Other than golf, Frank continues to write about early civil engineers. He is finishing up books on Julius Adams and Albert Fink, and researching a book on Herman Haupt. Frank has been in contact with Jim Connors, Cris Hall, Charley Buttz, Peter Goetz, Bill Mouzavires, Wes Moody, Paul Killian, Steve Georgopoulos, John Cunningham, John Noyes, Peter Wayner, and Dave Richards, among others. He had lunch in Stuart, Florida, with his wife and Jerry Reinert and Lois over the winter.
Posted 2021-09-29
Jerry Reinert shared that the class is approaching its 65th reunion. “I know that is very hard to believe, but it’s true. Many of us are ill or have passed. I hope that those of you who are reading these notes are feeling OK. The reunion weekend starts Friday, Oct 8. I hope all of you who are able to come will be there. I have asked the reunion office to reserve 10 rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy, and to find us a place for about 20 for dinner on Saturday evening, Oct. 9. If you would like a room and/or will attend our dinner, please let us know ASAP. As president of our class, ‘if’ I am able to, I will welcome each and every one of you. I’m looking forward to seeing as many of you as can attend. I know how difficult it is, but try to stay strong and healthy. All my best to all of you, your children, your grandchildren and, if you are lucky, your great-grandchildren. If an ‘antique’ is 100 years old, we all only have 14 years to go.”
Posted 2021-07-14
Dave Richards has been retired for 24 years, has found no use for his slide rule, is busy watching Netflix, and enjoys TV features about engineering disasters. A student of military history, he is doing some reading of religious topics and history and is still trying to cope with arthritis.
Posted 2021-02-26
Charley Buttz, knowing my love of bridges, sent me a photo of the new Tappan Zee Bridge. He noted that his apartment has a full view of the bridge. I remember writing a term paper on the original Tappan Zee sophomore year with Isadore Troschen as my professor.
Posted 2021-02-26
Jerry Reinert celebrated Thanksgiving and his 85th birthday with his family at the Atlantis Hotel on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Early in February of this year, he started a new job guest lecturing at the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Graduate School of Business.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Frank Griggs writes: It’s been about 68 years since we began our studies at RPI. I remember during that first week going to the bookstore in the basement of the Student Union and buying my books, drafting equipment in a metal container, along with our T square and slide rule, a K & E log log duplex decitrig of course, which we hung from our belts with great pride. Oh, and you may recall tuition was, as I recollect it, $300 a semester.
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
Jerry Reinert wrote, “My summer included a week at Safari West, in Santa Rosa, Calif. Lois (with her new knee) and I took my 10-year-old granddaughter Kalina. We all loved it. 2021 will be our 65th Reunion. I’m hoping that we can have a ‘crowd’ of at least 50. I’ll do my best, with your help, to make it have as much fun and camaraderie as possible.”
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
I got a long email from Joe Freitag describing his long and interesting career. He wrote, in part, “In my junior year I knew that I didn’t want to work for a process company or in the eld of thermodynamics. I loved the math in vibration control and when I graduated I worked for a few months for Sperry Gyroscope Co. testing to failure gyro and hydraulic packages for the Sparrow 1 Missile. It was part of a reliability program. As an Army ROTC student, I activated in January ’57 and went to Germany serving in a direct support ordnance battalion with the 3rd Armored Division. During that time I decided I was going to get an MBA when I returned, which was in early ’59. I applied and was accepted at Harvard Business School.” After that, “I pursued an entrepreneurial career with major aerospace and communications companies wanting to diversify their businesses with systems for the commercial sector. I worked twice for RCA, twice for Hughes, and twice for TRW — now Northrop Grumman — and enjoyed the moves on both coasts...I developed a love for classic cars after retiring and bought a 1930 Model A Cabriolet and a ’56 Thunderbird at the same time. My wife calls them mistresses because they were parked in a rented garage. I worked to make them pretty and then took them out to show off. I am still driving the TBird. I live in Palos Verdes, California, a suburb of Los Angeles and in a beach house on Alamitos Bay in Long Beach. My heath is very good.
“My other activity is a foundation I created with my brother and family to honor my Dad, who received his apprenticeship at Daimler in 1923 but came to this country in 1927 when the economic conditions in Germany were so bad. He never worked in the automotive industry, but became a star designer at Sperry. This year I awarded the foundation’s 13th scholarship to a young man who will pursue his EE degree specializing in automotive electronics.”
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
Alan Dolmatch wrote, “In May my wife and I traveled in the south of France in the Languedoc region, where we saw two wonderful spanning structures built about 1,900 years apart. We visited the spectacular Millau Viaduct, a cable-stayed bridge spanning 2.5 kilometers across a deep valley. It was designed by the British architect/engineer Norman Foster about 10 years ago and includes seven masts of about 1,200 feet in height supporting a four-lane roadway some 800 feet above the valley floor. Its counterpart was the Pont du Gard outside of Nimes built by the Romans to deliver water from the mountains to the city of Nimes. About 800 feet of the three-tiered aqueduct remain and can be crossed with great views to the river below.”
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
Paul B. Kilian wrote, “Upon graduation I was commissioned an ensign in the Naval Reserve with a commitment to spend two years on active duty. I was assigned to the District Intelligence Office of the Ninth Naval District in Chicago, Ill. There I conducted background investigations on civilian and naval personnel who required a security clearance for work requiring access to classified information. While in Chicago I got married to Mary Jane. After I was discharged, I was employed by a small consulting civil engineering firm in Troy, N.Y., and designed potable water and sanitary sewerage facilities. My next job was for a slightly larger firm in Trenton, N.J. My work there involved the design and construction supervision of water and sewerage facilities for municipalities in central and southern New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania. In 1965 I obtained a position in a consulting engineering firm in northern New Jersey and we moved up there, where in the course of 12 years, I was employed at three different consulting firms. In 1977 I moved to Portsmouth, N.H., to take the position of vice president and general manager of the Portsmouth regional office of a Maine consulting engineering firm. Later on I was employed by a Portland, Maine, consulting engineering firm to manage the firm’s engineering design and construction activities in New Hampshire. My last year with the firm was spent in their Tallahassee, Fla., office, where I managed the investigation of hazardous waste and leaking underground storage tanks on property being acquired for the construction of an Interstate Highway System expansion project in southern Florida.”
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
Peter Wayner wrote, “At the 2019 Summer Heat Transfer Conference, in July, in Bellevue, Wash., I received a Certificate of Recognition at dinner from the ASME/AIChE Heat Transfer Division with a AIChE daylong symposium on research in my honor. With a small amount of time, I still do a little bit of research as a professor emeritus in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at RPI. No longer skiing, I look forward to spring.”
Posted 2020-05-18
Frank Griggs writes: I continue to work on my golf game. You may recall a few issues ago I noted that a 200-yard drive was a good one. Now I say it is a really, really good one. I continue writing on civil engineering history, concentrating on Rensselaer civil engineering grads.
Posted 2019-10-01
Larry Zutty wrote, “I’m enjoying retirement...I know most say this, but it’s really great. I’m very happily married to my wife of 60 years. We live near Princeton, N.J. We enjoy driving trips around the country. The last one covered over 3,000 miles. We take time to see shows and concerts...standard stuff. Next week we’re having lunch with Jerry Berns.”
Posted 2019-10-01
Frank Griggs writes: I got an email from the son of Peter McDonough, also named Peter, who said he was googling some information and the name Bob McGrath was in it. He writes: “This raised my curiosity about Bob McGrath because he was my father’s best man in his wedding and also my godfather. So I googled Bob’s name and it led me to your RPI alumni column, spring and fall of 2018. Just to let you know, dad passed away in February 2004. I shared your articles with my mom, and she really enjoyed hearing about Bob. She told me how much respect dad had for
Posted 2019-10-01
Charley Buttz, our class historian, wrote, “Took a 4,700-mile auto trip to Florida, Texas, and points in between in March. Visited Chuck Blum, an old (really old!) RPI roommate in Ft. Lauderdale, and my wife’s brother and our classmate, Art Castro, in Houston, en route. Had a marvelous time and am considering another overseas junket in the fall. What’s that old chestnut about a rolling stone?”
Posted 2019-10-01
Charley Buttz, our class historian, wrote, “Took a 4,700-mile auto trip to Florida, Texas, and points in between in March. Visited Chuck Blum, an old (really old!) RPI roommate in Ft. Lauderdale, and my wife’s brother and our classmate, Art Castro, in Houston, en route. Had a marvelous time and am considering another overseas junket in the fall. What’s that old chestnut about a rolling stone?”
Posted 2019-10-01
Peter Goetz wrote he is raising goats and rabbits, to go along with his chickens, in Cold Harbor, N.Y. He still flies his airplane and plays tennis three times a week. He spends his winters in Naples, Fla. For you history buffs, Washington A. Roebling, Class of 1857, and builder of the Brooklyn Bridge, is buried in Cold Harbor.
Posted 2019-10-01
Bill Mouzavires wrote telling me that a fellow Delt, Harry Williams ’57, passed away in 2018. He stays in touch with some of his hockey teammates, including Jim Shildneck, Marty Karch, and Lloyd Bauer. He spends his winters in Bradenton Beach, Fla. He wrote, “I have lots of aches and pains…from playing too much sports but am glad I’m still kicking.”
Posted 2019-10-01
Paul Kilian lives in Dover, N.H., and wrote he lost his second wife recently. He is planning on entering a continual care retirement community in Durham, N.H., shortly.
Posted 2019-10-01
Bob McGrath and Jack Cunningham sent me a copy of an obituary for Parker B. Hornbeck, a chemical engineering major and fraternity brother who died Nov. 14, 2018, in Carmel Valley, Calif. Parker spent his first two years after graduation with a chemical company. He then enlisted in the Navy, graduated from the Naval Officer Candidate School at Newport, R.I., and served for 11 years on active duty attaining the rank of lieutenant. His last assignment was on a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser.
After naval service, Parker spent 35 years with Bechtel Corp. as a quality assurance engineer for several nuclear power plants throughout California and the northwest. He was a lifetime member of the National Ski Patrol, eventually earning a National Appointment classification. Posted 2019-10-01
After naval service, Parker spent 35 years with Bechtel Corp. as a quality assurance engineer for several nuclear power plants throughout California and the northwest. He was a lifetime member of the National Ski Patrol, eventually earning a National Appointment classification. Posted 2019-10-01
Jerry Reinert wrote, “Hi, from your ‘aging’ class president. Only two more years left before our next Reunion. If I’m physically able, I’ll be on campus to welcome all of you that can make it. Being in our mid-80s isn’t easy. Lois and I, my two sons, daughter-in-law and (only) two grandchildren are all fine. I’ve been quite busy with business, philanthropy, and RPI. In business, my partner and I are in the middle of our third building project in South America. At RPI, my two endowments are very active: The first is the Reinert–Rader Fellowship Fund. The second is the Reinert Executive Speakers Fund. This fund invites a high-level executive to come to campus to speak, one every semester. I try to get up to RPI to introduce each of them. Try and stay healthy, and please consider joining us in 2021.”
Posted 2019-10-01
Robert A. Knapp died on March 13, 2018. Bob served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and was a loyal employee of General Electric for over 30 years, retiring in 1987.
Posted 2019-03-10
An email from the son of Leonard A. LeSchack states: “Unfortunately, my dad passed away last year. December 15, 2017. With full honors, caisson, and 21-gun salute, he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in May of this year. He thought of you guys fondly and was really happy to catch up the last time he was there.” Some of you may recall Leonard was a captain in the U.S. Navy and attended our 60th Reunion. He prepared a fascinating PowerPoint program titled “From RPI Cheerleader to Cold War Hero” for our reunion and it can be viewed on our class website (to access, just Google, RPI Class of 1956 wix).
Posted 2019-03-10
Frank Griggs writes: While poking around the internet for information on my classmates, I found in the October 6, 1955, issue of the Times Record in Troy, N.Y., an article that stated, “A 1956 RPI Cadet Top Ranked for the second straight year. An Army ROTC student is reported as the outstanding cadet among 231,900 or more attending the summer camp training period at Fort Bragg, N.C. He is Charles W. Buttz of Aberdeen, N.D., a senior in civil engineering…Cadet Buttz is the cadet commander of the Army ROTC battalion at the institute.” Charles has been the class historian for many years and has attended most of the class reunions over the years. He and his wife, Teresa, the sister of our classmate Art Castro, live in Buck Hill Falls, Pa. Art was a longtime class correspondent.
Posted 2019-03-10
Peter Goetz wrote: “I am living in Cold Spring, N.Y., but still practicing construction law on a limited basis. Still flying and playing tennis on a regular basis but gave up skiing as I find getting into my ski boots too much effort. I started raising designer chickens, which is a lot of fun except for the coop cleaning aspect; however, I found a local man who took on that chore for a small remittance. My three children still live in the NY area so I see them regularly. I am still very sad losing my close friend Sam Heffner. We worked together along with Jack Broadbent ’59 three+ years ago to start up the new DKE house on campus.”
Posted 2019-03-10
Marvin Menzin wrote: “I am still enjoying retirement and being very busy. Peggy and I are still skiing at Killington. My free over-80 season ticket helps though we are taking it easier on the slopes now. Still helping to teach engineering in elementary school, a blast working with K-2 kids on fixing their projects that didn’t quite work as planned. My engineering projects also didn’t work as planned, even with 40 years of experience! Started mentoring college startups at Northeastern University. Amazed at how many are trying startups at NEU. Not all techies either. Been lucky healthwise, falling apart from age of course, but very gradually and most key components still work. Been lucky familywise too. Five married kids and most of my 13 grandkids still live in Boston area and we see them often. Never thought life could be this good at 84.”
Posted 2019-03-10
Dave Bonnar wrote: “I have been playing lots of tennis in retirement in Florida. I am captain of two tennis teams in the Space Coast Tennis Leagues in Brevard County near the Cape. In 2015 my doubles partner and I won the qualifier to represent Florida in the National Seniors Tennis Tournament in Minneapolis, Minn., at their main college campus. We played four days of round robin and came in sixth place out of 14 states who played. In 2017 (they play every two years in the Nationals) we had a similar experience in Birmingham, Ala. We won two matches outdoors on clay courts, and lost the bronze medal indoors on hard courts due to rain. So we came in fourth out of 12 states represented.
“Now, we are getting ready to qualify again in Florida for another shot at the 2019 Nationals. These matches will be held in Albuquerque, N.M., next June. We are now in the 80-84 age bracket. My partner is older, so we can’t quite make the 85-89 bracket this time. This may be our last time playing in the Seniors Nationals.
“After working 47 years in CA and FL one year, retirement is painting and playing tennis and doing yard work. I also spent the last 10 years delivering food for Meals on Wheels here in our county.”
Posted 2019-03-10
Jim Connors wrote in reference to Bob McGrath’s story in the last alumni news: “You can tell Bob that my memory is that when the suit of armor showed up at the neighborhood bar, Steve (Stavros) Georgopoulos’ smiling face was inside. I believe G. Reed Shaw ’27, our adviser, walked over, lifted the faceplate, and said ‘take it back.’ ”
Posted 2019-03-10
Jerry Reinert writes: “I’ve had a very busy year: Lois and I spent some time in Costa Rica visiting my son and his family. We recently returned from a trip to India. I must say that it was the least enjoyable trip that we have taken.
“I retired from Wall Street two years after my wife, Madeleine, died of cancer in 1992 at age 54. I moved to Boca Raton, and two years after that I met Lois. We have been together ever since. My first 10 years in Florida we spent doing philanthropic work, and teaching at Lynn University. I hope that all of you will be healthy and strong enough to attend our 65th Reunion in 2021. That goes for me as well. Try to stay healthy, enjoy life, and to those of you who are still working, it’s time to quit.”
Jerry also let us know that his good friend, Saul Levy, died Oct. 23. Saul was a member of Phi Sigma Delta and AIEE - IRE. He earned his Ph.D. in mathematics at Yeshivah University and was a tenured professor of applied mathematics and computer science at Rutgers. Posted 2019-03-10
“I retired from Wall Street two years after my wife, Madeleine, died of cancer in 1992 at age 54. I moved to Boca Raton, and two years after that I met Lois. We have been together ever since. My first 10 years in Florida we spent doing philanthropic work, and teaching at Lynn University. I hope that all of you will be healthy and strong enough to attend our 65th Reunion in 2021. That goes for me as well. Try to stay healthy, enjoy life, and to those of you who are still working, it’s time to quit.”
Jerry also let us know that his good friend, Saul Levy, died Oct. 23. Saul was a member of Phi Sigma Delta and AIEE - IRE. He earned his Ph.D. in mathematics at Yeshivah University and was a tenured professor of applied mathematics and computer science at Rutgers. Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
From Frank Griggs ’56: Another six months has passed and I am still plugging along. I got a new knee in July and am still getting used to it. As some of you are aware, my hobby and passion for the past 30+ years has been the restoration of iron and wooden bridges. I was presented with the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Distinguished Alumni Award for 2019 at the RPI Center for Infrastructure, Transportation, and the Environment at the Transportation Research Board annual meeting on Jan. 14, 2019, in Washington, D.C. It was a great honor.
Posted 2019-03-10
I also found that Edward Hasbrouck, another CE, died on Nov. 20, 2017, in Southborough, Mass. He worked with Perini Construction Corp. and the Beacon Construction Co. in Boston.
Posted 2018-10-10
Also I found that Paul Goldstein, a fellow CE, died in Albany on Feb. 17, 2016. He spent his entire career, 35 years, with the New York State Office of General Services specializing in water and waste management.
Posted 2018-10-10
On a sadder note, I got a notice that Paul Nepf died in Lagrangeville, N.Y., after a long battle with Parkinson’s on Feb. 10, 2018. He spent a large amount of his career with IBM until his early retirement in 1985. He was the church organist and choir director at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Fishkill for over 40 years.
Posted 2018-10-10
In the last issue I included a note on Bob McGrath. It resulted in an email for John Cunningham telling me that he, Bob, and Tom Kirchner were brothers in Phi Kappa Tau and that he had kept in touch with Tom over the years attending his wedding, 50th wedding anniversary, and his funeral. Tom retired in 1996 after working 40 years at UGI Corp. and died on Nov. 9, 2017, in Reading, Pa. He was active in community affairs serving six years on the Daniel Boone School board of directors, 12 years on the Amity Township board of supervisors, and was a 45-year member of the Daniel Boone Optimist Club. Tom and his wife, Charlotte, had been trying to get in touch with Bob over the years and I shared Bob’s email with John to give to her. It is this kind of rekindling old friendships and experiences that the class notes are intended to foster.
Bob McGrath also wrote: “Recently I remembered when the Civils were required to take two summer courses in surveying. Our first was for three weeks in June 1954 at Green Mountain Junior College in Poultney, Vt. The other was for two weeks in August 1955, when we were based at the Hoosac School in Hoosick, N.Y. Memorable events occurred at both places, but here is one that happened at Hoosac.
“We were housed in the main building of the Hoosac School, a two-story Gothic-style former mansion with a foreboding look both inside and out. We had heard rumors of ghosts that sometimes visited the building and campus grounds. Inside the mansion’s main entrance hall, on the landing of an elaborate staircase, was a full suit of armor. One night we were awakened by noises coming from the staircase vicinity. Sleepy-eyed students emerged from their rooms and assembled in the hallway, dumbfounded by the scene. Clanging down the stairway was the suit of armor! Strange wooing sounds were emitting from the facemask. The sounds soon changed to uncontrollable laughter. The knight in shining armor lifted his facemask. Does anyone remember who was inside?” For another tale, see “Memories.” Posted 2018-10-10
Bob McGrath also wrote: “Recently I remembered when the Civils were required to take two summer courses in surveying. Our first was for three weeks in June 1954 at Green Mountain Junior College in Poultney, Vt. The other was for two weeks in August 1955, when we were based at the Hoosac School in Hoosick, N.Y. Memorable events occurred at both places, but here is one that happened at Hoosac.
“We were housed in the main building of the Hoosac School, a two-story Gothic-style former mansion with a foreboding look both inside and out. We had heard rumors of ghosts that sometimes visited the building and campus grounds. Inside the mansion’s main entrance hall, on the landing of an elaborate staircase, was a full suit of armor. One night we were awakened by noises coming from the staircase vicinity. Sleepy-eyed students emerged from their rooms and assembled in the hallway, dumbfounded by the scene. Clanging down the stairway was the suit of armor! Strange wooing sounds were emitting from the facemask. The sounds soon changed to uncontrollable laughter. The knight in shining armor lifted his facemask. Does anyone remember who was inside?” For another tale, see “Memories.” Posted 2018-10-10
Paul Pillsbury wrote: “In 2000, I retired after 44 years working in the field of gas turbine combustor design, first in aircraft jet engines and subsequently in power generation combustion turbines. During those years we lived in Connecticut, in Pennsylvania (near Swarthmore), and just north of Orlando, Fla. Employers were Pratt & Whitney, Westinghouse, and Siemens Power Generation. Following retirement, we moved back to the Philadelphia area to be near descendants. I am finding that there is no unemployment for those who will work free!”
Posted 2018-10-10
Jim Connors emailed a summary of his experiences in the Army and with the New York State Department of Transportation in Albany, Binghamton, and New York City and as a geotech engineer in his retirement. He now lives in Cary, N.C., with his wife, Renee, and near his three daughters and six of his grandchildren.
Posted 2018-10-10
I also got an announcement from Bruce Laumeister telling about the gift of his Bennington Center for the Arts to Southern Vermont College, where it will be named the Laumeister Art Center at Southern Vermont College. The president of the College said it was the largest gift ever received. The facility, totaling over 36,000 square feet, includes four main galleries, a 315-seat theater and reception area, offices, meeting rooms, and workshop spaces, as well as a distinctive gallery dedicated to the history and culture of covered bridges in Vermont. Those of you who attended our 40th Reunion may recall the great reception and dinner Bruce put on for us at the Covered Bridge Museum. It was also Bruce who took our picture from the ’56 yearbook and placed it on T-shirts for the occasion. Well done, Bruce!
Posted 2018-10-10
Dave Richards wrote, knowing of my affection for bridges: “Greetings from Steeler City—Pittsburgh, Pa., the city of many bridges. I play/lead two duplicate bridge games a week...what fun! Looks like the Florida culture could use some bridge technology in view of the recent ‘killer’ bridge failure. We used to design bridges—not any more. The whole country could use some big-time help with infrastructure. Mind you, I’m not volunteering. My wife and I are enjoying my retirement. Let’s Go Bucs!”
Posted 2018-10-10
Alan Dolmatch wrote that he (and wife Linda) visited with about 20 of his AEPi fraternity brothers from the ’50s (and their wives) in North Palm Beach at a March 17 reunion arranged by several locally based brothers. Other Class of ’56 members attending included Alan Sawyer and Marty Rogers. While in the area, he also saw Jerry Reinert (and Lulu) in Boca Raton and had a chance to catch up on Jerry’s eventful life and times. “After a week of sunshine, the need for an infusion of cold and cloudy weather overtook them and they returned home to Skaneateles, N.Y., for a booster shot of snow and frost.”
Posted 2018-10-10
Jerry Reinert sent me the following email: “The alumni magazine comes out only twice a year. So please let us hear from you. Your classmates are interested in knowing how you and your family are doing. This year is an exciting one for me. My daughter-in-law is on sabbatical. She and my son and my two grandchildren are spending the six months in Costa Rica. She is a professor of animal biology. I’ll be spending a few weeks there with them. In September, Lois and I will be touring India. I’m looking forward to that very much (except for the food). Again, I urge you to please help us by making a donation to defer the cost of putting up a plaque at the front door of the Heffner Alumni House to honor and memorialize our classmate and chairman of the RPI board Sam Heffner. If your travels bring you to any place near Boca Raton, Fla., please call me, (561) 362-5900, and let’s plan a visit.”
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Frank Griggs Greetings to all, again. I continue to work on my golf game and started playing from the “old guys” tees. I am happy with a 200-yard drive these days. I also continue to work on various history articles, books, etc., on early Rensselaer graduates. To date I have done books on Charles Macdonald ’57, Theodore Cooper ’58, Alfred P. Boller ’61, Leffert L. Buck ’68, William H. Burr ’72, J.A.L. Waddell ’75, and I recently started research on Walton W. Evans ’37 and John W. Murphy ’47. To date Buck, Waddell, and Boller are in the RPI Hall of Fame. I am working to get Burr and Macdonald into the hall soon. None of the books will ever be published but I enjoy writing about the men of Rensselaer that shaped the latter part of the 19th century. My wife and I had lunch with Jerry Reinert and Lois in Stuart, Fla., and caught up on old times.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Mark Hite died on April 3, 2017. Mark, who earned his engineering degree in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer and a Ph.D. in toxicology from the University of Cincinnati, also served in the U.S. Navy and achieved the rank of commander. In addition, he had a long and lauded career as a toxicologist as a director of toxicology and drug safety at Merck and Wyeth Laboratories. Mark loved Boston and the Red Sox, as well as sailing at Cape Cod, and gave back to the community by reading for Recording for the Blind and serving as president of TBI Synagogue.
Posted 2018-03-15
Bob McGrath writes the following of his life and career: “My first job after graduation was with Alcoa in Massena, N.Y., as construction engineer. Classmate Dick Bodle started there at the same time (early July), and later in the summer, Ed Woerner joined us. Alcoa was about to start a sprawling addition to its aluminum production plant, and we kept very busy providing horizontal and vertical control for the many contractors that soon swarmed over the site doing clearing and grading, underground utilities, pile driving, and concrete foundations."
From November 1956 until 1958, Bob was with the Army Corps of Engineers fulfilling his ROTC commitment, and after that he was assigned to a construction battalion in post-war South Korea as platoon leader and operations officer for “B” Company. After his discharge, Bob had several jobs in NY State for periods of two to three years each, during which time he gradually transitioning from construction work to structural design. While supervising construction of a building in Saranac Lake, Bob met his future wife, and in subsequent years her parents’ home there became a frequent destination for Bob's family on weekends and vacations. In 1966, Bob began a six-year stint with the Syracuse, N.Y., architectural-engineering firm Sargent, Webster, Crenshaw, and Folley, working primarily on the structural design of buildings.
In 1972, Bob signed on with Rochester Institute of Technology as assistant professor, where his charge was to develop and implement what became a B.S. of Civil Engineering Technology program. After six years as department chair, Bob went into full-time teaching, specializing in structures, and retired as professor emeritus in 1996.
Bob is now single again, and during his retirement with his two sons and their families, he has somewhat indulged himself. He states, "The latest example of my indolent lifestyle was this past summer when I spent several days fly-fishing for cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Park with one of my sons and his two sons.” Posted 2018-03-15
From November 1956 until 1958, Bob was with the Army Corps of Engineers fulfilling his ROTC commitment, and after that he was assigned to a construction battalion in post-war South Korea as platoon leader and operations officer for “B” Company. After his discharge, Bob had several jobs in NY State for periods of two to three years each, during which time he gradually transitioning from construction work to structural design. While supervising construction of a building in Saranac Lake, Bob met his future wife, and in subsequent years her parents’ home there became a frequent destination for Bob's family on weekends and vacations. In 1966, Bob began a six-year stint with the Syracuse, N.Y., architectural-engineering firm Sargent, Webster, Crenshaw, and Folley, working primarily on the structural design of buildings.
In 1972, Bob signed on with Rochester Institute of Technology as assistant professor, where his charge was to develop and implement what became a B.S. of Civil Engineering Technology program. After six years as department chair, Bob went into full-time teaching, specializing in structures, and retired as professor emeritus in 1996.
Bob is now single again, and during his retirement with his two sons and their families, he has somewhat indulged himself. He states, "The latest example of my indolent lifestyle was this past summer when I spent several days fly-fishing for cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Park with one of my sons and his two sons.” Posted 2018-03-15
Ed Woerner, who admits to being terrible at email, still runs a company dealing with spare parts for elevators and escalators. He is also still an active handball player, and in fact won the United States Handball Association doubles title, over-80 division, in Cincinnati in 2017. Ed is obviously in good health! As a DEKE, he is involved with the re-establishment of the fraternity on campus and its new home on Peoples Avenue, and often sees fellow DEKEs Peter Wayner and Pete Goetz. Ed has two grandchildren attending the University of Michigan.
Posted 2018-03-15
John Hudson was honored at a 2017 Reunion luncheon for his years of service to Rensselaer's Track & Field team. John coached 23 All-Americans and three NCAA champions over the years, and also served as co-captain for the track team during his senior year.
Posted 2018-03-15
Crispin Hall attended some of the 2017 Reunion activities, where he had a chance to catch up with former classmates Peter Wayner, John Hudson, and Bruce Laumeister at the campaign launch dinner. Cris and John had served co-captains of the track team during their senior year.
Posted 2018-03-15
Peter Wayner received an Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal from NASA on August 3, 2017 at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for research done on the International Space Station on a special heat pipe designed for microgravity. The research contract, which ended at the end of 2016, was through the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department at Rensselaer. Peter reports, “I am now officially retired.”
Posted 2018-03-15
Ken Jordan celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary with his wife Pat Michelle who was a neighbor and classmate of class president Frank Griggs' wife in Troy. Frank, who retired from Westinghouse in 1994, now lives in Richland, Ore.
Posted 2018-03-15
Jerry Reinert writes: “It’s been two years since our 60th Reunion. As our class president it was wonderful to welcome all of you who attended. In ‘only’ three we will celebrate our 65th, and I truly hope that we have as great a turnout to that one as we did to the last one."
Jerry went on to say that classmate Sam Heffner had attended the Class' 60th Reunion, but unfortunately had passed away only a few months after the event. As a result, Jerry would like to once again suggest that the Class of 1956 purchase a brass plaque honoring and memorializing Sam so that it can be placed outside the front door of the Heffner Alumni House, for which Sam is named. Class members who wish to contribute toward the cost of the plaque may send a check for any amount -- made payable to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and with "The RPI Heffner Plaque Fund" in the note section of the check -- to Jerry Reinert, 1401 South Ocean Blvd. (#101), Boca Raton, FL 33432. Jerry will submit the checks to RPI and contributors will receive the charitable deduction. Posted 2018-03-15
Jerry went on to say that classmate Sam Heffner had attended the Class' 60th Reunion, but unfortunately had passed away only a few months after the event. As a result, Jerry would like to once again suggest that the Class of 1956 purchase a brass plaque honoring and memorializing Sam so that it can be placed outside the front door of the Heffner Alumni House, for which Sam is named. Class members who wish to contribute toward the cost of the plaque may send a check for any amount -- made payable to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and with "The RPI Heffner Plaque Fund" in the note section of the check -- to Jerry Reinert, 1401 South Ocean Blvd. (#101), Boca Raton, FL 33432. Jerry will submit the checks to RPI and contributors will receive the charitable deduction. Posted 2018-03-15
Sorry to hear that Mark Hite , CE, died on April 3, 2017. Mark earned his engineering degree from Rensselaer and a Ph.D. in toxicology from the University of Cincinnati. He served in the U.S. Navy and achieved the rank of commander. He had a long and lauded career as a toxicologist as a director of toxicology and drug safety at Merck and Wyeth Laboratories. Mark loved Boston and the Red Sox, and sailing at Cape Cod. He gave back to the community by reading for Recording for the Blind and served as president of TBI Synagogue.
Posted 2018-03-10
Engineering
I talked with Bob McGrath a couple of times and finally got him to send me an email about his life and career. He wrote: “My first job after graduation was with Alcoa in Massena, N.Y., as construction engineer. Classmate Dick Bodle started there at the same time (early July), and later in the summer, Ed Woerner joined us. Alcoa was about to start a sprawling addition to its aluminum production plant. We kept very busy providing horizontal and vertical control for the many contractors that soon swarmed over the site doing clearing and grading, underground utilities, pile driving, and concrete foundations. From November 1956 until 1958, I was with the Army Corps of Engineers fulfilling my ROTC commitment—first at Ft. Belvoir, Va., for a four-month course at the engineers’ school—after which I was assigned to a construction battalion in post-war South Korea as platoon leader and operations officer for “B” Company. After discharge, I had several jobs in NY State for periods of two to three years each. During this time, I was gradually transitioning from construction work to structural design. While supervising construction of a building in Saranac Lake, I met my future wife. In subsequent years her parents’ home in that beautiful town was a frequent destination for our family on weekends and vacations, and it was on the nearby brooks and rivers that I—and later our two sons—learned how to fly fish for trout. In 1966, I began a six-year stint with the Syracuse, N.Y., architectural-engineering firm Sargent, Webster, Crenshaw, and Folley working primarily on the structural design of buildings.
“In 1972 I signed on with Rochester Institute of Technology as assistant professor. My charge was to develop and implement what became a B.S. of Civil Engineering Technology program. After six years as department chair, I went into full-time teaching, specializing in structures. I retired as professor emeritus in 1996. During retirement, with my two sons, now with families of their own, and me single again, I have sort of indulged myself. The latest example of my indolent lifestyle was this past summer when I spent several days fly-fishing for cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Park with one of my sons and his two sons.” Posted 2018-03-10
“In 1972 I signed on with Rochester Institute of Technology as assistant professor. My charge was to develop and implement what became a B.S. of Civil Engineering Technology program. After six years as department chair, I went into full-time teaching, specializing in structures. I retired as professor emeritus in 1996. During retirement, with my two sons, now with families of their own, and me single again, I have sort of indulged myself. The latest example of my indolent lifestyle was this past summer when I spent several days fly-fishing for cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Park with one of my sons and his two sons.” Posted 2018-03-10
I got a call from Ed Woerner who told me he was terrible at email. He still runs a company dealing with spare parts for elevators and escalators and is still an active handball player. In fact he won the United States Handball Association doubles title, over-80 division, in Cincinnati in 2017. He is obviously in good health. As a DEKE, he is involved with the re-establishment of the fraternity on campus and its new home on Peoples Avenue. He has two grandchildren at the University of Michigan. He often sees fellow DEKEs Peter Wayner and Pete Goetz.
Posted 2018-03-10
I got an email from Crispin Hall telling me he attended some of the 2017 Reunion activities. He sat with Peter Wayner, John Hudson, and Bruce Laumeister at the campaign launch dinner. John Hudson was honored at Saturday’s luncheon for his years of service to the Track & Field Team. Cris told me that John had coached 23 All-Americans and three NCAA champions over the years. John and Cris were co-captains of the track team during our senior year.
Posted 2018-03-10
Engineering
Peter Wayner sent me an email telling me he received an Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal from NASA on August 3 at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The award was for research done on the International Space Station on a special heat pipe designed for microgravity. The research contract, which ended at the end of 2016, was through the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department at Rensselaer. He told me, “I am now officially retired.” He presented a seminar titled “Using Interfacial Phenomena in Microgravity and 1g.”
Posted 2018-03-10
I got a note from Ken Jordan telling me about his 60th wedding anniversary. He married Pat Michelle who was a neighbor and classmate of my wife in Troy. He retired from Westinghouse in 1994 and lives in Richland, Ore.
Posted 2018-03-10
Jerry Reinert, our class president, writes: “It’s been two years since our 60th Reunion. As our class president it was wonderful to welcome all of you who attended. In ‘only’ three we will celebrate our 65th, and I truly hope that we have as great a turnout to that one as we did to the last one.
“One of the most important alumni ever of ‘Old RPI,’ who was a trustee for 30 years and chairman of the RPI board for 15 of those years, is our classmate Sam Heffner, for whom the alumni building, which he donated and built, is named.
Sam attended and spoke to us at our 60th Reunion.Unfortunately he passed away only a few months after that great event; he is never to be forgotten.
“I would like to suggest again that the Class of 1956 purchase and place on the wall outside the front door of the Heffner Alumni House a brass plaque to honor and memorialize Sam. If you would like to contribute toward the cost of the plaque, please send a check, for any amount, made payable to ‘Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’ and write ‘The RPI Heffner Plaque Fund’ in the note section of the check. Mail it to Jerry Reinert, 1401 South Ocean Blvd. (#101), Boca Raton, FL 33432. I will submit the checks to RPI and you will receive the charitable deduction.”
Posted 2018-03-10
Frank Griggs writes: Another six months have passed and I am still mobile but could use some new knees. I and my wife of 59 years spend six months in Vero Beach, Fla., where I am still trying to find my swing in golf. I added to the website information about Sam Heffner’s death and the memorial program held at RPI. Check it out at fgriggsjr.wixsite.com/rpi-class-of-1956.
If you are interested in old bridges and old bridge builders, you can Google Structure Magazine and click on “Archives” and type in “Griggs” in the search box and a long list of articles I wrote comes up. I have had articles in that journal on a semi-regular basis starting in 2004.
I started my passion for history when teaching at Union College in the early 1980s and in the restoration of a Whipple Bridge on campus. Squire Whipple was an 1830 graduate of Union. That got me interested in the history of Union. I determined I knew almost nothing of the history of RPI except that it was the oldest school of engineering in the English-speaking world. I also knew that a Roebling had built the Brooklyn Bridge. I then read up and wrote upon the history of RPI. My first article was titled “Amos Eaton was Right.” You may remember the chant that “RPI was RPI when Union was a pup.” Well, it turns out that Union was founded in 1795 almost 30 years earlier than RPI. Union also instituted a scientific curriculum in 1829, six years before RPI instituted a civil engineering program. So why the chant started I know not, but it doesn’t seem to be true.
Posted 2018-03-10
1957
J.R. “Buzz” Campbell shared that the Class of 1957 is still a very active class, having set a record for their 60th Reunion. Doug Hasbrouck reminds classmates about Spectrum, “the endowed prize fund established by our class prior to our 60th reunion. Five outstanding students have earned cash awards from Spectrum. We hope to reach $200,000 in total gifts from our class to help assure that the annual student prize will survive for many years. Please do what you can to help us become the only class to ever achieve this goal. Gifts to the Fund to date total about $163,000. To donate or learn more, see the Spectrum web page at impact.rpi.edu/project/3034.” Contact Doug at ezpar57@gmail. com. Doug also reports that Lisa Sulmasy ’21, B.S. in mechanical engineering, is the 2021 winner of the ’57 Spectrum Award. Lisa has a stellar record of RPI accomplishments and community service typical of our four previous winners. Details on Lisa are on our Spectrum web page. “Buzz” participated in a terrific “mini reunion” organized by Jack Bluestein in September that included Paul Ballora, Paul Bogdon, Dave Brunell, John Fisher, Chuck Gould, Dick Gustafson, and Rex Krueger. “It was so engaging that it lasted an hour and a half with all sharing interesting highlights of their lives since our 60th Reunion. We hear that mini ’57 reunions happen occasionally but are not aware of details unless we are advised of same.”
Posted 2023-02-27
Doug Hasbrouck, our ’57 Networking Chair, shared news that our 2020 ’57 Spectrum award winner is Ana Gabriella Duque-Schumacher (Ana Duque), a remarkable young lady from Naples, Fla.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Just got a book from Dave Brunell, written by his wife, Pam, titled Beloving. It’s unique, being written in a combination of poetry and prose about the Brunell family’s journey from the U.S. to Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Vietnam, then back home to their farm in Maryland with many adventures in those venues and many other places ... just what you’d expect of this adventurous ’57er. Its title effectively reflects Dave and Pam’s very positive experiences in and outlooks on life, living, and loving from their wide-angle view.
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
Buzz Campbell wrote: Am wondering if you all read the Fall 2019 issue of Rensselaer with Dr. Shirley Jackson on the cover and celebrating her 20 years of leadership, quite a story in itself.
Another piece which caught my attention was titled “An Anchor and a Compass.” As one of the many in ’57 who spent time in the military after graduation (in my case as a Navy Airdale), I was very interested in the coverage of RPI’s position in U.S. naval history, which began in 1860 and has resulted in 80 RPI grads achieving flag rank, including two who gained two stars during 2019. Also catching some of ’57’s attention was the photo of RPI Middies on page 20 together with a photo of our highly recognized professor of civil engineering, Rear Admiral Lewis Combs, Class of ’16. I got some phone calls wondering if some from our class might be in the photo. Chuck Gould wondered if the photo was of ’57 Middies, possibly including Dick “Gus” Gustafson, Jack Bluestein, and himself. Some research determined that the photo was of the Rensselaer NROTC Unit of 1965.
Chuck also recalled that “upon our graduation, Adm. Combs offered Gus a commission in the Civil Engineer Corps, to which Gus politely said he was ‘joining the Marines.’” Chuck then explained that “... the next guy through Adm. Combs’ door was me.” When Combs asked him, “Gould! Do you want to be in the Civil Engineer Corps?” his response was, “What’s that?” ... to which Combs responded, “It’s the Seabees.” Chuck quickly said, “Yes, Sir!!!” Chuck then added that he “spent four years with world-class folks and doing some very challenging work!”
Posted 2020-05-18
Engineering
Well, that led me to a call with Gus, whom I hadn’t seen since June ’57. Gus noted that he and Gloria married right after graduation, have five kids, 13 grandkids, and five great-grandkids, and served 33 years in the Marine Corps. He flew A-4s (Skyhawks) and AV-8s (Harriers) in Vietnam, flying off the attack carriers Coral Sea and Midway. His tours included commands of a squadron, air group, and a wing and he put two stars on as Major General. Gus, we salute you, your family, and your remarkable career of service!
Posted 2020-05-18
Architecture
And finally, from our steadfast classmate Doug Hasbrouck: Please check out the latest updates to our Class of 1957 Spectrum Award webpage, at impact.rpi.edu/project/3034. As of December, 77 classmates have contributed nearly $134,000 to Spectrum, with gifts ranging from $100 to $25,000. Starting with our 60th Reunion in 2017, three outstanding engineering students have received unconditional prizes of $2,500 each. The value of the endowed fund varies with the markets, but new money into the fund comes entirely from members of our class. Once our class is gone, the fund’s future will depend entirely on growth from its investments. It has always been our ambition to grow the fund sufficiently to assure that it survives our class, and benefits future students for many years to come. Please join us in taking pride from the fact that ’57 is one of only two classes that have been able to generate such a “living class gift.” Your contribution can help us assure that the ’57 Spectrum Award will endure.
Posted 2020-05-18
We recently read about our ’57 classmate, Col. Dick Kibbey, who was shot down and killed in Vietnam in 1967. His remains were recently identified and returned to the U.S. for burial in March with military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. Dick was a helicopter rescue pilot and had just retrieved a downed pilot in the Mu Gia Pass valley of North Vietnam when his chopper was hit and crashed. We’re very happy for his family, and salute Dick and his family for their service and sacrifice!
Posted 2019-10-01
On Horace Pops, we read that he has been again recognized by ASTM International’s committee on copper and copper alloys with its top Award of Merit. You may recall Horace has garnered much recognition and other top awards since the early ’90s. He is still active with Horace Pops Consulting Inc. of Fort Wayne, Ind.
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Doug Hasbrouck reports that Rex Krueger signed the certificate for our third Spectrum Award winner. Bud Lindner and Carl Thurnau joined Doug and Stephanie in May to present the certificate to Parth Bhide, a local boy who graduated with a B.S. in chemical engineering. He had a 3.94 QPA and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in materials science. Parth held leadership roles in Rensselaer’s Engineering Ambassadors Program, which works with local school children from grades 4 through 12. He was also involved with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and served as treasurer of the executive board. You can read more on Parth, the Spectrum Award, and funding on our ’57 Spectrum webpage at https://impact.rpi.edu/project/3034.
Posted 2019-10-01
From Lydia, Dick Kaeyer’s wife, we hear that he has had some serious health issues with surgery in Sarasota, and is now recovering well following treatment at their local hospital in Maine. Lydia notes, “We came back from Florida in early May. En route Dick was honored at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, N.Y., for which he was architect 50 years ago with an addition which put it in ‘major museum’ category. Before we left Sarasota, we had an ‘always fun’ visit from Jackie and Bruce Collopy. And we thank guys from RPI and PiKA who sent best wishes to Dick.”
Posted 2019-10-01
From Rex Krueger we heard that he was in Nairobi, Kenya, in January visiting old friends who included the founder and chairman of Daystar University and the founder and president of the Karen Hospital. Rex notes, “I have been involved with Daystar University for over 40 years, meeting the founding directors (Dr. Don and Faye Smith) in Oregon when we moved there in 1974. They returned in 2014 to Nairobi to live on the Daystar campus. Karin and I had made several trips to Africa, with this one scheduled to celebrate Faye’s 90th birthday and to meet the new leadership of the university. Unluckily, my hosts and I were involved in a bad car accident on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway. I was well treated at Karen Hospital and flew home with a very bad back, and X-rays revealed a compressed vertebra. Am now wearing a waist/back belt/brace. All of this made moving into our new house in Redmond, Ore., a bit more complicated. I’m still upright, working up to playing golf soon…and am still accused of being as feisty as ever!”
Posted 2019-10-01
In mid-July, Dave Brunell notes that he and Pam hosted a Class of ’57 — Five Guys Mini Reunion with Chuck Gould, Dick Kaeyer, Bogie Bogdonavic, and Jack Bluestein for two days at his Bass & Bee Farm, near the Appalachian Trail in western Maryland…“It was a real blast and hell of a lot of fun exceeding even our elevated fantasies…indoors and outdoors, swapping all kinds of stories, heart/mind/spirit sharings, and belly laughter galore…a group favorite was a ‘Yin’ Yoga session with a master teacher, regenerating body parts/connections long forgotten (e.g., lower back and joints), discovering others never known, and re-inflating athletic exploits of yesteryear.
We were stunned how instantly our separate 61-year life journeys re-merged and melted into common themes of exploration, transformation, challenges, stumbles, learnings, conscious/unconscious choices, epiphanies, revelations of faith, meaning…and brotherhood…And how little of that was planned or could have been predicted back in 1957. Everyone’s enthusiastic about another in 2019. Welcome to others interested (Gus/Dick Gustafson already in!).” Well done, Dave! Posted 2019-03-10
We were stunned how instantly our separate 61-year life journeys re-merged and melted into common themes of exploration, transformation, challenges, stumbles, learnings, conscious/unconscious choices, epiphanies, revelations of faith, meaning…and brotherhood…And how little of that was planned or could have been predicted back in 1957. Everyone’s enthusiastic about another in 2019. Welcome to others interested (Gus/Dick Gustafson already in!).” Well done, Dave! Posted 2019-03-10
We also regret, from an all-points message from Doug Hasbrouck at the end of October, the passing of Don Howey, our football co-captain and lacrosse defenseman. That email was followed within the hour by Dave Murphy noting the passing of his Pi Kappa Phi fraternity brothers Paul Presta and Charles Carter Rich. Doug also mentioned that he’d like to be made aware of these happenings to keep his class records up to date, as he works closely with RPI to help keep those records straight. I should add that it would be good to keep this scribe copied on those class alerts, not just for ’57 but for others who read these class columns.
On a lighter note, Doug mentioned our winning football team, with a 7-0 record and ranked 14th in the nation, as of October 29 and with the St. Lawrence and Union games remaining. At Thanksgiving, and not knowing how things had turned out, I mentioned this to my granddaughter who is a senior at Union. With a broad smile she quickly told me that “Union had just beaten RPI”…oh, my!…to which I quickly whispered to Taylor that “RPI was RPI when Union was a Pup” (as I recalled it)…to which she responded, “No, Papa Buzz. Union was started in 1795 and was older than RPI.” A bit of fun with a millennial! Posted 2019-03-10
On a lighter note, Doug mentioned our winning football team, with a 7-0 record and ranked 14th in the nation, as of October 29 and with the St. Lawrence and Union games remaining. At Thanksgiving, and not knowing how things had turned out, I mentioned this to my granddaughter who is a senior at Union. With a broad smile she quickly told me that “Union had just beaten RPI”…oh, my!…to which I quickly whispered to Taylor that “RPI was RPI when Union was a Pup” (as I recalled it)…to which she responded, “No, Papa Buzz. Union was started in 1795 and was older than RPI.” A bit of fun with a millennial! Posted 2019-03-10
It is with great regret that I note the passing of Bob Aldrich this fall. Bob will be remembered by all for his very active support for our ’57 Reunion activities, including the acquisition for our class. The last was for our 60th, our red vest as our ’57 uniform. It was only in mid-year thinking about this column that while rummaging through my ’57 column file I ran across Bob’s “Slim-Ericks—Light Limericks for Well- Versed Dieters.” Finding it, I had spent some time smiling and chuckling with his limericks…including one written on the inside cover to me and our years of the ’57 column.
Posted 2019-03-10
On a sad note, we heard of the passing of Walt Dartland, who passed away in early March. Walt was renowned as “the man behind Florida’s Lemon Law—and the champion of the little guy.” Noteworthy was the decision to run at 81 as a congressional candidate in a deeply red district as a Tallahassee Democrat, “the longest of longshots.” Walt will be greatly missed!
Posted 2018-10-10
We trust that if you attended our 60th last October, you warmly remember that occasion of ’57 comradery and good cheer. In that spirit, we who attended our class dinner that Saturday night in Albany will recall David Brunell’s inspiring toast to our class and to RPI. I’ve asked Dave to retell a shortened version of his toast for the benefit of our whole class:
“Why are we here? Not for ourselves, but for, and because of, each other, –For all the shoulders we’ve been standing on over the years, –For those whose footsteps that were beside us, even as we stumbled, –For the countless people we’ve learned from over the last 60 years—beginning at RPI,
–For those unable to travel here, whose Spirit was wanting, but flesh weak, –For our gallant classmates who finished their race all too early, and –For those new generation of Rensselaerians who grasp our extended batons as they whip-lash into the 21st century.
We have so many to celebrate, myriad blessings to be grateful for, and the precious gift of continuing our journeys in the months and years ahead.
Suddenly, 60 years later, in the blink of an eye we’re back where we started together—to know RPI and ourselves again as if for the first time. But we are the lucky ones—still entrusted with more time, ongoing missions, and purpose—carrying the torch for all those others we love, owe, and honor.
Let us raise our glasses to those who inspire and make our presence possible tonight. And for our vintage Class of ’57 —whose combined Soul is far greater than our individual parts.”
On a personal note, David reports going head-to-head with a 30-pound snapping turtle, averting disaster dragging it out of his farm-pond drainpipe. Following his mantra “anything worth doing is worth overdoing,” David is transforming the farm into an ultimate nature sanctuary, reforesting 2,000 trees, and planting 40 tomato plants and 60 blackberry vines. David and Pam warmly welcome ’57 classmate visits whenever in the Washington/Baltimore area. Posted 2018-10-10
“Why are we here? Not for ourselves, but for, and because of, each other, –For all the shoulders we’ve been standing on over the years, –For those whose footsteps that were beside us, even as we stumbled, –For the countless people we’ve learned from over the last 60 years—beginning at RPI,
–For those unable to travel here, whose Spirit was wanting, but flesh weak, –For our gallant classmates who finished their race all too early, and –For those new generation of Rensselaerians who grasp our extended batons as they whip-lash into the 21st century.
We have so many to celebrate, myriad blessings to be grateful for, and the precious gift of continuing our journeys in the months and years ahead.
Suddenly, 60 years later, in the blink of an eye we’re back where we started together—to know RPI and ourselves again as if for the first time. But we are the lucky ones—still entrusted with more time, ongoing missions, and purpose—carrying the torch for all those others we love, owe, and honor.
Let us raise our glasses to those who inspire and make our presence possible tonight. And for our vintage Class of ’57 —whose combined Soul is far greater than our individual parts.”
On a personal note, David reports going head-to-head with a 30-pound snapping turtle, averting disaster dragging it out of his farm-pond drainpipe. Following his mantra “anything worth doing is worth overdoing,” David is transforming the farm into an ultimate nature sanctuary, reforesting 2,000 trees, and planting 40 tomato plants and 60 blackberry vines. David and Pam warmly welcome ’57 classmate visits whenever in the Washington/Baltimore area. Posted 2018-10-10
J.R. “Buzz” Campbell shared many of his thoughts and reflections on the Class of 1957's reunion: "Our 60th is over, but we’ve already started planning our 65th with our first committee conference call on November 17. We had 62 classmates and 40 wives and special others for '57's 60th events, Thursday, Oct. 12, to Sunday, Oct. 15. Many stayed in the block of rooms reserved for '57 by Kaitlyn Lounsbury, our most helpful class adviser, for networking on activities since '57. A key event of the weekend was the award of the Albert Fox Demers Medal to our Class Pres, Rex Krueger, at Thursday evening's RAA Awards Dinner. Of special note: Rex is the eighth member of the Class of '57 to receive that meritorious alumni service award."
"The highlight of the four days was the ’57 Class Dinner at the Albany Marriott, Saturday night. After opening remarks by Rex and Carl Thurnau and a prayer by Bud Lindner, Dave Brunell gave a toast that was warm, insightful, and a great reminder of what the four years at RPI represented and how that has influenced our journeys of the past 60 years. Toward dinner’s end, Doug Hasbrouck described our new Class of '57 Spectrum Award, and presented the inaugural certificate to our first winner, Ryan Touzjian '19, an Aero/ME student (see photo). Ryan had received his check for $2,500 at the end of the spring semester."
"Our class again demonstrated its generous support for RPI through both the Annual Fund, Spectrum, and other special gifts. For the 16-month class gift period that ended in October, 173 donors from our class gave a total of $1,099,250. As of mid-November, the Spectrum fund stood at $114,150, with 72 donors. In November, the committee voted to increase the target for Spectrum, setting the new goal at $150,000 by Dec. 31, 2018. Your continued support will be deeply appreciated by the committee, and by future student awardees."
"The first of two special guests was Glenn Brown '54, our 1953-54 Grand Marshal, who reminisced about our class, reminding us of our antics at Freshman Camp at Lake George in September of that year. The second special guest was Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, Rensselaer’s president, who gave our '57 gathering and its class a very warm welcome, noting what we had accomplished since '57. She congratulated us on our 60th Reunion and on the obvious pride we have shown as RPI alums. John Fisher, on behalf of the class, then recognized Buzz Campbell for his many years of writing the '57 class column, and Doug Hasbrouck for his very vigorous and unstinting work in much of the organizing for our 60th Reunion and for the many years of his efforts on behalf of our class and the Institute."
"Our signature event was a "Conversation with RPI's Student Pioneers About RPI & Tomorrow With '57." It was a panel of four student leaders from Red & White, the RPI student ambassadors group. The panel included Gavin Allcorn '19, Laurel Dean '18, Hannah Dean ’18, and Ryan Kirk ’19, with the assistance of Kailah Borchers, the R&W adviser, and Buzz Campbell, as moderator. All agreed that this event was an excellent exchange of student views on their RPI experiences, and from us as we looked back on our own RPI and life experiences. It also generated some lively ’57 advice as we looked back through our own “rearview mirrors.” At the end of the panel discussion, Laurel Dean presented a special plaque to Margie and Bud Lindner in recognition of their long-term support and guidance to the Red & White."
"At the end of the evening we were treated to some rousing music by Partial Credit, one of Rensselaer’s wonderful a cappella groups, ending with the traditional singing of the alma mater, joined by the class. A very memorable moment."
"We finish this with some words of greeting and thanks from Rex: “Great to see my fellow classmates and to catch up on their life adventures. Thanks to the Alumni Office support provided by Kaitlyn, Stephanie, and others in planning and implementing our Reunion. I understand that we have had the largest turnout of any 60th in the history of the Institute. Many of those who attended gave the Reunion Committee lots of encouragement to have a 65th…so plans are being made.” Posted 2018-03-15
"The highlight of the four days was the ’57 Class Dinner at the Albany Marriott, Saturday night. After opening remarks by Rex and Carl Thurnau and a prayer by Bud Lindner, Dave Brunell gave a toast that was warm, insightful, and a great reminder of what the four years at RPI represented and how that has influenced our journeys of the past 60 years. Toward dinner’s end, Doug Hasbrouck described our new Class of '57 Spectrum Award, and presented the inaugural certificate to our first winner, Ryan Touzjian '19, an Aero/ME student (see photo). Ryan had received his check for $2,500 at the end of the spring semester."
"Our class again demonstrated its generous support for RPI through both the Annual Fund, Spectrum, and other special gifts. For the 16-month class gift period that ended in October, 173 donors from our class gave a total of $1,099,250. As of mid-November, the Spectrum fund stood at $114,150, with 72 donors. In November, the committee voted to increase the target for Spectrum, setting the new goal at $150,000 by Dec. 31, 2018. Your continued support will be deeply appreciated by the committee, and by future student awardees."
"The first of two special guests was Glenn Brown '54, our 1953-54 Grand Marshal, who reminisced about our class, reminding us of our antics at Freshman Camp at Lake George in September of that year. The second special guest was Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, Rensselaer’s president, who gave our '57 gathering and its class a very warm welcome, noting what we had accomplished since '57. She congratulated us on our 60th Reunion and on the obvious pride we have shown as RPI alums. John Fisher, on behalf of the class, then recognized Buzz Campbell for his many years of writing the '57 class column, and Doug Hasbrouck for his very vigorous and unstinting work in much of the organizing for our 60th Reunion and for the many years of his efforts on behalf of our class and the Institute."
"Our signature event was a "Conversation with RPI's Student Pioneers About RPI & Tomorrow With '57." It was a panel of four student leaders from Red & White, the RPI student ambassadors group. The panel included Gavin Allcorn '19, Laurel Dean '18, Hannah Dean ’18, and Ryan Kirk ’19, with the assistance of Kailah Borchers, the R&W adviser, and Buzz Campbell, as moderator. All agreed that this event was an excellent exchange of student views on their RPI experiences, and from us as we looked back on our own RPI and life experiences. It also generated some lively ’57 advice as we looked back through our own “rearview mirrors.” At the end of the panel discussion, Laurel Dean presented a special plaque to Margie and Bud Lindner in recognition of their long-term support and guidance to the Red & White."
"At the end of the evening we were treated to some rousing music by Partial Credit, one of Rensselaer’s wonderful a cappella groups, ending with the traditional singing of the alma mater, joined by the class. A very memorable moment."
"We finish this with some words of greeting and thanks from Rex: “Great to see my fellow classmates and to catch up on their life adventures. Thanks to the Alumni Office support provided by Kaitlyn, Stephanie, and others in planning and implementing our Reunion. I understand that we have had the largest turnout of any 60th in the history of the Institute. Many of those who attended gave the Reunion Committee lots of encouragement to have a 65th…so plans are being made.” Posted 2018-03-15
1958
Robert Martineau died on July 10, 2022. He started his career in specialty steel production at Crucible Steel in Syracuse, New York. As he rose through management positions, his work took him and his family to various companies and locations in Sorel, Quebec, the Philadelphia area, Utica, New York, and finally Darlington, South Carolina. Later in his career, he helped to create a start-up micro mill in Darlington, South Carolina, producing specialty alloys. Its continued success was a source of satisfaction for him. His ability and talent were respected by the industry. As he often remarked, “steel is in my blood.”
Posted 2023-02-27
Howard Gates has moved to Florida in the Villages, a large retirement single-home golf cart community. He’s enjoying the nice, warm weather.
Posted 2021-02-26
Dick Young and his wife, Willie, enjoy attending some Zoom classes at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University — a favorite activity for many years. He keeps in touch with LXA brothers Al Stearns and Charlie Zito (RPI ’57) and classmate brothers Ed Archer, Jack Ramsey, Harry Robinson, Chet Martine, and Ron Pickunka.
Posted 2021-02-26
While COVID-19 continues, I contacted Dick Young, who then contacted Harry Zimmer and Wayne Smith, to confirm that the three of them were together as students on their NROTC summer cruise aboard the heavy cruiser USS Albany. Dick and Wayne went ashore in Chile where they contracted the Asiatic flu. All ships were later quarantined, so they were not allowed to go ashore at Guantanamo Bay. When they returned to campus, they found that social and athletic events had been canceled, including the RPI-Union football game. — augstj@juno.com
Posted 2021-02-26
Architecture
Martin Ginsburg was presented the top “Innovator Award” by ArtsWestchester in November. He and his brother Samuel founded Ginsburg Development Companies over 50 years ago, and the company has since built over 7,000 residential units, becoming the leading developer of residential properties in the northern suburbs of New York City. Since the mid 1990s, GDC has focused on waterfront developments, and Martin became a leading advocate for the post-industrial rediscovery of the Hudson River, including many transit-friendly developments adjacent to train stations.
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
The nation and Larry Nichols celebrated the 50th anniversary of the moon landing this past summer. Larry was at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center in July 1969 when Apollo 11 was launched. He was part of 10 Apollo space missions as an engineer. Larry’s first job after RPI was working on the Atlas Missile Program in Plattsburgh, N.Y. He later went to work for Grumman Corp., which NASA contracted to design, assemble, integrate, and test the lunar module. At Cape Canaveral in Florida, Larry was involved with the lunar landing program beginning with Apollo 5, the first unmanned flight of the Apollo Lunar Module that would later carry astronauts to the lunar surface. He stayed at Grumman until Apollo 17, the final moon mission, in 1972. Larry then joined his father-in-law’s construction business in New York, but missed his work as an aeronautical engineer and went to work at Goddard Space Flight Center. In his career, he contributed to many projects, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Cosmic Background Explorer, and the Global Geospace Science project.
Posted 2020-05-19
Received a note from Harvey Kaiser, who advises that he continues consulting in higher education facilities. His last two projects were for Qatar University for a Facility Management Organization study and a Space Program for the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts.
His book writing continues: Number 18 was due to come off the press this summer, Great Camps of the Adirondacks, Second Edition. Before that was National Park Architecture Sourcebook, describing historical architecture in 215 national park units, which was well-received as a comprehensive guide for travelers. Congratulations, Harvey, on a most impressive accomplishment.
Harvey and his wife, Linda (Russell Sage ’59), made a private weekend visit last fall to Troy and Albany. He reports it was a good experience to visit old haunts as tourists and that they were impressed by the revival going on in downtown Troy. Harvey sends his best to the members of the Class of ’58. Posted 2019-10-01
His book writing continues: Number 18 was due to come off the press this summer, Great Camps of the Adirondacks, Second Edition. Before that was National Park Architecture Sourcebook, describing historical architecture in 215 national park units, which was well-received as a comprehensive guide for travelers. Congratulations, Harvey, on a most impressive accomplishment.
Harvey and his wife, Linda (Russell Sage ’59), made a private weekend visit last fall to Troy and Albany. He reports it was a good experience to visit old haunts as tourists and that they were impressed by the revival going on in downtown Troy. Harvey sends his best to the members of the Class of ’58. Posted 2019-10-01
Chet has served on the RAA’s Board of Trustees, and as past president of the New York alumni chapter. He was chairman of the Phi Sigma Delta Reunion, and co-chair of the Class of 1958 five-year Reunion. He and his wife, Madeline, have established a fund for faculty support, and Chet has volunteered as a guest lecturer every year since 2010 for the HVAC course.
His distinguished career included 20 years with Kallen & Lemelson Engineers, where he advanced to managing partner. In 1985, he established CT Vogel PE Consulting Engineer, retiring in 2008 as principal and president of M-E/Vogel/Taylor Engineers.
His work has been recognized with industry awards for engineering designs, and in 2007, he was named Engineer of the Year in New York by the American Council of Engineering Companies. Chet is currently developing new mechanical codes as a member of the New York City Mayor’s Advisory Commission. Posted 2019-10-01
Ted Hoff, inventor of the microprocesor, and Steve Sasson ’72, inventor of the digital camera, were two of the 11 National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee judges selected for the Collegiate Inventors Competition.
Posted 2018-03-18
Peter Bohlin, a founding principal of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, was the architecture inductee into the Interior Design Hall of Fame at a ceremony conducted in November 2017 at the River Pavilion in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City.
The news release from Interior Design stated that the success of Peter’s firm “and the professional recognition it has attained, are in large measure attributable to his design insights and unflagging dedication to setting the highest standards for all design work produced by the firm. His leadership and inspiration have established a culture of thoughtful, thorough design thinking throughout the practice, and he remains keenly interested in both broad conceptual thinking and detail expression, reviewing the development of design and documentation regularly with project teams. In 2010, the American Institute of Architects awarded Peter with the Gold Medal, the highest honor for an individual in the profession.” Posted 2018-03-15
The news release from Interior Design stated that the success of Peter’s firm “and the professional recognition it has attained, are in large measure attributable to his design insights and unflagging dedication to setting the highest standards for all design work produced by the firm. His leadership and inspiration have established a culture of thoughtful, thorough design thinking throughout the practice, and he remains keenly interested in both broad conceptual thinking and detail expression, reviewing the development of design and documentation regularly with project teams. In 2010, the American Institute of Architects awarded Peter with the Gold Medal, the highest honor for an individual in the profession.” Posted 2018-03-15
1959
Art Dionne lost his wife, Judy, in April after 60-plus years of marriage. After a successful career as a patent attorney, he retired to Rye, N.H. I counted four kids and six grandchildren.
Posted 2021-02-26
Ken Decker retired from the real estate business in Denver. Always an outdoorsman, he and his wife intend to remain in the Denver area.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
It was great to hear from Fred Mosedale (B.E.E., LXA, Phalanx). After graduation, Fred left Troy for his first job as an EE with RCA in Massachusetts. He rented lodgings in Concord, which was a one-time home of Henry David Thoreau. Fred writes that he became fascinated with Thoreau’s thinking. All of this exploration launched Fred on a long-term interest in philosophy. When we were at RPI, there was no philosophy course, but Fred speculates that had there been one, he would probably have taken it and — maybe, just maybe — transferred to another school.
However, Fred stayed in the engineering world, with assignments in Alaska on a huge radar complex — and lots of spare time to read more philosophy. And, subsequently, he relocated to Germany to work on some sophisticated equipment — with more spare time. Somehow, Fred accumulated enough funds to finance a career change. He entered a doctoral philosophy program, and soon ended up teaching and writing philosophy. His moral is that “engineering is interesting, offers good-paying work, and can lead to unexpected fields.” Fred eventually became interested in the philosophy of language, which led him to think about computer languages. He landed a position as a technical writer with Intel in Oregon and, for the next 20 years, continued to publish philosophy on the side. Engineering and humanities can live well together, he observes.
Interesting to note our class has produced several poets, and at least one mystery writ- er, and a cookbook publisher. But Fred is, I think, our first professional philosopher. All of you are encouraged to share with us some of your wisdom acquired and experiences over the last 60 years or so.
Posted 2020-05-14
Heard from Dick Schult, ex-1959, Arch major and NROTC. Lived in B Dorm 201 with Clyde Hassett. Says he received a Navy regular scholarship but to another university.
He was last on campus for the 40th Reunion. Has had a varied career: Navy, 10 years active and 16 years Reserves, over 30 years in various phases of construction management, and now retired with his bride of just over a year.
On the family side, tally: three marriages, three kids, six step-kids, 15 grand-kids, and six great-grand-kids (so far).
Has lived in Norfolk, Va., for 51 years and is active in civic and church activities. He recently reconnected with his freshman NROTC instructor, then Lt. Mike Childress. Mike retired as a commander and had a second career in real estate. He lives in Virginia Beach and is 93 or 94. Mike says he hasn’t seen or heard of any other folks except in the alumni mag. Posted 2019-10-01
He was last on campus for the 40th Reunion. Has had a varied career: Navy, 10 years active and 16 years Reserves, over 30 years in various phases of construction management, and now retired with his bride of just over a year.
On the family side, tally: three marriages, three kids, six step-kids, 15 grand-kids, and six great-grand-kids (so far).
Has lived in Norfolk, Va., for 51 years and is active in civic and church activities. He recently reconnected with his freshman NROTC instructor, then Lt. Mike Childress. Mike retired as a commander and had a second career in real estate. He lives in Virginia Beach and is 93 or 94. Mike says he hasn’t seen or heard of any other folks except in the alumni mag. Posted 2019-10-01
Sadly, we report the passing of James F. Rappolt, Alpha Sigma Phi. His son, James F. Rappolt Jr., is a member of the Class of 1989.
Posted 2019-03-10
Herbert Grommeck reported that several alumni enjoyed the RPI-sponsored cruise to the Panama Canal and Costa Rica:
Sponsored by the Rensselaer Alumni Association, this cruise provided an interesting and fun adventure through the Panama Canal with excursions to the islands, beaches, and rain forests of Panama and Costa Rica. Also included were a visit to the Miraflores Locks Museum and the new Frank Gehry-designed Biodiversity Museum near Panama City. The last day was spent in San Jose, Costa Rica, with visits to the National Theater and the National Museum.
The tour also included several onboard lectures and guided tours by expert local guides. In addition to learning about the history, culture, nature, and wildlife of the area, connecting up with fellow RPI alumni and sharing common experiences made this journey an inspirational and rewarding experience.
Among the passengers aboard the Sea Breeze small cruise ship from Windstar Cruises were Cris and Douglas Lonnstrom, Ph.D. ’84, Ruth and Herbert Grommeck ’59, Cathie and Dennis Reardon ’62, and Karin Dunnigan ’72 and Roy Czernikowski, M.E.E ’66, Ph.D. ’68. Posted 2018-10-10
Sponsored by the Rensselaer Alumni Association, this cruise provided an interesting and fun adventure through the Panama Canal with excursions to the islands, beaches, and rain forests of Panama and Costa Rica. Also included were a visit to the Miraflores Locks Museum and the new Frank Gehry-designed Biodiversity Museum near Panama City. The last day was spent in San Jose, Costa Rica, with visits to the National Theater and the National Museum.
The tour also included several onboard lectures and guided tours by expert local guides. In addition to learning about the history, culture, nature, and wildlife of the area, connecting up with fellow RPI alumni and sharing common experiences made this journey an inspirational and rewarding experience.
Among the passengers aboard the Sea Breeze small cruise ship from Windstar Cruises were Cris and Douglas Lonnstrom, Ph.D. ’84, Ruth and Herbert Grommeck ’59, Cathie and Dennis Reardon ’62, and Karin Dunnigan ’72 and Roy Czernikowski, M.E.E ’66, Ph.D. ’68. Posted 2018-10-10
Leo Laskowski passed away in July 2016, several years after attending the Class' 55th Class Reunion in 2014.
Leo — who was an aeronautical engineering graduate, a proud brother of Chi Phi, and a member of the RPI Athletic Hall of Fame — went on to have three careers: 27 years at Xerox, 33 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring with the rank of captain, and 15 years as director of facilities with the Wegmans Ladies PGA tournament.
In addition to Jeri, his best friend and wife of 50 years, Leo was survived by two sons, two grandchildren, a sister, and a brother. Posted 2018-03-15
Leo — who was an aeronautical engineering graduate, a proud brother of Chi Phi, and a member of the RPI Athletic Hall of Fame — went on to have three careers: 27 years at Xerox, 33 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring with the rank of captain, and 15 years as director of facilities with the Wegmans Ladies PGA tournament.
In addition to Jeri, his best friend and wife of 50 years, Leo was survived by two sons, two grandchildren, a sister, and a brother. Posted 2018-03-15
1960
An article in a recent Rensselaer magazine was about Navy guys and their service. Bob Flesch was mentioned prominently. Dennis Fitzgerald said that Bob was his big brother at PKA — both “regular Navy.” Dennis never met a classier guy who was a true big brother.
Posted 2021-02-26
Bill Blanchfield ’60 writes, “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Reunion celebration planned for October has been postponed.”
Posted 2020-06-16
Bill Blanchfield writes: Been recently elected VP of the 50 Year Club. It was a tough one but my promise to “make Rensselaer great again” seems to have worked. We are a generous bunch of old-timers and we give stipends to students who have contributed to the Rensselaer and the Troy communities. The students are great and always fun to be with.
Our last speaker was Marty Daniels, the director of financial aid. Marty explained clearly the need for more money for student scholarships. A message well received.
Posted 2019-10-01
Received my annual greeting from Basil Whiting. “Baze” as he likes to be called is, like all of us, dodging life’s health challenges. From his home on Staten Island he enjoys walking to small restaurants and the small town vibe of the Island. He does miss Brooklyn and its combination of art and nature.
Posted 2019-10-01
Listen up, all you RPI guys worrying about your 401Ks. Bob Goldstein recently won $50,000 playing video poker at the Borgata Casino. By the way, that was the second time Bob hit it. Six years ago he also won a $50,000 jackpot at the same machine with the same denomination. I encouraged Bob to move to sunny Utica so he could rub off some of that skill and luck. Bob believes the probability gods are now, however, working against him.
The “probability gods” are not working against us having a rewarding retirement. Let me know what’s on your mind and, in Bob’s case, what’s in your wallet.
Posted 2019-03-10
Stu Mencher reported that 15 brothers of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Class of ’60 and their guests gathered at the Riverpark restaurant in NYC in October for a reunion brunch. They met to celebrate our 58th graduation anniversary and the 62nd anniversary of their joining the fraternity. The brothers reminisced about the “good old days” at RPI and their experiences as pledges in 1956 and ’57.
Lary Wasserman contributed to the reminiscing by preparing a quiz to dust off their memories. Here are a couple of those questions to test your memory: (1) Who taught freshman chemistry? and (2) What was the famous edict for Sunday lunch in the freshman dining hall, and why was it never enforced? Neil Sherman won the prize for the alum who traveled the farthest, all the way from California;
Mike Balk was a close runner-up with his trip from Colorado. The AEPi brothers have maintained their friendships for these many years and enjoy these periodic reunions. They are already planning their return to campus for our 60th Reunion, coming up in 2020. Posted 2019-03-10
Lary Wasserman contributed to the reminiscing by preparing a quiz to dust off their memories. Here are a couple of those questions to test your memory: (1) Who taught freshman chemistry? and (2) What was the famous edict for Sunday lunch in the freshman dining hall, and why was it never enforced? Neil Sherman won the prize for the alum who traveled the farthest, all the way from California;
Mike Balk was a close runner-up with his trip from Colorado. The AEPi brothers have maintained their friendships for these many years and enjoy these periodic reunions. They are already planning their return to campus for our 60th Reunion, coming up in 2020. Posted 2019-03-10
Dick Bohlin and I had a long phone conversation in June. One of Dick’s RSE buddies, Monty Monteleon, died and Dick wanted him remembered. A nice remembrance from one of the ’60s guys.
Posted 2019-03-10
Science
More and more I’m getting news of our classmates passing into the next world. Tom Giammo, a math major at Rensselaer, earned a master’s in math from UCLA and then commenced a long career in government. Tom’s other work was traveling and connecting his family roots to Sicily.
Posted 2019-03-10
Roger Orloff and I have been exchanging emails on various subjects. Roger, an extraordinary Rensselaer volunteer, agrees with me on the need for some form of universal service for young people. Our Volunteer Army has left out many who could and should serve in some way.
Roger is vice chair of the Leadership Council for the Lally School and co-chair of the Patroon Society of the Annual Fund.
We both agree that whatever complaints we may have about Dear Old Rensselaer, our contributions (monetary and other) are for the Rensselaer students. Let’s keep them coming. Posted 2018-10-10
Roger is vice chair of the Leadership Council for the Lally School and co-chair of the Patroon Society of the Annual Fund.
We both agree that whatever complaints we may have about Dear Old Rensselaer, our contributions (monetary and other) are for the Rensselaer students. Let’s keep them coming. Posted 2018-10-10
Mason (Mace) Cadwell: Joel Pratt called me a while ago (remember those old-fashioned phones) and told me the sad news that his brother-in-law Mason (Mace) Cadwell died.
After his graduation, Mace had a three-year stint in the Navy (another old-timer who served) and then received a master’s degree from Columbia University. A later Ph.D. in environmental science propelled him to a career in academe and consulting. Mace and his wife, Jennifer, have horses that they trained and loved. Their three daughters started riding as little girls. Posted 2018-10-10
After his graduation, Mace had a three-year stint in the Navy (another old-timer who served) and then received a master’s degree from Columbia University. A later Ph.D. in environmental science propelled him to a career in academe and consulting. Mace and his wife, Jennifer, have horses that they trained and loved. Their three daughters started riding as little girls. Posted 2018-10-10
Bill Blanchfield notes that, every once in a while, his life as a class correspondent takes a very interesting tack, and happened to read in an article that one of his classmates, Richard Chutter, had received a patent for an improvement in sailboat technology. A resident of Maine, Richard had been sailing from an early age. His innovation lifts boats above the water thus reducing the drag; a simple idea but a difficult one to implement.
After his days at Rensselaer, Richard served in the U.S. Navy and then worked at Texas Instruments, GE, and the U.S. Department of Transportation, having an interesting and rewarding career.
Sadly, Bill later learned that Richard passed away in August after a long illness. After reading of Richard’s achievements, Bill states: " I am reminded of how many of us served in the military after our college days. Now, of course, it is very different. I wonder if our country is better off with our volunteer service members or whether we college guys balanced the career guys. If you have an idea or a story, please write. Stay well, old friends." Posted 2018-03-15
After his days at Rensselaer, Richard served in the U.S. Navy and then worked at Texas Instruments, GE, and the U.S. Department of Transportation, having an interesting and rewarding career.
Sadly, Bill later learned that Richard passed away in August after a long illness. After reading of Richard’s achievements, Bill states: " I am reminded of how many of us served in the military after our college days. Now, of course, it is very different. I wonder if our country is better off with our volunteer service members or whether we college guys balanced the career guys. If you have an idea or a story, please write. Stay well, old friends." Posted 2018-03-15
1961
Ed Segal, former member of the freshman hockey team and high school graduate from Albany High, has lived in San Francisco for over 50 years. His career was in semiconductor equipment. His two sons and their families live nearby, which makes it nice. Ed stays in regular contact with Phi Sig brothers, which over the years have included Jerry Schnee, Merv Lapin, and Mike Herman.
Posted 2023-02-27
Fred Guimond, after years of living in Baton Rouge, discovered that the weather and landscape was much more accommodating in Wenatchee, Oregon, in the Cascades. He has spent his working career in the metals trading business and at one time owned three factories and employed 44 people. He is still involved on a lesser level. Fred played lacrosse for 33 years and ice hockey for 25 after college. He played lacrosse on the victorious alumni team at our 55th Reunion. He often lined up against Rod Palmborg in Palo Alto and Billy Wilkes once in Birmingham.
Posted 2023-02-27
John Billingsley Jr., a class leader and gentleman, recently passed away. He was the chairman of the class’ 50th Reunion. He had been president of TKE, a member of the Student Council, and a member of the freshman hockey team. After earning an MBA at RPI and three years in the Army stationed at Watervliet, he joined Dow Chemical Company, where he worked for most of his career at Dow plants around the U.S. and world. He is survived by his wife, Karen, and three daughters.
Posted 2021-09-29
Don Beck is enjoying semi-retirement on Martha’s Vineyard, where he just closed his B&B after 23 years. He and his wife now enjoy it themselves. He also trains square dance callers via Zoom, conducting three to four sessions a week with participants from eight countries and four continents.
Posted 2021-09-29
Dennis Dupier and his wife, Gayle, have sold their waterfront Fort Lauderdale house. They used it for 15 years as a winter haven and just spent their first winter up north. They built the house in 1975 as income property with the intention of living in it someday. That day came in 2004 when Dennis retired from serving the U.S. intelligence community, first as a GE employee in Valley Forge where spy satellites were once built, then as a CIA officer for 26 years and, finally, as a Booz-Allen staffer supporting the National Reconnaissance Office, which manages the U.S. spy satellite programs. Gayle and Dennis now live year round in the Massanutten Resort in Western Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
Posted 2021-09-29
George Vachuda, former goalie on the varsity lacrosse team, has experienced what would be a major setback for most people, but not George. Twelve years ago, he broke his foot and wore a cast for three months. After complications, the foot was amputated and George now wears a prosthetic device. His attitude is absolutely marvelous. He blames no one for his problem and with a new, flexible ankle device he received recently, he is looking forward to hitting a golf ball again.
Posted 2021-02-26
Science
There have been many exploits by our classmates over the years, but George Bein is an unheralded success story. Here it is. Immediately following graduation, he decided to enroll at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn for an M.S. and a Ph.D., both in electrophysics. George took a total of six years; seemed like an eternity. His first job after that was at Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory in Buffalo, N.Y., and he did that for about 10 years. In the early ’80s when Ma Bell was being required to have some competition, his son, at the age of 17, came to him with an ad from Entrepreneur magazine. George writes: “He said, ‘Dad, we can get into the pay phone business if we buy 50 pay phones from this company.’ I told Jeff to just buy one. If he could sell it, we could buy more. He bought one and quickly sold it to a local bar. Long story short: We became The American Telecom Network offering a variety of telecom services across America, doing $50 million per year. Jeff and I were in business together for 25 years.”
George goes on to say, “I must have inherited my son’s sense of creativity because I was recently awarded a patent called GFI Tripped Circuit Detection and Notification System. It notifies a homeowner when their GFI circuit trips, even if they are thousands of miles away from home. This can be very useful if, for example, they have a freezer and/or a refrigerator plugged into a GFI outlet in their garage. All garages are required to have GFI outlets. The approved patent uses an existing security system. I am currently working on an app that also notifies a homeowner when their GFI outlet trips; but this version does not require an existing security system.” What a great story. George lives in beautiful Sedona, Ariz., gets to play tennis three times per week, and plays drums in a fantastic dance band.
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
Brian McManus writes: At the most recent Reunion in October, a few people robustly represented the Class of 1961: Bob Bardagy, Fred Guimond, and Brian McManus, along with Ed Bok and Bob Peterson. Other Chi Phis: Hank Bauer, Mike Smith, Bill Hart, Tony Dignazzio, Jack Lahey, and George Maniatty participated in a Chi Phi general reunion. A trip to the Notty Pine was included. Bob lives in Victoria, B.C., and recently met with Rod Palmborg in Seattle. Fred Guimond, the only Deke present, moved from Baton Rouge to Leavenworth, Wash.
Posted 2020-05-19
Brian McManus writes: In a prior issue of the Rensselaer magazine I solicited stories of what you were doing in your spare time, given that most classmates are now retired. I cited pickleball as a favorite pastime of mine. Well, Barry Burbank replied and he wins the Grand Prize with no questions asked. He currently goes line dancing five nights a week, rides a bike every week or so, and engages in rock climbing. To his great credit, he scaled El Capitan when he was 57 years old, which required six days and about 15 to 18 hours per day working with a companion climber. Over the years he has run 20 marathons, played ice hockey in a senior league, started snowboarding at age 67, cliff climbing at age 51, and has written two books. His “daytime” job all these years was in the Finance Department at IBM. Several years ago Barry moved to New Paltz, N.Y., in order to be near the cliffs because he still likes to go climbing about once per week. If you have seen the movie Free Solo about the fellow who climbed El Capitan with no safety ropes, you have a good idea of the challenge of that mountain.
Posted 2019-10-01
Brian McManus writes: I would like to invite whoever is interested to share with us what form of exercise you are utilizing to age longer and stronger (?). I have read that one should have a vigorous exercise program that gets the heart beating at least 30 minutes three times a week. Doesn’t sound too difficult but there are always things that interfere. As for me, I have taken up pickleball, the fastest growing sport in America (according to the pickleball people). You can see it at www.usa.pa. It’s great for seniors. Fred Guimond was playing lacrosse with an adult group right up until recently.
Posted 2019-03-10
Mark Camp, after retiring from BP in Illinois, dialed up his winter cross country skiing program. He races in The Vasa in Traverse City, Mich., and this year will be his 32nd to compete. He has also been a regular in the Birkebeiner XC race in Hayward, Wis.
Posted 2019-03-10
Allan Whittemore writes that he and wife Marge recently traveled from their Siesta Key condo to Ft. Myers to visit with two of his Theta Chi fraternity brothers: Jim Briem and his son, and Dave Boshart and his long-time Swedish girlfriend. They reminisced about the old fraternity house at 57 Second Street and competitive bridge games at the one bridge table in the fraternity.
Posted 2018-10-10
In the field of tax-paying workers helping America, Murray Edelberg continues to be a leader as he works toward his 60-year pin. However he has slowed down to working only four days a week. I hope he isn’t getting tired.
Posted 2018-10-10
For those of you who are still actively playing sports and experiencing leg cramps, you may have seen an article this past year linking this problem not to muscles but rather to your electrical system. More specifically, a neuron in your electrical system. The simple cure to “reset” the neuron is to drink tart cherry juice or any other very tart substance. I have tried it and it works. Enter Eberhard Fetz, who as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle published a paper in 1969 that discussed brain-computer interfaces (BCI) and how a monkey could control the activity of a single cell (neuron) in its brain. Eb’s work showed that the brain was capable of learning how to operate a BCI without any help. Forty-eight years later, Dr. Fetz is still at the U. of Washington working on the brain’s plasticity. Current work may help recovery from spinal-cord injuries, or the strengthening of stronger bonds within the brain itself, e.g., the speech-processing area of a stroke victim’s brain. Eb says that there is a high hurdle to conduct these studies in people, but that all it requires for further advances is for scientists to jump in.
Posted 2018-10-10
Brian McManus reported that Chico Christopher ’70, a member of PiKA, died in January 2017. Chico had worked with Troy Architecture Practice (TAP) for 46 years and was loved for his appreciation of the importance of urban agriculture, sustainable landscape, and the urban tree canopy, and in essence he was a master gardener for the environment of Troy. He championed an arboretum project at RPI that funded and planted seven trees along 15th Street that came to be known as the PiKA Arboretum because each tree honored a different class of fraternity brothers. With Chico’s too-early death, a group raised some funds and, with RPI’s permission, placed a plaque and tree in front of the Greene Building on the knoll overlooking the old football field in early November 2017.
Posted 2018-03-15
1962
Engineering
Frank Van Rensselaer earned bachelor’s degrees in management engineering and mechanical engineering at RPI, then went to work for NASA in the design of the Saturn V moon rocket. He was a flight controller during the Apollo missions, then went into management of the space shuttle. Frank retired from NASA after 20 years and became a senior executive for Orbital Sciences, Martin Marietta, Fairchild, Raytheon, Harris, and Schaffer. He is married to a “lovely lady” from his “little town in Tennessee.” They have a blended family of four children and seven grandchildren. Not one to sit still, Frank consults part-time with DoD research and engineering and enjoys golf and travel.
Posted 2021-09-29
Last December, Jay Winderman reached his 80th birthday “with no discernible defects.” His family held a party with a Boston cream pie and lots of gifts. One granddaughter wanted to put enough candles on the cake to displace half the chocolate frosting! On March 21, 2021, Jay and his wife, Rochelle, marked their 50th wedding anniversary. They managed a limited celebration, bringing home a nice dinner from a fine restaurant.
Posted 2021-09-29
Engineering
Ed Loizeaux sent me an essay about his “now-ancient life.” Ed and I started life at RPI across the hall from one another in the freshman dormitories, he in Room A-108 and I in Room A-103. Ed earned an MSIE degree and an MBA degree. He worked for the U.S. Air Force at Norton AFB in San Bernardino, Calif., before it closed. Then he moved to the San Francisco area where he “morphed from engineer to operations management,” running factories for high-tech firms. He once worked for Bill Perry before Perry became President Clinton’s Secretary of Defense. Bored with managing factories, Ed incorporated as Manufacturing Advisors and became flooded with clients from Brazil, Singapore, and many U.S. locations. He has been married to Judi McHan for 34 years. They have five children, all married and all gainfully employed. Ed retired at age 55, and he and Judi are living comfortably. He teaches English to foreign graduate students at Stanford University — not beginning English, but conversational English complete with slang and idioms.
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
Steve Mirer sent me a beautiful photo of four Pi Lambda Phi fraternity brothers and their wives who met in Santa Fe, N.M., in September to attend the Santa Fe Indian Market. The attendees were hosts Mary Anne (RSC 1964) and Bruce Larsen of Santa Fe, Lois and Mike Mannes of Baltimore, Helen and Marv Meistrich of Houston, and Arlene (RSC 1964) and Steve Mirer of Phoenix. Bruce retired from Vista Chemical in 1995, Mike practices real estate law in Baltimore, Marv retired from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in 2012, and Steve retired from GE Global Research in 2008. The intrepid octet is ruminating about meeting in Sonoma County, Calif., in 2020. Empty or near-empty stemmed glassware could be seen on the table in front of them, telltale evidence that everyone was having a terrific time. Mike and I palled around at RPI before losing track of one another.
Posted 2020-05-19
Marcia Dresner ’65 emailed me in March to say that her husband, Norm Dresner, died on Nov. 1, 2018. Norm worked for Westinghouse/ Northrop Grumman and then turned his passion for wood turning into a small business. His hobbies over the years included photography, electronics, computers, HO-scale model trains and boats, and puzzles and games. Norm also is survived by two sons, Jon and Alex (RPI ’92), and three granddaughters.
Posted 2019-10-01
Jay Winderman I just completed a novel titled Abel Streitman and the R&D Factory. It is a satire based on my observations and experiences while working in the defense industry. I do not have the time to publish and distribute this novel as I did with the Thunder Tortoise trilogy, so I had a small number of copies made for several family members and select retirees.
Posted 2019-10-01
Ben Kroup shared the following lyrics to a humorous ditty that he and others in Phi Kappa once sang during keg parties, to the tune of “From the Halls of Montezuma:”
From the dizzy heights of Prospect Park/To the mudflats of Cohoes, We will drink all day and through the night/And the rest God only knows.
We will drink to Troy’s fair maidens./We will drink to Troy’s fine beer. And without a doubt some tool will shout/Let us drink to Rensselaer. Posted 2019-09-17
From the dizzy heights of Prospect Park/To the mudflats of Cohoes, We will drink all day and through the night/And the rest God only knows.
We will drink to Troy’s fair maidens./We will drink to Troy’s fine beer. And without a doubt some tool will shout/Let us drink to Rensselaer. Posted 2019-09-17
I received the sweetest four-page story about Neil Ullman, which ran in The New York Times in September. Here is a capsule summary. I know I won’t do justice to it. Neil met Elaine Hoffman at a class titled The Lives We Lived at Fairleigh Dickenson University, and they immediately felt energy between each other. Both had been widowed recently. As time progressed, they drew closer, discovering all the things they had in common, such as the same car model, the same credit card type, and the same interest in taking a one-week vacation to Cambria and Pismo Beach in California. Spooky, wasn’t it?
Needless to say, they both fell madly in love. They married at Florham, a former Vanderbilt estate.
Neil graduated from RPI and Rutgers and became a founder of Middlesex County College and County College of Morris. Elaine graduated from State University of New York at Cortland in 1967 and received a master’s degree in student personnel services at Newark State College. She has been a career elementary school counselor and a school social worker.
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
Roger Lipton was appointed to the board of directors of Diversified Restaurant Holdings, one of the largest franchisees for Buffalo Wild Wings. Roger earned his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering at RPI and his MBA degree at Harvard. He worked as an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers and then on Wall Street with restaurant and franchising industries.
Posted 2019-03-10
My friend from White Plains, Larry Kaye ’64, MEE ’65, wrote to say he has been “reading your column for years.” Larry worked for Hughes in Culver City, then Systron Donner in Concord, Calif., and finally Giga-tronics, a microwave test equipment company he helped found. He now restores pinball machines. His son, Andrew, is a senior at RPI, and is studying mechanical engineering. Larry and his wife, Beth, married in 1992.
Posted 2019-03-10
Jay Winderman states: Classmates Bob Levy and Henry Steckler and I studied together for final exams in my rented room on 14th Street during our last two years at RPI. I built a blackboard from a sheet of Masonite that I brushed with flat black paint, and we used it to test one another. After tedious hours, we would adjourn to the Sycaway Diner on Hoosick Street for coffee and jelly doughnuts. Bob and Henry and I passed all of our final exams. I am debating whether to credit my blackboard or the Sycaway’s jelly doughnuts for our successes.
Posted 2019-03-10
Dr. John Hall contacted me via email to say that a documentary film titled Secrets of a Frozen Ocean won the award this year for the best documentary at the New York City International Film Festival. John owns the hovercraft that was used in the film, and he funded much of the work. In the movie, he said, he appears as “Executive Enabler.” John has lived in Israel for about 68.6 percent of the country’s existence.
Posted 2018-10-10
Captain Ed Davidson, also known as Lt. Cmdr. “Engine Eddie,” became the 33rd Navy “Top Gun”-type jet fighter pilot to survive more than 200 combat missions in Vietnam and was flying fighter escort next to John McCain when McCain was shot down and captured.
Posted 2018-10-10
Dick Lundgren, who had a passion for historic preservation, has been named executive director of the Historic Albany Foundation, whose mission is to preserve and protect the architectural and historic resources of the city of Albany and Albany County. Dick has experience as an urban renewal project director and a district planner, as well as president of a real estate and city planning consulting practice.
Posted 2018-03-15
John Templin, president of the 50 Year Club and a Phi Sigma Kappa alumnus, was happy to report that the fraternity was well represented at the Class' 55th Reunion, and that they had a chance to meet for breakfast and catch up on what each has done over more than half a century: Lew Davidson, Stu Heller, Lou Hoadley, Harry Laufer, Lionel Michelman, and (of course) John himself. John is president of Templin Management Associates Inc. in Greenfield Center, N.Y., in Saratoga County.
Posted 2018-03-15
1963
Special thanks to Jack Titley for writing the class column since his 25th reunion.
Posted 2021-02-26
Check out Jerry Lenaz’s website at bookshop.org/shop/thecloakanddagger. Jerry, retired architect, is advancing his second career as a mystery genre bookstore owner in Princeton, N.J. If you want advice on the latest mystery novel, give him a call at (609) 688-9840. It is amazing what Jerry knows about suspense and mystery.
Posted 2021-02-26
Roger Lourie retired as a general partner of Seagrace Partners LP, a private equity investment firm that he organized to invest in small companies. Roger earned his RPI degree in management engineering. His impressive academic achievements were matched by his membership in Phalanx, Pi Delta Epsilon journalism fraternity, his work as IFC president, and his involvement in many other campus organizations. Graduate study at Columbia University resulted in an MBA and a master’s in international and public affairs. In Connecticut, Roger was a member of the Representative Town Meeting for 25 years. Roger and wife, Claude, moved to Palm Beach where they are active in promoting their love of opera with the Palm Beach Opera. He welcomes a call, email, or a visit. Reach him at rlourie@gmail.com.
Posted 2021-02-26
Robert Arundale was one of the first to earn a B.S. in language and literature from RPI. After earning his Ph.D., Bob taught at the University of Washington and then spent 32 years at the University of Alaska. Oxford University Press published his book Communicating & Relating in 2020. After reaching professor emeritus status, Bob has more time for mountaineering, travel, and model railroading.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Dave Wicks has fond memories of playing RPI hockey for Ned Harkness and especially for the 1960-61 Frozen Four tournament. I’m sure he remembers the 17 to 2 win over AIC where Jim Josephson, Brian Pryce, and Brian Robins were ejected for brawling. Dave helped with two assists in that blow-out win. Dave majored in metallurgical engineering and was a brother of Lambda Chi Alpha. Now 55 years later, a retired Foster Wheeler Energy Corp. engineer and nuclear project manager for the Clinch River Breeder Reactor, Dave spends his leisure traveling, playing golf, and writing his dad’s biography. Bombs Away is the true story of his father’s escape from Nazi-occupied Slovakia after being shot down on his 24th combat mission. It is a great story of heroism and courage in WWII.
Dave and his wife, Lorraine, celebrated their 53rd anniversary last July. They reside in Dansville, N.Y., where they raised three children. Daughter Jackie is a 5th grade teacher; her twin Jennie is a CPA, health-care consultant, and former hospital CEO. Their son Mike, a graduate of the University of Buffalo, works in law enforcement in Monroe County. Dave and Lorraine have three grandchildren. He would be happy to hear from classmates at ldwicks@stny.rr.com.
Posted 2020-05-19
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Jack Titley writes: Back in the fall of 1962, RPI President Richard Folsom apologetically announced that tuition for 1963 was being raised to $800 per semester. Dr. Folsom, in a letter to our parents, said that “the Board of Trustees reluctantly approved the increase in tuition.” Little did we know what it was going to cost our grandchildren to attend.
Posted 2020-05-19
William Soffa, M.S. in materials engineering, was named to Carnegie Mellon’s Athletics Hall of Fame for his outstanding college basketball achievement. Bill is a professor of engineering at the U. of Virginia.
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
Marvin Rozansky sent us a sad note on the death of Roger Mester. Roger had been living in Copenhagen with his wife, Annette, and family for many years. As electrical engineering classmates, Marv and Roger forged a lifelong friendship. According to Marv, Roger was a 4.0 student until he wound up with a C in the senior year’s Senior Sequence in Philosophy class. Marv still feels guilty over having talked Roger into taking the class. Anyone who wishes to share a memory of Roger can contact Marv at marv3@verizon.net. As our ranks thin, we all mourn the loss of each classmate.
Posted 2020-05-19
Bill Woodward and wife, Marcie, live in Tucson in the winter and spend the summer on Cape Cod in Harwich. You can occasionally find him at Ryder’s Cove Boatyard in Chatham.
Posted 2019-10-01
Jack Titley It has been a long time since we were freshmen. Sixty years ago we began our epic journey in higher education. You will notice that the notes for the Class of 1963 have moved closer and closer to the front of the section. Unfortunately, there are fewer of us left on whom I can report. So please take a moment to send a note; your classmates will enjoy the information.
Our freshman handbook for 1959 had an advertisement for The Armory Restaurant and Bar on College Avenue, “open every night till 3:00 a.m.” As I recall, the drinks were cheap and no one ever tried the food. Mrs. Walter Warren was our social director who held “tea dances every Sunday to which girls from neighboring colleges” were invited. And in her words, Mrs. Warren was “only too happy to help…sew on a button or get you a blind date.” Do you remember the Frosh Smoker — gathering at the Field House for free cigarettes and entertainment? How the world has changed!
As I was checking out at the supermarket and wearing my Rensselaer sweatshirt, the checker said, “my boyfriend goes to RPI,” and the woman next in line added that her husband also is a graduate. Small world! Posted 2019-10-01
Our freshman handbook for 1959 had an advertisement for The Armory Restaurant and Bar on College Avenue, “open every night till 3:00 a.m.” As I recall, the drinks were cheap and no one ever tried the food. Mrs. Walter Warren was our social director who held “tea dances every Sunday to which girls from neighboring colleges” were invited. And in her words, Mrs. Warren was “only too happy to help…sew on a button or get you a blind date.” Do you remember the Frosh Smoker — gathering at the Field House for free cigarettes and entertainment? How the world has changed!
As I was checking out at the supermarket and wearing my Rensselaer sweatshirt, the checker said, “my boyfriend goes to RPI,” and the woman next in line added that her husband also is a graduate. Small world! Posted 2019-10-01
Roderic Quirk, emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Akron, was awarded the Charles Goodyear Medal from the American Chemical Society. Rod earned his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois. While at RPI, Rod was a member of both the wrestling and football teams. During our senior year, Rod’s teammates recognized his dedication and perseverance to football by selecting him as a team co-captain.
Posted 2019-03-10
Jack Titley shares:
Wayne Richardson and I were wondering about some classmates with whom we have lost contact: his roommate Peter Dean and a mutual friend, Bill (Woody) Woodward. Strange how you lose touch.
When Wayne graduated he joined the Navy where he wound up in the Civil Engineer Corps as project manager in Guam, constructing electrical and communication facilities. Later serving as construction and public works officer in charge at the Marine Corps Air Facility in North Carolina. All related to the Vietnam conflict. After the Navy, Wayne earned his Master of Engineering in electrical power from RPI. Before retiring in 1990, he managed construction projects for Black & Veatch, Florida Power & Light, and Stone & Webster. As Wayne puts it: “I married Arlene, an Albany State girl from Schenectady, the love of my life, who I met at an Alpha Chi Rho fraternity party.” They have two children and four grandchildren and live in Orleans on Cape Cod. Wayne is active in his retirement with the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the U.S. Power Squadron, assisting with safety patrols and Aids to Navigation verification. And he tells me that he obtained his Merchant Mariner captain’s license. Is it the beginning of a whole new career?
Posted 2019-03-10
Jack Titley ’63 shares:
It was the reunion that didn’t happen. Mike Ross, the chairman of the 55th Reunion Committee, was disappointed with the almost total lack of interest in this year’s reunion. Mike told me that it was going to be a hard sell but hoped for a small response. Having to cancel events is always difficult. It seems that we are still recovering from our 50th. Never discouraged, Mike is thinking ahead to the 60th in 2023. As our ranks grow smaller, we should plan to attend now. A small unscientific survey seems to suggest that the move to a fall reunion date rather than the traditional June date has had some impact on attendance. Who knows? I liked the June date. I was a reunion absentee due to Kathryn (Sigetti) Sobray’s (Class of 2005) brother’s wedding. My niece (and godchild) has two beautiful little girls.
Two classmates who did attend the reunion and sent me a note were Wayne Richardson and Theodore Maxant.
Ted Maxant was a mechanical engineering major, who played on the lacrosse team for four years. He reminded me that he misses another of our classmates and lacrosse teammate Nick Humber, who was a passenger on one of the planes of the 9/11 Twin Towers tragedy. This summer Theodore and his daughter, Christa, rode horseback in and out of the Bob Marshall Wilderness area in Montana. Over 100 miles in and out, up and down the Continental Divide. Wow! Especially considering our plus-70 ages. Ted and his wife, Tina, live in Still River, Mass., and avoid the winter weather in St. Maarten. At Reunion & Homecoming, he hoped to visit with lacrosse team members and brothers of his ATO fraternity.
Posted 2019-03-10
After a career with Eastman Kodak, Pantone Inc., and Monroe Community College, John Setchell tells me that he is now fully retired. John, a physics major, earned his M.S. in physics from the University of Illinois. He is enjoying life as a newlywed in Webster, N.Y., having married Margie Cole on Thanksgiving in 2016. The happy couple traveled across country by train in 2017 to view the solar eclipse from a farmer’s field in Oregon. John also wanted his classmates to know that he suffered the loss of his dear wife, Judy, to leukemia in February 2015. As with all of us, John finds it hard to believe that it has been 55 years since graduation from RPI.
Posted 2018-10-10
1964
Class of ’64 Reunion | Members of the Class of 1964 met in Mystic, Connecticut in September 2021 to celebrate an informal reunion before their 60th in 2024.
Jim Bexfield (jim_bexfield@comcast.net) is still working but not traveling and wondering whether he will ever retire.
Posted 2021-02-26
Jack Waite’s (jwaite@jgwaarchitects.com) architectural firm, John G. Waite Associates, has offices in Albany and New York City, and specializes in the restoration and reuse of historic buildings. At the most recent convention of the American Institute of Architects, Jack’s firm received the National Design Honor Award for the restoration of Thomas Jefferson’s Rotunda, the center place of his University of Virginia. Another recently completed project was the restoration and rehabilitation of the Cincinnati Union Terminal, the last great railroad station built in America. That $225 million project now houses the Cincinnati Museum Center. And in April, the project received the Palladio Award, an international award for excellence in classical design.
Posted 2021-02-26
Gene Tucker (tuckerwg@jmu.com) taught environmental sciences at James Madison University until 2011, after three years in the chemical industry and 32 years in R&D for the Environmental Protection Agency, interspersed with degree breaks to get himself “piled higher and deeper.” Since then, it’s been retirement in North Carolina caring for his wife, and retreating to his cabin and woodworking shop at a lake in southern Virginia.
Posted 2021-02-26
Tom Reddy (tomreddy1942@gmail.com) and his wife, Vita, left on a 120-day world cruise on Jan. 4. As they traveled, the COVID-19 virus began to impact; with ports, and then countries, beginning to close to passenger ships, they gave up in Bali, and traveled home, arriving on March 9, just missing the airline shutdown. They did have a great time in French Polynesia, New Zealand, and Australia.
Posted 2021-02-26
Dick Chase (Richard.e.chase@gmail.com) wrote to say that before COVID-19 hit, he had been volunteering for the Huron River Watershed Council — sitting on the advisory committee for one of the creeksheds, and leading groups of volunteers collecting insect larvae from creeks to check the quality of the creeks.
Posted 2021-02-26
Uli Decher (ulidech@cox.net) wrote to say that he has been teaching at the University of Hartford as an adjunct professor. Uli retired from Westinghouse and has been teaching two courses per semester. This past spring was very busy, since his students were dismissed in mid-March, and he had to learn to teach online. Uli lives with his wife, Helen, in West Granby, Connecticut.
Posted 2021-02-26
Allan Warshawsky (“Woosh”) (awisra-el@aol.com) reports that he and his extended family are all well. “Woosh” has three grandchildren in the Israeli army, five in university, and one in the 12th grade.
Posted 2021-02-26
Frank Thiel reports that he and his wife, Patricia, are well. Residents in his community donate funds each year for scholarships for the young folks who work (or did until lockdown) in the dining rooms. Frank is a member of the Scholarship Committee, and they ultimately awarded five scholarships. A charming young lady will be using her award at RPI. Find out more from Frank at f.l.thiel.4@gmail.com.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Michael Wellner writes: I am beginning this edition of Class Notes by talking briefly about our 55th Reunion, which sadly I could not attend because my wife and I were on a delightful vacation cruise from Barcelona to Lisbon. Here are a couple of reports.
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
First, Dick Vennett and his wife, Mary Ann, went to Troy hoping for a sufficient turnout of ’64 alumni to warrant having a class dinner. But that was not to be. Although our 50th Reunion attracted more than 60 classmates, this year we managed only 10 who returned to the ’Tute. Of those 10, Dick and his Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity brothers made up 70%! These included Earl Foster, Nancy and Rich Greer, Mary Ann and Dave Marko, Tom McShane and his nephew, John, Diane and Eloy Nava, and Pat and Jack Piela. And they had their own reunion at the Century House Inn in Latham, and visited the campus on Friday, a beautiful day, and then had their own “class” dinner at the Century House. And on Saturday they all went to Saratoga Springs for a Beatles tribute concert, to honor the 50th anniversary of the Abbey Road album at Caffe Lena. Of course, they all enjoyed each other’s company, and decided that another five years was much too long to wait to meet again as a group. So their plan is to meet in two years (September 2021) in Mystic, Conn. Future fraternity reunions will be organized by the local brother(s) offering to host the reunion. Aside from that, Dick had a successful hip replacement in late June, and was able to attend the reunion without pain or cane! Find out more from Dick at rmvennett@cs.com.
Posted 2020-05-19
Science
Next, Art Schoenstadt reports that he, too, was among the small group of us who actually made it back for reunion. He made it to the football game, to see the Engineers win handily. And he was able to tour the five main schools, stopping in each for about 30 minutes, with faculty members describing their research, and attend an interesting panel discussion in EMPAC. Art also made a stop at the small town where he went to high school, and visited with the widow of his Ph.D. adviser. You can reach Art at alschoen@pacbell.net.
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
Del Webster reports that his grandchildren are growing up! His oldest grandson, Eamon, was recently married, and his oldest granddaughter, Karana, began her freshman year at Oswego State. Eamon’s brother Eadoin began his freshman year at the University of Vermont. They are grandchildren to be proud of, and life continues to be good! Contact Del at commodore@embarqmail.com.
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
Dick Foster wrote in to say that in October he made a three-week trip to five countries in Southeast Asia. He reports that it was fascinating to see sights such as Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Halong Bay, among many other sites, and so many very friendly people. The trip turned out to be a bit of a challenge, even for an engineer, trying to keep five currencies straight, especially when $10 USD equals 200,000 dong! Dick will tell you more: Write to him at fos01198@comcast.net.
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
And finally, Tom Luciano (baron731@com cast.net) reports that he headed back to Troy for our 55th Reunion. His fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, was celebrating 140 years on campus and 60 years on Sunset Terrace. The house had a “Meet & Greet” on Friday afternoon, followed by a gathering at McAddy’s Irish Pub on Broadway, downtown. Sadly, the house was showing its age after six decades. On Saturday there was an escorted tour of the campus, led by several students; it was great to walk around the campus. The football team took on Anna Maria College (a small Catholic School in MA) and won 38-0. The team looked like it had over 50 members, a big change from when we were there. They also watched the women’s hockey team take on Minnesota State; they lost 0-3. The RPI goalie was from Sweden; the ladies looked pretty fast on the ice, but were outplayed by Minnesota. The Alumni House was very well staffed and helpful; vans were available to shuttle people to and from the Field House and athletic fields. All in all, a fun weekend! Ready for our 60th anybody?
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
I heard first from Bob Ringlee, who notes that although he’s listed in the RPI records as a member of the Class of ’64, that was the year he earned his Ph.D. in mechanics. Before that he got a B.S. in E.E. from the University of Washington (Class of ’46), which may make him the oldest member of our class! Lately, he’s been enjoying retirement, doing a bit of consulting and writing a few papers. He is particularly proud of his eight grandchildren, and enjoys life, trying to keep stimulated with daily mental challenges. Find out more by e-mailing robertjringlee@gmail.com.
Posted 2019-10-10
Our old buddy Alex Hills reports that he is still consulting, active as a Distinguished Service Professor at Carnegie Mellon, and was recently elected to the National Academy of Inventors. Alex holds 19 patents, and apparently has not yet heard about retirement. He serves on the Polar Advisory Board of Iridium, the satellite communication company that has now completed launching a constellation of 75 new satellites; one of them actually carries a plaque dedicating it to Alex and the other members of the board. As he often says, “We’ll all be in space until we’re de-orbited!” You can contact him at (907) 232-6088, or ahills@cmu.edu.
Posted 2019-10-10
My old freshman buddy David Bleich (dbleich @aol.com) reports that in March he competed in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament for the 11th straight year, and finished 121st out of 741 competitors. Impressive. Overall, Dave says that life is still treating him well; he continues to live in Scarsdale, and has a trip to Scandinavia planned this spring.
Posted 2019-10-10
Chet Ropelewski wrote in to say, in his first submission of 55 years (!) that, through pretty much of a random walk, he ended up spending the bulk of his career working in climate research, first with the National Weather Service, and then at Columbia University, retiring from the first in 1997 and the second in 2012.
Since retiring, Chet has co-authored the textbook Climate Analysis, published by Cambridge University Press in February of this year. He and his wife, Marie, now divide their time between suburban Washington, D.C., and New York City, with principal activities consisting of enjoying life and visiting their children in Virginia and Brooklyn. Chet has lunch with Ken Mooney a few times a year, and exchanges occasional emails with Dan and Dianne Litynski, and even rarer emails with Ray Whipple. Write him at Chetr.climate@gmail.com.
Posted 2019-10-10
And, of course, no class notes would be complete without a few words from Barry Wintner and his wife, Gisela, who spent a week in the glorious weather (best in the U.S.) of San Diego. They visited Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, walked among the superbloom flowers there, and then visited Balboa Park, where they sampled the museums and assorted gardens. Barry then went aboard the USS Midway (CV- 41), now a museum ship, and chatted up various docents. Email Barry at bwbaloo222@gmail.com.
Posted 2019-10-10
Michael Wellner writes: As for me, life continues to be good to us. My wife and I spent a delightful week in Martinique on a Road Scholar in January. Upcoming trips include a week in Lake Placid and a cruise from Barcelona to Lisbon. Although I am fully retired (since 2001!), I spend four days a week at a wonderful Lifelong Learning program (Quest) affiliated with City College in NYC.
Posted 2019-10-10
Michael Wellner states: Ray Whipple just received a certificate from the American Parachute Association, recognizing his 55 years of skydiving! His group, JOS (Jumpers Over Seventy) has a saying: “You don’t quit jumping because you get older, you get older because you quit jumping.” He is surely a braver man than I!
Posted 2019-03-10
John C. Hodge just published a book, STOE replaces relativity and quantum mechanics, summarizing his research into the Theory of Everything. He is living in the back woods of western North Carolina and loving it.
Posted 2019-03-10
Alan Silverman reports that he brunched with Barry Wintner and Bill Erskine in mid-October, to discuss their various medical maladies and solve world problems. He visited an innovative branzino factory farm in his hometown, 30 miles from salt water; a ChemE’s delight. And he attended the induction into his hometown hall of fame of a high school classmate (that of several other RPI ’64 grads) who contributed greatly to “green chemistry” while at the EPA and elsewhere. Alan has also been traveling, to Morocco and Portugal and Spain. We’ll hear all about it at the 55th!
Posted 2019-03-10
Gary Neville is having a great time in Venice, Marina del Rey, and Santa Monica, and (as he says) lucky to be alive! He has been deeply involved with the Yellowbird Tech Center for several years, and reports that his really big deal was when President Obama came by to visit a state senator, who is a tenant in the center; there were Secret Service guys all over the place, black SUVs around the block, helicopters hovering overhead, and quite the overall commotion. The Yellowbird Tech Center now has the distinction of being the only building in Venice to have ever hosted a sitting U.S. president!
Posted 2019-03-10
Dick Vennett, in November 2016 he and Mary Ann decided it was time for the next phase of their life. They moved to a new home outside of Scottsdale, Ariz., in the Trilogy Rio Verde development. They had lived in Park City, Utah, for 15 years, but decided it was time to move south for a warmer climate since they did not ski anymore and they had grown tired of the winters.
Posted 2019-03-10
Charyl Kay and Earl Sedlik, like so many of us, have been traveling in their golden years. Since Earl, by his own admission, has a particularly loud and gregarious style, he gets noticed in the oddest places. For example, while traveling with a University of Washington alumni tour on the Oceania Cruise Lines to Australia and New Zealand in 2015, Earl heard a woman call out, “I think that’s Earl!” It turned out to be Mary Ann Vennett exclaiming an “Earl sighting” to her husband, Dick Vennett. It was, indeed, Earl, and what followed were memorable days of shared touring mixed with reminiscing and lots of catching up. The Vennetts have just moved to Arizona to start a new retirement life, and Earl reports that they look great!
Earl also reports a similarly provocative reunion at the Bloomsbury Edwardian Hotel near London’s British Museum in 2016. As the Sedliks entered the lobby to greet many Seattle friends who they join for an annual Shakespeare Tours October program of 10 London-based plays in 11 days, a woman declared loudly, “I think I hear Earl Sedlik’s voice...It is! There’s Earl!” That was Sue Crystal, who, with Dick Crystal, was on the very same trip; they immediately launched into a wonderful reunion!
Meanwhile, Earl and Charyl Kay are joyfully settled in downtown Seattle, where Charyl Kay is a docent at the Seattle Art Museum and continues to be active in the health-care field. She’s one of the founders of Grandmothers Against Gun Violence. Earl is active on nonprofit boards and as an adjunct accounting instructor at North Seattle College. They are both very active in their grandchildren’s lives in Seattle. Posted 2019-03-10
Earl also reports a similarly provocative reunion at the Bloomsbury Edwardian Hotel near London’s British Museum in 2016. As the Sedliks entered the lobby to greet many Seattle friends who they join for an annual Shakespeare Tours October program of 10 London-based plays in 11 days, a woman declared loudly, “I think I hear Earl Sedlik’s voice...It is! There’s Earl!” That was Sue Crystal, who, with Dick Crystal, was on the very same trip; they immediately launched into a wonderful reunion!
Meanwhile, Earl and Charyl Kay are joyfully settled in downtown Seattle, where Charyl Kay is a docent at the Seattle Art Museum and continues to be active in the health-care field. She’s one of the founders of Grandmothers Against Gun Violence. Earl is active on nonprofit boards and as an adjunct accounting instructor at North Seattle College. They are both very active in their grandchildren’s lives in Seattle. Posted 2019-03-10
Frank Thiel wrote to say that he and his wife, Pat, have moved into Beverwyck, a retirement community in Albany County, N.Y. And just in case you forgot, Beverwyck was the original Dutch name for Albany!
Posted 2019-03-10
Architecture
Tom Hemmerick, Architecture ’64 & ’65, says that he is retired now, but for most of his last 46 years he was a sole practitioner. This past summer he spent time in Barcelona, Spain, one truly beautiful city, and then a month in Calabria, Italy, one beautiful country.
Posted 2019-03-10
Michael Wellner ’64 states: Greetings to all my fellow classmates, and thank you for the outstanding response to my request for news. First up, I had a nice note from Dave Haviland, who wrote to say that he was honored to give the keynote address at the October 26 dinner celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Chapel + Cultural Center (C+CC) at RPI. This was an opportune time to recall the many ways in which the C+CC has met the needs of the community, especially RPI students, since opening in October 1968. In addition to Roman Catholic liturgies, the C+CC presents and hosts concerts, exhibits, discussions, and all kinds of events—as well as opportunities for prayer and quiet meditation.
Posted 2019-03-10
Michael Wellner And finally I can tell you that my wife and I and a half dozen friends spent a nice, warm 10 days in Palm Springs (Calif.) in mid-January. We first attended quite a few showings of some of the movies included in the Palm Springs Film Festival—a first for us for sure! That was followed by a week of touring the Palm Springs and surrounding desert area. Highlights included a tour of a wind farm (renewables are certainly the future); an architecture tour of the many mid-century modern homes in the area; a visit to the cemetery where Frank Sinatra is buried; and a tour of the Annenberg estate Sunnylands, used by many presidents with whom Mr. Annenberg was friendly. That was truly an amazing place; if you haven’t been I highly recommend it.
Posted 2018-10-10
Steve Weinstein wrote to say that he and his wife, Judy, cruised in January on a Regent Cruise Lines ship for a 19-night voyage from Beijing to Singapore with stops in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), and Bangkok. He got to experience a rapid train ride in Shanghai on an electro-magnetic field train, where the train levitates off the ground, and within 10 seconds gets up to 250 mph! It made the 18-mile run to the airport in under eight minutes! They also enjoyed day trips to the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace. They also stopped in Vietnam, visiting the Hanoi Hilton and reading the “North Vietnam” version, which starkly contradicts the American or South Vietnam version. All in all it was a great trip.
Posted 2018-10-10
Our superb class webmaster, Bob Burns, reports that in January, sort of on the spur of the moment, he invited his lady friend, Sherry, to visit friends in Costa Rica. These were friends he had met in Malaysia and their paths crossed again in Thailand, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Spain, and other places in between. In any event, he and Sherry crashed at their very environmentally friendly house in San Jose, and then used the next two weeks to go on hikes, view birds and other wildlife up close, raft on a Category-4 river (never again!), hang out in a luxurious mountain retreat, walk the streets of La Fortuna, swim in the warm Pacific in Quepos, and eat lots of beans and rice. Costa Ricans are a friendly and proud people and travel was very safe everywhere they went. Then in February he had to escape the “cold” of Tallahassee, and go further south to Marathon in the Florida Keys. “I pitched in with other RVers to help clean up the streets and mangroves that were devastated by hurricane Irma, which left a lot of damage behind. A bit of reading, relaxing, and swimming filled out the month.” Tough life, eh?
Posted 2018-10-10
My old pool-playing buddy Tim Russell wrote in from the Philadelphia neck of the woods to say that he and his wife, Chris, remain active in their church, St. Thomas’ Episcopal at Whitemarsh. Tim was the owner’s rep for a $5MM renovation of the Parish House and construction of a new education center (Carey Learning Center); 10 months of great fun watching the construction from the muddy beginning in hard hat and boots to the grand opening in late 2016. Happy to say the project came in on budget! Tim and Chris welcomed three great-grandchildren: Oliver, Eliza, and Jaxon. In between births, they traveled to Australia to visit her sister in Sydney, then a tour of the Great Ocean Road to Adelaide seeing the sights and visiting wineries, and then to Perth. “Both Perth and Adelaide were quite interesting, and Perth especially had an outstanding public transit system. We liked Fremantle, which is the port for Perth and the site of some of the America’s Cup competitions.” While there they enjoyed a sail on a Cuda—a type of fishing boat used for barracuda fishing and now prized by local sailors for racing.
Posted 2018-10-10
Del Webster is proud of his grandson, Eamon Murphy, who graduated from the College of St. Rose in Albany this year, with an award as the Outstanding Senior in Accounting, and will now be pursuing his MBA. Congratulations, Grandpa.
Posted 2018-10-10
On a sad note, you may have read in the last issue of our Class Notes that my good friend and Westchester (N.Y.) buddy Richard Koser passed away about six months ago as a result of a long siege with Parkinson’s disease. Rich was a close friend and a loyal member for many years of our Westchester Alumni Club. I will miss him.
Posted 2018-10-10
Bruce McKeon wrote to say that last April he and his wife, Kathleen, went on a scuba live-aboard Bahamas trip, and then in September they spent three weeks in Europe (before a sales meeting in Vienna). They skied at Vail in February, and are soon off to go to Manado in Indonesia for another scuba diving and adventure trip. Bruce reports that he is still working a few days each week with equipment for the papermaking industry in the Southwest—but with all that traveling it sounds to me like he has no time for work!
Posted 2018-10-10
Michael Wellner and his wife recently returned from two long-weekend trips. Of the first to Washington, D.C., where they had not been in quite some time, Michael writes: "Perfect weather; went to the Kennedy Center and the new African American History Museum. Well worth a visit." Of their second trip, he adds: "...more recently we flew out to Boulder, Colo. (just rated as the “happiest city” in the U.S.), where my granddaughter is in her freshman year at the University of Colorado. Beautiful campus, and really cute city." Michael also wants to remind all of his classmates about their upcoming 55th reunion in two years!
Posted 2018-03-15
Tom Luciano, the Class' commercial pilot, is now retired, but he recently received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, which is the FAA’s most prestigious award for over 50 years of accident-free flying. The award ceremony was held at the Oakland Airport Hilton and was attended by 20 friends and fellow aviators, several whom he has known for 50 years. Tom has accumulated over 20,700 hours as an A-4 Skyhawk Marine Corps pilot, civilian flight instructor, charter pilot, corporate pilot, and airline pilot, and also owns and flies an E-55 Beechcraft Baron. Impressive!
Tom is currently working part-time for a NASA subcontractor, Metis Technical Solutions in Sunnyvale, Calif., as a senior aviation safety analyst for the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). Working with data that is submitted to the FAA, they process about 8,000 reports a month. Posted 2018-03-15
Tom is currently working part-time for a NASA subcontractor, Metis Technical Solutions in Sunnyvale, Calif., as a senior aviation safety analyst for the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). Working with data that is submitted to the FAA, they process about 8,000 reports a month. Posted 2018-03-15
John Veilleux has been doing lots of bike riding, occasionally flying his Piper Cherokee, and still doing a bit of work supporting the Los Alamos National Laboratory, from which he retired a few years ago. John's favorite pastime is riding his high-end road bike in the 102.5-mile Santa Fe Century in May, on the Sierra Sampler tour with Adventure Cycling in September, and in the Durango-Silverton, Colo., Iron Horse Classic (objective: beat the train to Silverton), plus a host of others. Not bad for a Class of ’64 alum!
Posted 2018-03-15
Bruce McKeon reports that he and his wife have been on four scuba trips from July ’16 through April ’17, including one to Bali and a live-aboard in the Bahamas; a week at Vail and a few days at Mammoth satisfied their (somewhat reduced) skiing schedule this past winter. This past September, the pair spent 22 days on a European trip, including a Danube River cruise, and a sales meeting in Austria with Teufelberger, a company Bruce represents in the paper industry. To top it off, Bruce and his wife have two daughters and six grandkids each! That’s enough to keep any alum busy.
Posted 2018-03-15
Herb Schneider reports that after retiring in 2001 from executive positions at GE and Pitney Bowes, he and his wife Ellen moved to Cape Coral, Fla., where they have docked their boat behind their house. They have enjoyed boating in New England and Florida for over 30 years, and are now fortunate to have their children and grandchildren living nearby in Florida. Herb and Ellen are both very involved in nonprofit organizations which, along with family and traveling, keep them busy virtually full-time.
Herb, who's proud that his RPI engineering degree has proved instrumental in his career success and early retirement, now enjoys the Florida climate year-round. Trekking through the snow to classes and slipping on the ice in Troy and New England are now distant, although somewhat romantic, memories! Posted 2018-03-15
Herb, who's proud that his RPI engineering degree has proved instrumental in his career success and early retirement, now enjoys the Florida climate year-round. Trekking through the snow to classes and slipping on the ice in Troy and New England are now distant, although somewhat romantic, memories! Posted 2018-03-15
Jack Piela recently got back from a European vacation that included a riverboat cruise from Budapest, up the Danube to Vienna, and then through a series of canals and locks to connect to the Rhine, with several other stops including Heidelberg and Cologne, and Amsterdam. Although he found the trip wonderful, Amsterdam was a disappointment; he had stayed in Amsterdam in 1980 when on assignment to the European Space Agency, but feels today that it has not improved. He writes: "The city was dirty and it looked as if the residents didn’t take pride in their environment. Trash and cigarette butts were all over and crossing any street, with all the traffic and bicycles, proved to be an adventure." That said, Jack advises that if you do go, plan to spend a whole day in the Rijksmuseum.
On a more personal note, Jack and his family have relocated to Exeter, N.H., which is about ten miles from the University of New Hampshire. Jack’s fraternity, ASigPhi, is trying to re-establish a chapter there and Jack has been asked to be on the “Council of Elders.” (Getting older has so many perks!) Jack also adds that UNH has a good hockey team, sometimes playing RPI, so this could turn into a fun thing. Posted 2018-03-15
On a more personal note, Jack and his family have relocated to Exeter, N.H., which is about ten miles from the University of New Hampshire. Jack’s fraternity, ASigPhi, is trying to re-establish a chapter there and Jack has been asked to be on the “Council of Elders.” (Getting older has so many perks!) Jack also adds that UNH has a good hockey team, sometimes playing RPI, so this could turn into a fun thing. Posted 2018-03-15
1965
Raymond Hakim, M.D., Ph.D. (’65 M.S.) was profiled extensively in a Pro News Report editorial in April, citing his prominence in the field of nephrology. He currently serves as the chief medical officer of Monogram Health, as well as an attending physician at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a clinical professor of medicine at Vanderbilt’s School of Medicine in Nashville. He is a sought-after lecturer, speaker, editor, and published author, credited with more than 200 articles in professional journals and book chapters. He has also served on the editorial board of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, Seminars of Dialysis, and Kidney International.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Walter Witt (witt.walter@gmail.com) wrote that, in the spring of 2019, he and his “wife of 53 years, Nancy, were at the new USTA Tennis Campus in Orlando. Along came a female tennis team with RPI on their uniforms. We engaged with them and had a very congenial conversation. It made me smile to think that all the female students attending RPI in 1961, when I was a freshman, would have barely equaled the size of this team. We were very impressed with the character and maturity of these young women. They represent RPI very well and make an old alumnus proud of his alma mater.”
Posted 2020-05-19
Larry Weinberg summarized his past 53 years. After graduating from RPI, he went to the University of Minnesota, where he earned a Ph.D. in mathematics in 1969. He then proceeded to the University of Wyoming in Laramie to teach math before deciding to switch careers. He earned a J.D. in 1976 from Wyoming and went north to Montana to work for Montana state government in Helena, where he served for 11 years with the Legislative Council, the Department of Revenue, and finally with the Montana University System. His next move was to the Seattle area to work for Boeing, where he stayed for 18 years. He started in the Navigation, Guidance and Control group on the B1 Bomber. After a few years there he transferred to the military environmental organization in the Boeing defense side of the house. Another transfer took him to Company Environmental Affairs, where he remained until his retirement as an associate technical fellow in 2005. After retirement, Larry moved to Bend, Ore., to enjoy the outdoors. It wasn’t all play, as he taught mathematics part time at the Central Oregon Community College and at Oregon State University’s Cascade Campus in Bend. In theory he is now retired once again, and he has been able to travel around the western U.S., Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia on numerous hiking trips.
Upon turning 75 in 2018, Larry decided that he needed to do something special. The result was two treks in Nepal. The first one lasted 11 days and took him to the Everest Base Camp. After a few days’ rest, he then went on a 10-day trek through the Annapurna Sanctuary to the Annapurna Base Camp. The Everest Base Camp is at approximately 17,600 feet, while the Annapurna Base Camp is at roughly 13,600 feet. Both treks were tiring, but the views were spectacular. Although Everest is actually not visible from the base camp, the mountain can be seen from several vantage points as you follow the trail. At the other base camp, you can stare right up at Annapurna 1 — one of the 14 8,000-meter peaks in the world. Larry decided that staring was a safer option than climbing. He carried an RPI pennant to both camps. Posted 2019-10-01
Upon turning 75 in 2018, Larry decided that he needed to do something special. The result was two treks in Nepal. The first one lasted 11 days and took him to the Everest Base Camp. After a few days’ rest, he then went on a 10-day trek through the Annapurna Sanctuary to the Annapurna Base Camp. The Everest Base Camp is at approximately 17,600 feet, while the Annapurna Base Camp is at roughly 13,600 feet. Both treks were tiring, but the views were spectacular. Although Everest is actually not visible from the base camp, the mountain can be seen from several vantage points as you follow the trail. At the other base camp, you can stare right up at Annapurna 1 — one of the 14 8,000-meter peaks in the world. Larry decided that staring was a safer option than climbing. He carried an RPI pennant to both camps. Posted 2019-10-01
Howard Wainer reported that he is firmly entrenched in his post-employment career (the same work, just no pay check). He has recently received recognition by being named the recipient of the 2019 Harry V. Roberts Statistical Advocacy Award, in recognition of a long and distinguished career during which he demonstrated statistical advocacy in many settings. Howard and Michael Friendly ’66 have a new book coming out, Data Visualization: A History of Visual Thinking and Graphic Communication (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2020).
Posted 2019-10-01
Marcia Dresner (nee Newman) passed along the sad news that her husband, Norm Dresner ’62, died on Nov. 1, 2018. He retired early from Northrop/Grumman years ago and found a new passion for wood turning that he turned into a small business, selling on Etsy and in local craft shows.
Posted 2019-10-01
Dr. Mark Rosenblum joined the board of directors of Indianapolis-based medical device company NICO Corp. in May 2018. The accompanying press release included highlights of his impressive career. Mark is currently chairman emeritus of the Department of Neurosurgery in the Henry Ford Health System (HFHS). He also founded and served as co-director of the nationally recognized Hermelin Brain Tumor Center and HFHS Neurosciences Institute. At the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), he helped develop its world-leading Brain Tumor Research Center, became professor of neurosurgery, and was continuously funded by the NCI and American Cancer Society for early research on cancer stem cells. He founded and chaired the Section on Tumors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the largest specialty organization of neuro-oncology in his field.
Posted 2019-03-10
Bill O’Connor has been staying busy in retirement. His new book on transformational leadership in the public sector hit the market on Oct. 15, 2018. Out of the Clay: Molding a New Generation of Passionate Public Leaders is based on Bill’s more than 45 years of public service at the state, county, and local levels of government, along with his extensive experience in public education and the military. This creative work is far from a sterile textbook. It is a collection of interwoven anecdotes and stories taken from Bill’s personal and professional life, all the way from grade school to deputy commissioner. Unlike anything in this genre, these stories come together to define what Bill has concluded are the critical attributes that define those leaders who are a cut above the rest, those who can effect true transformation and drive fundamental change in our public institutions.
Posted 2019-03-10
After reading my note about Bill Torpie in the Fall 2018 issue and my request for information about other classmates who gave their lives in Vietnam, Frank advised that he knew of at least one more, Charles (Chuck) Bifolchi. The Arlington Cemetery website provided information from an October 2006 Department of Defense news release that the remains of Charles L. Bifolchi, U.S. Air Force, had been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
“On January 8, 1968, Bifolchi and a fellow crewmember were flying an armed reconnaissance mission against enemy targets in Kon Tum Province, South Vietnam, when their RF-4C aircraft disappeared. A U.S. Army helicopter crew found their aircraft wreckage soon after first light the next day. Search efforts continued for four days; however, enemy activity in the area, combined with the steep terrain and high winds at the crash site, precluded the recovery of the crewmen.”
Between 1993 and 2000, U.S. and Vietnamese teams conducted two surveys of the area. One team interviewed two Vietnamese citizens who turned over human remains they claimed to have recovered at the site. Another team found wreckage consistent with Bifolchi’s aircraft. Scientists used forensic identification tools and DNA from a relative in the identification of the remains.
Chuck’s name can be found on Panel 33E, Line 79, of the Vietnam Memorial. Bill Torpie’s name is on Panel 28W, Line 41.
Posted 2019-03-10
Frank Morgan wrote that his family is also well and that he has two granddaughters whom he doesn’t see often enough. Lindsay (25) is an account executive with a PR firm in New York City and Allyson (21) is a senior at Ole Miss.
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
Dick Kessler reports that he has retired from his 50+ year career in geotechnical engineering (30 years as a sole proprietor). He continues to maintain his private practice as a licensed psychologist in New Jersey, specializing in men’s and relationship issues. Dick reports that all his family are doing well and that his daughter was recently appointed chair of her department.
Posted 2019-03-10
Allen Weston offered a briefer summary of his post-RPI career. Enrolled in Army ROTC, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant upon graduation. He actually volunteered for combat in Vietnam but was turned down for poor eyesight. Instead he went to Purdue, earning an M.S. in nuclear engineering, as the Army “figured out nukes were more important than cannon fodder.” His assignment was to determine whether the newly deployed Minuteman II ICBM with the MIRV Mark 12 warhead was capable of taking out hardened Soviet missile silos. (Answer: No.)
After leaving the Army, Allen went to Stanford Business School, then spent 15 years on Wall Street, retiring in 1988. He commented that while a number of his Pi Kappa Phi brothers went into military service, only one, Bill Torpie, paid the ultimate price.
Allen sent me excerpts from two books written by Colonel David Hackworth, About Face and Hazardous Duty, which described Bill’s death and for which Hackworth, as his commanding officer, continued to feel responsible. Allen and I would both like to learn whether any of our other classmates gave their lives in Vietnam. The RPI alumni office was unable to answer my query, but if any of you know of others, please let me know, and I will share the information in a future column. Allen’s contact information is: allen_weston@aol.com. Posted 2018-10-10
After leaving the Army, Allen went to Stanford Business School, then spent 15 years on Wall Street, retiring in 1988. He commented that while a number of his Pi Kappa Phi brothers went into military service, only one, Bill Torpie, paid the ultimate price.
Allen sent me excerpts from two books written by Colonel David Hackworth, About Face and Hazardous Duty, which described Bill’s death and for which Hackworth, as his commanding officer, continued to feel responsible. Allen and I would both like to learn whether any of our other classmates gave their lives in Vietnam. The RPI alumni office was unable to answer my query, but if any of you know of others, please let me know, and I will share the information in a future column. Allen’s contact information is: allen_weston@aol.com. Posted 2018-10-10
Vic Delnore wrote after reading about the passing of our fraternity brother Dave Rowell in my last column. In response to my request, he offered the following about his post-retirement career: “Well, art is something I’ve done all my life—I first learned to draw as a kid in Holland where my dad was stationed at our embassy there. Then at RPI I loved all the graphics courses and took a couple of electives in the School of Architecture. Right after graduation, I began exhibiting in galleries, beginning on Cape Cod while a grad student at Woods Hole Oceanographic. These were mostly pen-and-ink drawings of local seascapes. Through two more degrees, a commission in the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey (now NOAA), a few years on the faculty of Rutgers University, a reserve commission as a Navy flight meteorologist, and a 31-year career in remote sensing at NASA’s Langley Research Center, I continued drawing and painting.
Upon retirement from the Naval Reserve (as a captain) and from NASA, I found time to not only exhibit in galleries, but to actually work in them! The work at NASA included much flying (deliberately!) through microbursts and wind shear to develop sensors, instruments, and severe-weather escape protocols to make flying safer. My wife, Candie, and I live in Fort Myers, Fla., where we both exhibit our art and volunteer our time at the art gallery owned by and benefiting the organization that provides shelter and rehabilitation for victims of domestic violence. Our five children and seven grandchildren live in Pennsylvania and Virginia. All the grandchildren are learning various musical instruments, and I join them with my fiddle when we’re together.” Vic’s contact information: http://victor-delnore.pixels.com/. Posted 2018-10-10
Upon retirement from the Naval Reserve (as a captain) and from NASA, I found time to not only exhibit in galleries, but to actually work in them! The work at NASA included much flying (deliberately!) through microbursts and wind shear to develop sensors, instruments, and severe-weather escape protocols to make flying safer. My wife, Candie, and I live in Fort Myers, Fla., where we both exhibit our art and volunteer our time at the art gallery owned by and benefiting the organization that provides shelter and rehabilitation for victims of domestic violence. Our five children and seven grandchildren live in Pennsylvania and Virginia. All the grandchildren are learning various musical instruments, and I join them with my fiddle when we’re together.” Vic’s contact information: http://victor-delnore.pixels.com/. Posted 2018-10-10
Jim Bexfield is still in D.C. and traveling about a third of the time, including five ten-day trips to Lebanon each year, where his team interacts with the Lebanese Armed Forces to help them better manage their resources. Jim, whose personal focus is on materiel management and the implementation of an ERP solution being donated by the EU, describes the work as intense, challenging, and rewarding, and he follows each trip with a short vacation in Europe. At the time of his writing, Jim was returning from Warsaw, anticipating the arrival of his second grandchild in January, and recovering slowly from a fall on a racquetball court that resulted in fractures of his lower back, left wrist, and thumb.
Posted 2018-03-15
Erik Pettersen received help from Rensselaer's Alumni office to confirm the passing of Erik's fraternity brother and President of the Union Dave Rowell on Dec. 23, 2015. Erik had last spoken with Dave shortly before the class’s 50th Reunion; at that time, Dave advised Erik that he was confined to home with amyloidosis, a terminal illness with indeterminate life expectancy, and was evaluating treatment options. Dave's obituary provided highlights of his life after RPI: He went on to SUNY Upstate Medical University, earned his license to practice medicine in 1970, received a commission from the Air Force and achieved the rank of major before being honorably discharged in 1978. His childhood interest in aviation continued into his adult life, as he became a multi-rated pilot who built and flew his own aerobatic planes. For most of his career, Dave made his home in the Adirondacks where he founded Adirondack Anesthesia and became a much loved and very talented anesthesiologist in the Tri-Lakes area for 35 years before moving to Gainesville, Fla. Dave is survived by his wife, Dawn, three children, three stepchildren, ten grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Posted 2018-03-15
1966
After more than 22 years in Annapolis, my wife, Linda, and I moved to a 55+ Del Webb community in Fredericksburg, Va., to be closer to our daughter, Kristen, and family. Our new address is 16 Drum Point Drive, Fredericksburg, VA 22406. — polarisii@aol.com
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
H. Brant Brown’s earliest ambitions seem to have involved the hands-on creation of technical processes and industries that provided unique yet economic solutions to societal needs. As such, his 45-year career has neatly embodied RPI’s oft-quoted maxim of engineering being the “...application of science to the common purposes of life.” Starting at RPI in civil engineering with a concentration in soil mechanics, he began his career as a construction surveyor at the Albany South Mall while still in school — and afterward as a highway engineer with the NYS Dept. of Transportation. Recreation included founding an RPI bicycle racing club, spelunking, and drag-racing a motorcycle.
Brant’s thick CV includes 20 years of international work; first in Saudi Arabia as deputy director of engineering at Dhahran Airport, and afterward leading maintenance and overhauls of petrochemical plants, pipelines, drilling rigs, etc., at Aramco in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia. While there, he pioneered improved techniques in pipeline repair and fought oil and gas fires as a fire chief.
Afterward, he managed design, construction, maintenance, and operation of power plants, major oil terminals, and pipelines at sites on the Caribbean island of Bonaire, in South America, and in Central America. These included providing further innovations in construction and applying pipeline fluid technologies. Related to these industrial activities, Brant attained a commercial multi-engine pilot’s license, performed underwater inspections of ships and piers, and became a qualified person-in-charge for oil spill cleanup.
Back in the U.S. (though frequently traveling overseas), he managed the construction and operation of a privately held petroleum pipeline and storage company based in Long Island, retiring in 2015 as president.
Brant says, “Living overseas can be exciting and provide immersion in different cultures. Work can provide opportunities to meet the whole spectrum of people, from subsistence farmers to heads of state. Overall, my family and I loved it. Self-reliance and independence on the job are requisites — especially when production is challenged by strikes, fires, floods, or earthquakes. One particularly memorable trip was driving a motor home 5,000 miles from NY to Panama and passing through Nicaragua during their civil war. On another occasion, my wife and household were tied up during an attempted kidnapping. Fortunately, it ended safely.”
Currently, he is a member of a railroading group and he enjoys modifying and riding his personal railcar on actual train tracks. He has bicycled on many tours at home and abroad. Brant has four children by his late wife, and has since remarried. With all his travels, he seems to have eschewed tacky postcards. Instead, he saw to it that each of his children would be born in a separate country. He calls them his enduring “souvenirs.” He and his wife, Eileen, currently live in East Islip on New York’s Long Island.
The seal of Rensselaer reads: “Knowledge and Thoroughness.” Indeed.
Posted 2020-05-14
Engineering
Gary Brader, originally from Binghamton, N.Y., earned a Rensselaer bachelor of chemical engineering degree in 1966, followed by a master’s from the Lally School in 1970. After serving in the Army, his first job was with Merck, followed by career positions with a number of other larger corporations.
Curious to function in a smaller environment, he was eventually employed by Northeast Controls, an Emerson representative, and specialized in process management. This was Gary’s last employer before retiring, and while with Emerson he gravitated to assignments that allowed him to combine his engineering expertise with marketing responsibilities to help sell and consult on technical solutions and products.
To paraphrase Gary: “I made the transition from the working world to retirement in about five minutes.” He has been enjoying his life in Clifton Park, N.Y., not far from the RPI campus and his favorite hockey team.
One of Gary’s most rewarding activities is mentoring some one hundred local high school students in the construction of novel robots, many of which weigh as much as 120 pounds. This STEM-inspired program is part of the highly regarded FIRST Robotics Competition, where a new problem is presented to individual teams each January 1, and calls for the design and programming of a unique game for their robots to follow on the ground. Thousands of contestants take part from around the world. Interestingly, one of the competition’s mottos is: “What if you could build a better world?” One cannot help noticing that this resonates rather well with Rensselaer’s own “Why not change the world?”
Always eager for technical challenges, Gary also enjoys working with 3D printing and CNC woodworking.
He also greatly enjoys time with his four children and numerous grandchildren, all of whom live close to him in Clifton Park. They have each carved out successful careers in jewelry design, Montessori education, iCloud hosting, and hospitality. His wife, JoAnn, passed away in 2015. Posted 2019-10-01
Curious to function in a smaller environment, he was eventually employed by Northeast Controls, an Emerson representative, and specialized in process management. This was Gary’s last employer before retiring, and while with Emerson he gravitated to assignments that allowed him to combine his engineering expertise with marketing responsibilities to help sell and consult on technical solutions and products.
To paraphrase Gary: “I made the transition from the working world to retirement in about five minutes.” He has been enjoying his life in Clifton Park, N.Y., not far from the RPI campus and his favorite hockey team.
One of Gary’s most rewarding activities is mentoring some one hundred local high school students in the construction of novel robots, many of which weigh as much as 120 pounds. This STEM-inspired program is part of the highly regarded FIRST Robotics Competition, where a new problem is presented to individual teams each January 1, and calls for the design and programming of a unique game for their robots to follow on the ground. Thousands of contestants take part from around the world. Interestingly, one of the competition’s mottos is: “What if you could build a better world?” One cannot help noticing that this resonates rather well with Rensselaer’s own “Why not change the world?”
Always eager for technical challenges, Gary also enjoys working with 3D printing and CNC woodworking.
He also greatly enjoys time with his four children and numerous grandchildren, all of whom live close to him in Clifton Park. They have each carved out successful careers in jewelry design, Montessori education, iCloud hosting, and hospitality. His wife, JoAnn, passed away in 2015. Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Les White states: As happens so often, your correspondent caught up with a classmate 52 years later, to find that he has been living just a few towns away, in Newtown, Conn. Richard Hubert, born in Yonkers, N.Y., has been active in church and Boy Scouting activities most of his life and achieved enviable leadership roles in both areas. Rich won a four-year Navy ROTC scholarship to RPI, and graduated in 1966, having earned an electrical engineering degree along with an ensign’s commission. While on campus, he was active in the fencing club and the Navy drill team. He continued his academic career by earning two master’s degrees from the University of New Haven.
The day after marrying his wife, Patricia, in June 1966, he was promptly ordered to Virginia to report for duty on board the USS Norfolk, the destroyer leader and flagship for the North Atlantic Fleet. Rich served as the weapons and anti-sub warfare officer for two years, patrolling the Eastern coast of the U.S. and monitoring Russian so-called “research” (i.e., spy) trawlers and submarines probing American defenses. His leadership duties also took him to Cuba and South America. After advancing to lieutenant, he was then based in Antigua in the BVI as the naval defense officer. It wasn’t long before extensive missile-testing began in the South Atlantic, and Lt. Hubert’s special qualifications were brought to bear. He was on duty when Neil Armstrong’s successful landing on the Moon was first communicated to Earth. He also was involved with the long-range diagnosis of the threats to the Apollo 13 mission. At the end of the Vietnam War, Rich returned to Connecticut in 1970 from overseas duty, and received his discharge.
Rich was then hired by RCA and was trained in systems design, and later moved on to Burndy Corp. to design warehouse operations. After a long career characterized by similarly successful positions that involved computer product lines and communications, and security detection, he is now a consultant at Pitney Bowes in Danbury, Conn.
He and Patricia have two children, Carolyn Murray, a dental hygienist, and Dr. Christopher Hubert, a specialist and lecturer in brain cancer research at the Cleveland Clinic, plus numerous grandchildren.
Not surprisingly, Richard continues to enjoy navigation, astronomy, boating, canoeing, hiking, and fishing, especially at the cabin in Tupper Lake, N.Y., which has been in the family since 1912. He is also heavily committed to his community, church, and the Masons, and has continued his work with the Boy Scouts and veterans of the armed services, in addition to many other humanitarian efforts. Posted 2019-03-10
The day after marrying his wife, Patricia, in June 1966, he was promptly ordered to Virginia to report for duty on board the USS Norfolk, the destroyer leader and flagship for the North Atlantic Fleet. Rich served as the weapons and anti-sub warfare officer for two years, patrolling the Eastern coast of the U.S. and monitoring Russian so-called “research” (i.e., spy) trawlers and submarines probing American defenses. His leadership duties also took him to Cuba and South America. After advancing to lieutenant, he was then based in Antigua in the BVI as the naval defense officer. It wasn’t long before extensive missile-testing began in the South Atlantic, and Lt. Hubert’s special qualifications were brought to bear. He was on duty when Neil Armstrong’s successful landing on the Moon was first communicated to Earth. He also was involved with the long-range diagnosis of the threats to the Apollo 13 mission. At the end of the Vietnam War, Rich returned to Connecticut in 1970 from overseas duty, and received his discharge.
Rich was then hired by RCA and was trained in systems design, and later moved on to Burndy Corp. to design warehouse operations. After a long career characterized by similarly successful positions that involved computer product lines and communications, and security detection, he is now a consultant at Pitney Bowes in Danbury, Conn.
He and Patricia have two children, Carolyn Murray, a dental hygienist, and Dr. Christopher Hubert, a specialist and lecturer in brain cancer research at the Cleveland Clinic, plus numerous grandchildren.
Not surprisingly, Richard continues to enjoy navigation, astronomy, boating, canoeing, hiking, and fishing, especially at the cabin in Tupper Lake, N.Y., which has been in the family since 1912. He is also heavily committed to his community, church, and the Masons, and has continued his work with the Boy Scouts and veterans of the armed services, in addition to many other humanitarian efforts. Posted 2019-03-10
Architecture
J. Brooke Harrington earned a B.S. in building sciences in 1966, and a bachelor of architecture in 1967, both from RPI. These degrees would prove to be a firm beginning for a distinguished professional career. He has achieved many major milestones in over 35 years of architectural practice, research, and teaching. His acclaimed work has led to numerous awards, notably including a National Endowment for the Arts “Accomplished Professional” fellowship.
He is now professor emeritus in the Architectural Department of the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, where he taught from 1983 through 2010.
Professor Harrington and his wife, Judith Bing, who is a professor emeritus at Drexel University, have collaborated on many exhibitions, papers, and a book, but one can only be especially impressed by their authoritative and continuing studies, over many years, of the “vernacular architecture” of the historic regions of the Balkans, from Slovenia in the northwest, to Turkey in the east.
These scholarly efforts by Professors Bing and Harrington will culminate in a gift of enormous cultural significance: They plan to donate literally thousands of photographs, and hundreds of books and manuscripts, drawings, and other documents, to the Aga Khan Documentation Center at the Libraries of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where they continue as visiting scholars.
This generous gesture is a reminder of Rensselaer’s continuous encouragement of its students to utilize “knowledge and thoroughness” for the benefit of the world outside the classroom. For further information about their work in the Balkans, please visit balkanarchitecture.org.
Judith and Brooke have two children—Elizabeth, and Jonathan from Brooke’s first marriage—who have successfully embarked on careers of their own. Judith and Brooke reside in Cushing, Maine, where they make time to continue volunteer work with town organizations. Posted 2018-10-10
He is now professor emeritus in the Architectural Department of the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, where he taught from 1983 through 2010.
Professor Harrington and his wife, Judith Bing, who is a professor emeritus at Drexel University, have collaborated on many exhibitions, papers, and a book, but one can only be especially impressed by their authoritative and continuing studies, over many years, of the “vernacular architecture” of the historic regions of the Balkans, from Slovenia in the northwest, to Turkey in the east.
These scholarly efforts by Professors Bing and Harrington will culminate in a gift of enormous cultural significance: They plan to donate literally thousands of photographs, and hundreds of books and manuscripts, drawings, and other documents, to the Aga Khan Documentation Center at the Libraries of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where they continue as visiting scholars.
This generous gesture is a reminder of Rensselaer’s continuous encouragement of its students to utilize “knowledge and thoroughness” for the benefit of the world outside the classroom. For further information about their work in the Balkans, please visit balkanarchitecture.org.
Judith and Brooke have two children—Elizabeth, and Jonathan from Brooke’s first marriage—who have successfully embarked on careers of their own. Judith and Brooke reside in Cushing, Maine, where they make time to continue volunteer work with town organizations. Posted 2018-10-10
IT & Web Science
Richard Hooper, a brother at Alpha Chi Rho, studied information technology at Rensselaer, which at that time was probably called data processing. Richard well remembers the long nights in the Amos Eaton building, waiting to compile and execute COBOL (or was it BASIC?) programs using punched cards, with one card per line of source code. When classmate Les White once told Rich during a phone conversation that he could see McCracken’s famous FORTRAN guide from 1965 up on his bookcase, the two immediately bonded.
Rich went on to a career at the University of Buffalo, where he assumed major management responsibilities in all facets of their computer operations, supporting administration, admissions, database maintenance, and infrastructure operations.
Rich is married, with a daughter, Melissa, and son, Keith. Now retired, he has many interests, including the informal study, from an engineering perspective, of how and why the World Trade Center structures ultimately collapsed and failed after the 9/11 attacks. He and his wife now enjoy European cruises. One of his main hobbies is his noted collection of 35 erector sets, many of which are antiques that he has restored. RPI’s continuing influence on inquiring minds seems to never waiver! Posted 2018-03-15
Rich went on to a career at the University of Buffalo, where he assumed major management responsibilities in all facets of their computer operations, supporting administration, admissions, database maintenance, and infrastructure operations.
Rich is married, with a daughter, Melissa, and son, Keith. Now retired, he has many interests, including the informal study, from an engineering perspective, of how and why the World Trade Center structures ultimately collapsed and failed after the 9/11 attacks. He and his wife now enjoy European cruises. One of his main hobbies is his noted collection of 35 erector sets, many of which are antiques that he has restored. RPI’s continuing influence on inquiring minds seems to never waiver! Posted 2018-03-15
Engineering
Lester (“Ken”) Goodwin, who is currently living in Coventry, R.I., earned a B.S. in EE from RPI, and initially was hired by General Dynamics’ Electric Boat Division, in Groton, Conn., where he designed circuits for their nuclear submarine programs. This period was a particularly sensitive phase of the underwater military rivalry with Russia, which Lester could only describe as a “very interesting period.”
Ken later went on to manage a successful family firm, L.K. Goodwin Inc., which manufactures structural steel and material handling equipment. Ken is married, and his two sons have joined him in the business, which he continues to operate. In his spare time, Ken enjoys tennis, and especially his collection of water-craft, which he keeps at his lakeside home. Posted 2018-03-15
Ken later went on to manage a successful family firm, L.K. Goodwin Inc., which manufactures structural steel and material handling equipment. Ken is married, and his two sons have joined him in the business, which he continues to operate. In his spare time, Ken enjoys tennis, and especially his collection of water-craft, which he keeps at his lakeside home. Posted 2018-03-15
Howard Moody had a long career in transportation engineering, and is now an active retiree. Howard graduated from RPI with a BSME degree and after one year with GE, he entered the Army. Upon graduating from Infantry Officer Candidate School in 1968, Howard spent a year in Washington in Korean Language School, and was posted to Korea as an intelligence officer. He left the Army in 1970, worked for the Washington Gas Light Company for six years while earning an MSME from George Washington University, and then began a long career in transportation engineering, focusing primarily on the freight railroads that were undergoing a renaissance as a result of government deregulation in the late 1970s. Howard made major technical contributions in safety, efficiency, telecommunications, and train control, completing the last 23 years of his career in systems engineering with the Association of American Railroads before retiring in 2012.
In retirement, Howard is active in Rotary, is a Master Gardener, and has done some traveling, the latest of which was a trip to Normandy with two Chi Phi brothers. Howard and his wife, Sandra, have three children and five grandchildren, and reside in Leesburg, Va. Posted 2018-03-15
In retirement, Howard is active in Rotary, is a Master Gardener, and has done some traveling, the latest of which was a trip to Normandy with two Chi Phi brothers. Howard and his wife, Sandra, have three children and five grandchildren, and reside in Leesburg, Va. Posted 2018-03-15
1967
Engineering
Ken Canham earned a bachelor’s in industrial engineering in 1967 and a master’s in management in 1968. “It’s only taken me 14 years to sit down and write to Rensselaer magazine,” he says. “That’s when I left the corporate world and started thinking I ought to write a bit about my life and career. I had a second career run as a consultant that delayed the effort; then, I got busy with volunteering, travel, family matters, investing, taking care of my sister, building a retirement house, etc. So here it is, 2020, and I’m sitting at my home computer; we can’t go many places because of the virus and all of a sudden, I think of putting down on paper something for the magazine.
“First, hello to my friends that I met at RPI and my brothers at Phi Kappa Theta,” he says. “I never worked so hard or played so hard than I did during five years at the ‘Tute.’ The ‘playing,’ of course, was mainly due to the fraternity. I was able to scratch financially through a fifth year by doing odd jobs around the campus, including bartending for Father Phelan. My career was all in information technology for five corporations over 40 years, ending with a few years in consulting. That timeframe encompassed huge changes in the profession and the technology, which kept me focused and engaged. The last two assignments were as chief information officer for multinational firms. I was fortunate to have visited 50 countries on business travel and helped create IT organizations and manage them as the companies expanded.”
“While at RPI, I met my future wife, Lillian, who was at Albany Med in the nursing program,” he says. “We’ve been in Pennsylvania since 1992, having moved for work and remain there in retirement; but we get to Massachusetts and Florida a lot as we have friends, family, and homes there. After retiring, I had strong feelings about ‘giving back,’ having had a great career. This prompted efforts with other IT retirees to start a foundation that we called PHISIM. The purpose is to support other nonprofits that sponsor activities in IT to help disadvantaged youth. We’ve distributed over $300,000 in scholarships, IT camps, and teacher aid in the Philadelphia area. Being at RPI was a fantastic jump start to adult life and I cherish the memories.”
Posted 2021-09-29
For the second year in a row, Lee Savidge won three first-place creative writing awards at the local level (Upstate New York) in the Veterans Administration Annual Creative Arts Competition. Last year, Lee’s poem, “Fly Me To The Moon,” a tribute to Neil Armstrong, won third place at the national level.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Here is a great life story from Paul Sa. “It has been 50 years since RPI and yet the memories of those cold bleak mornings are still sharp. The snow started in November and we didn’t see the ground again until late March, maybe early April. I remember those cold walks from AXP on Tibbits Ave. and walking with frozen feet down through the Quad to Sage and those endless, early morning chem labs.
“Somehow I managed to finish in four years, and got into Harvard Business School. Brand-new MBA in hand, I took the highest paying job offer I got, which took me to American Standard in NYC. It was incredible! I was earning a living at last, I had a car, I had an apartment to myself, and all those girls! Of course, you know that was too good to last. Next thing you know, I was banished to a smelly plant in Piscataway, N.J., where I was to spend the next three years learning how to make fiberglass bathtubs, and to not breathe too deeply of the polyethylene fumes and fiberglass particles in the air. There was a management shakeup and at the age of 27, I quit and left my last job in corporate America. What followed was five years of unmitigated horror. I got involved with guys in a marina in Atlantic City, which rolled into a Kawasaki motorcycle dealership, and ended with me and my partners owning a bar-nightclub. In retrospect, I can’t imagine how I could have been so stupid, so naïve, so helpless in dealing with unscrupulous partners in a cash business. Thank God, my parents immigrated to the U.S., and my father brought me into his fold to work in ocean shipping.
"I got my real start in 1977, starting my own shipping company. I also had the good fortune to be helped by an RPI classmate, Don Robohm, who was CFO for Seaboard Allied Milling in the late ’70s. Seaboard had a flour mill in Sapele, Nigeria, and had difficulty finding suitable ships to carry American wheat there from the U.S. Gulf. On my advice, they built seven specialized shallow draft bulk carriers in Japan and I got the contract to manage them. I stayed in shipping for 35 years but finally closed my company in 2011. I have found great peace in retirement. I used to competitively ride horses over jumps, but three years ago, my son said I was too old for such a dangerous sport (I had broken many bones in falls). Instead he found me a new safe hobby. I have now logged 200+ hours as a pilot flying low-wing Piper Cherokees.”
Posted 2020-05-14
Stu Berg Since I received no information for this issue, I decided to “prime the pump” with a tidbit about me: For the past 35 years my wife and I have been involved in a Cornell University program (we live in Ithaca, N.Y.) currently called the Cornell International Friendship Program (CIFP). Each year, many Cornell international students and scholars arrive in the U.S. for the first time. For those that request it, the CIFP matches them with local community participants for the purpose of cultural exchange. It’s like any other exchange program, except that the students and scholars live at Cornell and socially meet with their local community participants periodically. It is common for the participants to form close bonds for life. All involved individuals are volunteers, including the program manager. This program is run by the Office of Global Learning at Cornell. We’ve made many wonderful international friends over the years from all over the world and even visited some of them. One of those friends even asked me to be best man at his Ithaca wedding and I accepted. I like to think of it as promoting world peace one friendship at a time.
Posted 2019-10-01
Science
The American Cancer Society (ACS) recognized Dr. John Ruckdeschel, director of the University of Mississippi Medical Center Cancer Institute since 2017, with the St. George Award for his lifetime body of work to eradicate cancer and his continuing support of the ACS. He is a professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Mississippi. The St. George Award is the most prestigious award that the American Cancer Society bestows on volunteers.
John began RPI studying aeronautical engineering but changed his major to biology in his sophomore year. He graduated from RPI with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1967 and completed a medical degree from Albany Medical College in 1971. Then he began his internal medicine internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital before moving on to an oncology fellowship at the National Cancer Institute from 1972 to 1975. He completed his senior residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital in 1976. Posted 2019-03-10
John began RPI studying aeronautical engineering but changed his major to biology in his sophomore year. He graduated from RPI with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1967 and completed a medical degree from Albany Medical College in 1971. Then he began his internal medicine internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital before moving on to an oncology fellowship at the National Cancer Institute from 1972 to 1975. He completed his senior residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital in 1976. Posted 2019-03-10
From Steven Kramer (B.S. ’67, M.S. ’68, Ph.D. ’73): “After I earned my doctorate at RPI, I started my teaching career at The University of Toledo (Toledo, Ohio). I retired from there in 2008 after a 35-year career in teaching and research. During that time I served as director of undergraduate studies in both mechanical and industrial engineering from 1994 to 2008. My research areas included mechanical design, kinematics, dynamics, human factors, ergonomics, and computer-aided design. I published over 90 articles in various conference proceedings and archival journals.
“Interspersed with my studies at RPI, I was an associate mechanical engineer at IBM Corp., a test engineer at Outboard Marine Corp. driving boats on Lake Michigan for a whole summer, which was a blast, a draftsman at the Dunham Tool Co. in New Fairfield, Conn., and associate research engineer at Albany International Corp.
“While at the University of Toledo, I assisted attorneys in over 250 cases for both plaintiff and defense in motor vehicle accident reconstruction as well as accidents in the home and workplace. I was an expert witness in many product liability and accident cases.
“I have been active in ASME over the years. This included University of Toledo ASME faculty advisor for 18 years, national chairman of the Design Engineering Division Honors and Awards Committee, chairman of the Education Group, and many other positions. In 1987 I became an ASME fellow.
“I was fortunate to have received several awards during my career. This includes the University of Toledo Outstanding Teacher Award in 1984 and the Outstanding Advisor Award in 1994. In 1985 I received the Ralph R. Teetor SAE Award. I received the ASME Faculty Advisor Award for Region Five three times. In 1988 I was chosen as the Outstanding Engineering Educator for the State of Ohio by the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers. In 2000, I received the Honors Professor of the Year at the University of Toledo.
“Since retiring in 2008 I have been a volunteer math and science tutor, first at a local community center, and now at Perrysburg High School and Junior High School (Perrysburg is just south of Toledo). I also became a snowbird. My wife and I go to Fort Myers Beach for two months in the winter. On the way down and back, we visit our son, daughter, and five grandchildren who live near Orlando.” Posted 2018-10-10
“Interspersed with my studies at RPI, I was an associate mechanical engineer at IBM Corp., a test engineer at Outboard Marine Corp. driving boats on Lake Michigan for a whole summer, which was a blast, a draftsman at the Dunham Tool Co. in New Fairfield, Conn., and associate research engineer at Albany International Corp.
“While at the University of Toledo, I assisted attorneys in over 250 cases for both plaintiff and defense in motor vehicle accident reconstruction as well as accidents in the home and workplace. I was an expert witness in many product liability and accident cases.
“I have been active in ASME over the years. This included University of Toledo ASME faculty advisor for 18 years, national chairman of the Design Engineering Division Honors and Awards Committee, chairman of the Education Group, and many other positions. In 1987 I became an ASME fellow.
“I was fortunate to have received several awards during my career. This includes the University of Toledo Outstanding Teacher Award in 1984 and the Outstanding Advisor Award in 1994. In 1985 I received the Ralph R. Teetor SAE Award. I received the ASME Faculty Advisor Award for Region Five three times. In 1988 I was chosen as the Outstanding Engineering Educator for the State of Ohio by the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers. In 2000, I received the Honors Professor of the Year at the University of Toledo.
“Since retiring in 2008 I have been a volunteer math and science tutor, first at a local community center, and now at Perrysburg High School and Junior High School (Perrysburg is just south of Toledo). I also became a snowbird. My wife and I go to Fort Myers Beach for two months in the winter. On the way down and back, we visit our son, daughter, and five grandchildren who live near Orlando.” Posted 2018-10-10
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
From Norm Leferman: “You might wonder what a person with an undergraduate degree in language and literature from RPI might become. In fact, unless you knew one of the three to five people in the program in the mid-’60s, odds are that you didn’t even know that the ’Tute offered such a degree. Well, they did and I was one of the very first to earn it. Now, 50 years later I am happy to report that I have had a very successful, 45-plus-year career in market research, specializing in communications testing and new product development and positioning. After a brief stint as a computer programmer to earn some money while attending graduate school, I was hired by BBDO Advertising as a market research analyst with no relevant experience. But they taught me a lot. By 1977, I had enough experience and intestinal fortitude to found Leferman Associates. Since then I have had the good fortune to work with over 360 client companies (all the big names in foods, cosmetics, financial services, and medicine), conducting all manner of quantitative and qualitative studies. And, I am still working—every project is a new adventure. While I can’t say that my degree in language and literature provided any specific assistance, I will say that having any degree from RPI (along with my UConn MBA) gave me some early credibility as I launched my career.”
Posted 2018-10-10
From Lee Savidge: “I am an active member of the Syracuse Veterans Writing Group, Syracuse, N.Y., and we recently published an anthology titled The Weight Of My Armor. Included are true stories and some poems from 23 veteran men and women whose service in the U.S. military varies from WWII to the most recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. All military services and the Coast Guard are represented. The publisher is Parlor Press in conjunction with New City Press and you can check it out at Amazon. My story in the anthology is titled ‘Air Force Brats Conquer Alaska.’ ”
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Reginald Amory, Ph.D, returned to campus in October to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his graduation. Amory was recognized, both at the RAA Awards Dinner and at the 50 Year Club luncheon, as the first African-American to earn a doctorate in civil engineering, or in any field, at Rensselaer. In over two decades as chair of the Department of Civil Engineering at Morgan State University, he has educated more African-American bachelor of science graduates and doctoral holders in civil engineering than any other such program in the U.S.
Posted 2018-03-15
Science
Timothy Holls sent in this streamlined summary of everything from his education and career to some of his most vivid memories of Rensselaer and his interests:
"Education, RPI, B.S. mathematics (computer science emphasis), 1967; Syracuse University, M.S. computer science, 1977."
"Employment: Computer programmer, software development/test; employed at IBM Poughkeepsie, 1967 until 1994 downsizing; USAF 1969-73 computer work, Lackland AFB in sunny San Antonio, Texas; contract computer work 1994-2001."
"Memories of RPI: Dorms: Crockett, Quadrangle Pardee-I, Church-I, E-Dorm: Clement-I. Snowstorm Jan. 13, 1964, closed RPI campus/classes. Unusual cars: Chrysler Turbine, 1964½ Mustang, 1965 Shelby Cobra. RPI won football game Oct. 23, 1965, first time in six years. Great Northeast Blackout Nov. 9, 1965. Glee Club bus tour Jan. 1966: Buffalo, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh. RPI completed WINNING football season as of Nov. 12, 1966. Worked in Amos Eaton computer lab with IBM 360 Mod-50, 1967."
"Highlights: Published family genealogy, 1971: Holls Family. APL Programming Guides published by IBM, 1977, 1978. Presented paper at APL ’84 Conference, Helsinki, Finland. Personal computers IBM-PC, Laptops; 640K->12GB. 2004+ Riverhead High School RHSYB digitized yearbooks. 2012 RPI Class of ’67 documents digitized RPIYB."
"Interests: History (local, NYS, etc.). Activities: PC projects; digitized—local history data. Memoirs; 1,000 familiar melodies." Posted 2018-03-15
"Education, RPI, B.S. mathematics (computer science emphasis), 1967; Syracuse University, M.S. computer science, 1977."
"Employment: Computer programmer, software development/test; employed at IBM Poughkeepsie, 1967 until 1994 downsizing; USAF 1969-73 computer work, Lackland AFB in sunny San Antonio, Texas; contract computer work 1994-2001."
"Memories of RPI: Dorms: Crockett, Quadrangle Pardee-I, Church-I, E-Dorm: Clement-I. Snowstorm Jan. 13, 1964, closed RPI campus/classes. Unusual cars: Chrysler Turbine, 1964½ Mustang, 1965 Shelby Cobra. RPI won football game Oct. 23, 1965, first time in six years. Great Northeast Blackout Nov. 9, 1965. Glee Club bus tour Jan. 1966: Buffalo, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh. RPI completed WINNING football season as of Nov. 12, 1966. Worked in Amos Eaton computer lab with IBM 360 Mod-50, 1967."
"Highlights: Published family genealogy, 1971: Holls Family. APL Programming Guides published by IBM, 1977, 1978. Presented paper at APL ’84 Conference, Helsinki, Finland. Personal computers IBM-PC, Laptops; 640K->12GB. 2004+ Riverhead High School RHSYB digitized yearbooks. 2012 RPI Class of ’67 documents digitized RPIYB."
"Interests: History (local, NYS, etc.). Activities: PC projects; digitized—local history data. Memoirs; 1,000 familiar melodies." Posted 2018-03-15
Engineering
Jeffrey Stanton offered this detailed rundown of his life after graduating: "Received a master’s in mechanical engineering from RPI (1969). While they tried to draft me to go to Vietnam during my final semester at RPI, I made a deal with my draft board to go out to California and design weapons in the aerospace industry. I was a rocket scientist at TRW, worked on laser weapons and space satellites for Hughes, but I got laid off numerous times for long periods and no commercial engineering company would hire an aerospace engineer. I quit after 1975. I had planned to either design amusement park rides or industrial robots. Those career plans would never be fulfilled."
“While I lived in Venice, Calif., I worked as a freelance photographer for several years, and started a postcard company in 1979 to promote my career. I also created the first cartoon map of a town in the United States, but mostly had trouble selling the concept. When I did the second map of Venice, Calif., it was banned by the chamber of commerce because of its realistic cartoons."
“I bought an Apple II computer in 1979, then teamed up with the sixth largest software company to start their book division. My software review books earned millions, but I did the initial project for cash, not royalties. As a game programmer, I wrote the textbooks for designing computer arcade games for the Apple and Atari computers using assembly language. I was a successful game consultant until 1986 when I was in my early 40s. Unfortunately, I was a generation too old, old enough to be most programmers’ father. My career ended, as no one would hire anyone in their 40s."
“I managed an apartment building and sold postcards on weekends along Venice’s famed boardwalk to earn income. I was also a big collector of historic Venice photos because of its famed amusement piers and canal network of waterways instead of streets. I self-published a coffee-table history book about the resort and eventually enlarged the book in 2005 until it had 367 photos and 100,000 words of text. Because stores weren’t interested in selling it and Amazon doesn’t allow self-published books, I resorted to selling it by riding around Venice on a bicycle and showing it to anyone I encountered."
“While I created many internet history websites in 1996-1997 and was taken to lunch, my startup internet companies needed to pick my brain. No one would hire me because I was 25 years too old. Technology finally disrupted my postcard business and people don’t want to buy books in the Los Angeles area. They use a cell phone to email pictures. Also, the police don’t allow me to sell my books and photo postcards any longer because they have a dual use. My cards can be mailed and my books read." “I also wrote a history book about Coney Island, N.Y. Publishers want the 500-page text condensed to less than 5,000 words because they just want to do a quick picture book, claiming no one reads history. Since I have all the ride patents, I described how each attraction works. Besides, I have a reputation of doing outstanding books that don’t sell. So I’m basically retired now, and to keep busy I go to Disneyland every two weeks to ride all the rides.” Posted 2018-03-15
“While I lived in Venice, Calif., I worked as a freelance photographer for several years, and started a postcard company in 1979 to promote my career. I also created the first cartoon map of a town in the United States, but mostly had trouble selling the concept. When I did the second map of Venice, Calif., it was banned by the chamber of commerce because of its realistic cartoons."
“I bought an Apple II computer in 1979, then teamed up with the sixth largest software company to start their book division. My software review books earned millions, but I did the initial project for cash, not royalties. As a game programmer, I wrote the textbooks for designing computer arcade games for the Apple and Atari computers using assembly language. I was a successful game consultant until 1986 when I was in my early 40s. Unfortunately, I was a generation too old, old enough to be most programmers’ father. My career ended, as no one would hire anyone in their 40s."
“I managed an apartment building and sold postcards on weekends along Venice’s famed boardwalk to earn income. I was also a big collector of historic Venice photos because of its famed amusement piers and canal network of waterways instead of streets. I self-published a coffee-table history book about the resort and eventually enlarged the book in 2005 until it had 367 photos and 100,000 words of text. Because stores weren’t interested in selling it and Amazon doesn’t allow self-published books, I resorted to selling it by riding around Venice on a bicycle and showing it to anyone I encountered."
“While I created many internet history websites in 1996-1997 and was taken to lunch, my startup internet companies needed to pick my brain. No one would hire me because I was 25 years too old. Technology finally disrupted my postcard business and people don’t want to buy books in the Los Angeles area. They use a cell phone to email pictures. Also, the police don’t allow me to sell my books and photo postcards any longer because they have a dual use. My cards can be mailed and my books read." “I also wrote a history book about Coney Island, N.Y. Publishers want the 500-page text condensed to less than 5,000 words because they just want to do a quick picture book, claiming no one reads history. Since I have all the ride patents, I described how each attraction works. Besides, I have a reputation of doing outstanding books that don’t sell. So I’m basically retired now, and to keep busy I go to Disneyland every two weeks to ride all the rides.” Posted 2018-03-15
Michael Goldfinger had this to say about what he's been up to since leaving Rensselaer: “I recently retired after a 43-year career that started after leaving RPI. As an officer in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps, I served as resident officer in charge of construction at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory, White Oak, Md., where I oversaw the construction of several large unique research facilities, including one to test the aerodynamics of Navy aircraft flying at several times the speed of sound. With the wind-down of the Vietnam War, I took advantage of an early out and left active duty to pursue a career in architecture."
“I remained in Washington, D.C., working for several architectural firms and passing the architectural registration exam. I hold licenses in Maryland and Virginia. I accepted a position in the U.S. Department of Justice, serving as the head of the agency’s space planning branch. During the 12 years at Justice, I earned an MBA from the University of Maryland, and promptly left government service."
“During the next few years, I joined a communication company as construction manager responsible for the terminals and repeater stations supporting the firm’s fiber-optic network serving the Northeast U.S."
“I subsequently accepted an offer to join the management consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton (Booz Allen), where I led a number of high-profile client engagements, supporting the management of government facilities for federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, Department of the Army, Bureau of Printing and Engraving (U.S. Treasury), and the Department of Homeland Security. One noteworthy project resulted in the development of the 10-year facilities master plan for the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP), an operational agency of NOAA. Formed in the 1970s to protect natural, cultural, biological, and environmental resources in territorial waters off the nation’s East, West, and Gulf coasts and Great Lakes, the agency lacked a coherent plan for housing its enforcement, education, and outreach functions. The resultant plan documented current space, determined near- and long-term requirements, and provided estimates of the costs to achieve those goals. As a result of this work, NMSP retained its facilities funding when those funds were rescinded from most other federal agencies."
“Finally, at the end of the day, it was time to devote myself to other activities, including time at the gym, visits with children and grandchildren, yard work, and travel.” Posted 2018-03-15
“I remained in Washington, D.C., working for several architectural firms and passing the architectural registration exam. I hold licenses in Maryland and Virginia. I accepted a position in the U.S. Department of Justice, serving as the head of the agency’s space planning branch. During the 12 years at Justice, I earned an MBA from the University of Maryland, and promptly left government service."
“During the next few years, I joined a communication company as construction manager responsible for the terminals and repeater stations supporting the firm’s fiber-optic network serving the Northeast U.S."
“I subsequently accepted an offer to join the management consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton (Booz Allen), where I led a number of high-profile client engagements, supporting the management of government facilities for federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, Department of the Army, Bureau of Printing and Engraving (U.S. Treasury), and the Department of Homeland Security. One noteworthy project resulted in the development of the 10-year facilities master plan for the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP), an operational agency of NOAA. Formed in the 1970s to protect natural, cultural, biological, and environmental resources in territorial waters off the nation’s East, West, and Gulf coasts and Great Lakes, the agency lacked a coherent plan for housing its enforcement, education, and outreach functions. The resultant plan documented current space, determined near- and long-term requirements, and provided estimates of the costs to achieve those goals. As a result of this work, NMSP retained its facilities funding when those funds were rescinded from most other federal agencies."
“Finally, at the end of the day, it was time to devote myself to other activities, including time at the gym, visits with children and grandchildren, yard work, and travel.” Posted 2018-03-15
photo credit: Kris Qua Posted 2018-03-15
1968
Ira Goldman had a hip replaced in 2020 and a knee replaced in April 2023, but is back to sailing, swimming, and other summer activities and will try skiing. In July, he completed 10 years on the Board of the Keuka Lake Association, including four years as secretary, but is still on the Finance Committee for the Hillside Family of Agencies in Rochester, New York, and chairs the monthly Eagle Scout Board of Review in Clifton Springs, New York.
Posted 2024-01-12
Mal Crawford has gotten his second COVID-19 vaccination and is looking forward to seeing his two grandsons. “We’ve been celebrating holidays and birthdays with Zoom get-togethers until this Easter when my kids switched over to a new conferencing service. Apparently, Zoom is now only used by seniors, with all the ‘cool kids’ shifting over to Jitsi. I should be able to stand up to the ‘techno-shaming’ with the new vaccinations.”
Posted 2021-09-29
Dick Burke recently found out about the death of another classmate, John DeHart. Dick had lost touch with John, who was a former roommate, and only found out about his death last fall. Both Dick and John were active in the radio amateur club at RPI, W2SZ, so Dick started searching online and found the website of the Sawnee Amateur Radio Association in Cumming, Georgia. John had been an active member of the club since 2008, when he apparently moved to Cumming. Dick found a posting on the club Google Groups site that informed all the members about John’s death on April 12, 2017, in a local hospital.
Posted 2021-09-29
With the postponement of last year’s Patriots Day B.A.A. Marathon, I didn’t have the opportunity to see classmate Steve Litchfield last spring. For the last 10 years, the RPI Alumni Association Boston Chapter has volunteered at the Sunday evening pre-race Pasta Fest Dinner event at Boston City Hall. One event that was not canceled last year was the 51st wedding anniversary of Steve and his wife, Martha. His hometown newspaper published a nice story on how the couple met while Steve was attending RPI and Martha was attending nursing school in Troy. — K1MC-Mal@earthlink.net
Posted 2021-02-26
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Classmate Larry Kagan and his wife are relocating from Troy to Los Angeles to live closer to their two sons and spend some serious quality time with their three grandkids. After teaching at RPI for 43 years, and living in Troy for 50 years, they will miss their friends and colleagues but perhaps not the winters. As a professor emeritus in the Department of the Arts at RPI, Larry was able to devote more time to his sculpture practice and mount exhibitions. An exhibit of his selected works covering a 40-year span titled Shape and Shadow came down last summer at the Albany Institute of History & Art. Larry has also been to Taiwan for an exhibit titled Beyond the Shadows that featured his sculpture at the Chimei Museum in Tainan. He had a solo exhibit titled Impossible Shadows that opened in September at the Montclair Art Museum in New Jersey. The theme that runs through Larry’s works is how abstract metal sculptures can create seemingly impossible shadow images with special lighting.
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
Classmate Roy Wepner was honored in June by the New Jersey Law Journal as an “Unsung Hero” of the New Jersey bar. The award celebrates lawyers who work behind the scenes, but whose efforts are indispensable to their firm. The Law Journal highlighted his work in building his firm’s intellectual property litigation practice by stepping into cases already in process producing persuasive briefs. Roy graduated from the U. of Pennsylvania Law School and has been a partner for over 35 years at the firm of LernerDavid, which specializes in intellectual property law.
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
In his retirement in Colorado, Gary Masner is a co-founder and director of the seven-year-old nonprofit public-private partnership Southwest Colorado Accelerator Program for Entrepreneurs (SCAPE). SCAPE is an economic development program that helps startup and early stage companies by providing mentoring and investment funds. Gary’s strength in business and financial strategy was initially developed during his business strategy consulting work at McKinsey after earning an MBA from Stanford. He credits the success of SCAPE in helping startups thrive through the network of retired business, technical, and finance professionals in the area that want to be part of the community and want to help.
Posted 2020-05-19
Classmate Bill Criss and his wife, Judy, are continuing to cross off items on their “bucket list.” In 2018 they traveled to Peru and China and they are planning trips to Australia and New Zealand for this year. When not traveling, Bill has been involved in the pub-hosted game of QuizKnows in the Washington, D.C., area. The competition is among science, technology, and engineering school alumni groups from schools including RPI, MIT, and Georgia Tech. The quiz involves answering questions related to STEM subject areas, such as, “Why do bubbles pop?” and “Where does sound travel faster, water or air?” The RPI alumni group is ahead in the competition series, and Bill recently awarded his Knurd Bowl Trophy to Nagesh Rao, RPI ’02.
Posted 2019-10-01
John Boice gave a lecture at Washington State University Tri-Cities in April on the subject of the past and future of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, where he serves as the director of science. The council develops and disseminates information and recommendations on radiation protection and measurement methods based on current scientific thinking. John is an international authority on ionizing radiation effects and is also a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt U. After earning a B.S. in physics at the U. of Texas - El Paso, he continued his education at RPI with an M.S. in nuclear engineering in 1968, and continued at Harvard for an M.S. in medical physics and a doctoral degree in epidemiology. He is currently directing a large population study of lifetime cancer risks associated with low-dose long-term exposures.
Posted 2019-10-01
Mal Crawford writes: The RPI Alumni Association Boston Chapter had another good turnout for their volunteer activity as marshals at the Sunday evening Pre-Race Pasta Fest Dinner at Boston City Hall. The dinner is held the night before the Patriots Day B.A.A. Marathon to allow runners to “carbo load” for the race. Classmate Steve Litchfield was part of the group again and reported that plans to build a pumpkin-firing trebuchet for a Halloween celebration were scrapped because of safety concerns. A cornfield maze cut in a local field was substituted for the pumpkin-launching event. This year the Halloween activity being planned is to decorate an out-of-service water tower. Steve continues to be active in his community as a trustee of the Scituate Historical Society, vice chair of the Scituate Historical Commission, and member of the town’s Community TV Advisory Board.
Posted 2019-10-01
The Albany law firm of O’Connell and Aronowitz recently added Roland Cavalier and two other attorneys to its staff to expand its business law and commercial litigation practices. Roland attended Albany Law School and earned a Juris Doctor degree after attending RPI. He has been advising business clients for over four decades and will continue in the practice of business law concentrating on a wide range of corporate and business clients. In addition to Roland’s court experience with civil litigation, he has had extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution.
Posted 2019-03-10
Science
The Albany Times Union published a moving personal interest story about Sid Stark closing his auto repair garage in Saratoga Springs and retiring in 2018. He got his start in the auto repair business working summers during high school at his father’s garage. After earning a B.S. in chemistry at RPI, he taught science at local high schools in Greenwich and Albany. In 1970 he went to work full time with his father, Henry, and took over the garage a year later when his father retired after running the business for 25 years. Sid enjoyed the long-term relationships he had with his customers, some who had been coming to the garage since his father opened it in 1946. In the last few years Sid began keeping a list of all the positives and negatives of running his business and decided to retire once the negative side of the list grew longer. One of the negative business reasons to close the garage was that the area had gentrified and the new residents didn’t own cars that were 5-to-10 years old and needed the maintenance and repair services he provided. The many customers on the positive side of the list will be missed by Sid, but he plans to spend more time with his grandchildren in retirement.
Posted 2019-03-10
Ira Goldman has managed to stay mostly retired since 2012 with the exception of a 2016 two-month consulting project in England for a former boss. He and his wife, Sherry, moved in 2009 from Connecticut to a house in Penn Yan, N.Y., in the heart of the Finger Lakes region that overlooks Keuka Lake. While their house has great views and is near the upstate wineries, they regret that it is far from their six grandchildren who live in North Carolina. Ira races sailboats in the summer and does some casual skiing in the winter, which included a trip to Cortina, Italy, last winter. He is still active with the Boy Scouts and was awarded the Silver Beaver for his many years of service.
Posted 2019-03-10
Science
Steve Ross sent in a detailed account of what he has been doing in the fields of technical journalism, teaching, and consulting over the last 50 years. His career in technical journalism started as editor of the Rensselaer Engineer magazine while at RPI earning a B.S. in physics. After graduating, Steve earned an M.S. in journalism at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism and became editor of the New Engineer magazine in the 1970s. Steve taught full time at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism from 1985 to 2004 before becoming the founding editor of Broadband Communities magazine, where he is currently the editor at large. Steve has authored or edited 19 books, won numerous technical, professional, and journalism awards, and is a fellow of the American Institute of Chemists. He and his wife both live and work in New York and in Boston and enjoy traveling. As Steve wrote, “People still pay us to go to interesting places and talk to interesting people.”
Posted 2019-03-10
Last May Nick Pinchuk was selected to address the Southern Vermont College Class of 2018 at the school’s 91st Commencement. He also received an honorary degree from the college based on his leadership in the areas of workforce development and technical education and careers. He is currently the president and CEO of Snap-on Inc. and has been widely recognized for his contributions to the formation of the country’s technical education agenda and for the growth of a skilled workforce. The former St. Joseph College that you may know from your days at RPI became Southern Vermont College after it moved to its current Bennington campus in 1974. The college became an accredited four-year college several years after the move and competes with Rensselaer in NCAA Division III women’s basketball.
Posted 2018-10-10
Bill Criss and his wife, Judy, have completed their move from northern Virginia to Sunset Beach, N.C., and Bill adds that he has found that mint juleps can ease the challenge of downsizing. Bill, who is looking forward to this year’s 50th Class Reunion and has been in contact with George Casey and Jerry Sweeney to help organize the festivities, has promised to bring his collection of Bachelor magazines to the Reunion to highlight how much campus humor has changed in 50 years.
Posted 2018-03-15
1969
Jim Horkovich reports that he has failed retirement for (at least) the third time. He retired from the USAF in 1990, from Raytheon in 2014, and from Schafer Corp. in 2018 following Schafer’s acquisition by venture capitalists. “Some folks at AEgis Technologies thought I might add value to their technology pursuits in my field of directed energy and high-power lasers, and made me a part-time senior principal scientist, which allows me to work not just from home here in Littleton, Colo., but also from our newly acquired vacation retreat on the Sea of Cortes in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. My career now has more than 40 years in directed energy systems.”
Posted 2021-02-26
Alan Cetel recently retired after a 50-year career at Pratt & Whitney, the jet engine division of Raytheon Technologies (formerly United Technologies), where he was responsible for high-temperature structural alloy development. His work at Pratt was focused on developing advanced nickel-based single crystal superalloys used in very aggressive turbine airfoil applications, as well as finding novel uses for these alloys. He accumulated 36 U.S. patents.
Posted 2021-02-26
Steven Nussbaum and his wife, Lillah, returned from a cruise to South America and Antarctica in February before the coronavirus hit. “It was a bit cooler than the weather that we are used to in West Palm Beach, Fla. Looking forward to the return of alumni meetings in south Florida when this pandemic is over.”
Posted 2021-02-26
Ron Ferrara (Chem.E.) and his wife celebrated 50 years together in June 2019. They were in Scotland and had their vows renewed by their local priest, who was on the trip with them.
Posted 2021-02-26
Paul Levine retired after 30-plus years as the senior head and neck cancer surgeon and 20 years as the chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center. He became an emeritus professor in December 2017.
Posted 2021-02-26
Ed Muszynski has been retired a few years and enjoys painting watercolors, acrylics, and collages — a hobby since age 18 — reading, and taking walks. He’s lived in Rochester, N.Y., for over 40 years and worked in ‘aero e’ for just a few years, then went back to school for urban and transportation planning and economic development, and retired after 33 years with New York State’s planning and economic development agency, Empire State Development. He’s been a letter writer to newspapers and to high government officials since college, with many letters as well as op-eds published.
Posted 2021-02-26
Henry Scheuer writes: Over 100 of our classmates returned to the Rensselaer campus for our 50th Reunion. Old friendships were rekindled and some new ones were made. Each of us returned to remember, commemorate, and celebrate where we learned, laughed, cried. Our formative time at Rensselaer helped set the groundwork where each of us could “Change the World,” each in our own fashion.
The Rensselaer campus looked quite snappy, and allowed the opportunity to examine the pedagogical direction that Rensselaer has taken in the 21st century. Although the coursework has changed, we were able to attend classes and presentations that once again opened our eyes in wonderment. The energy and passion of student learning was in the air and recollections of our days as students returned. Walking around the campus has changed as well. There are more steps to climb, the hills are steeper, and the distance between buildings has increased! Over the last few months, I have spoken on the phone with many of our classmates. Quite a few are dealing with age-related physical challenges and regret not being able to return. Here’s an opportunity to re-connect: through the Class Notes. Please email me with news and updates about you. Posted 2020-05-14
The Rensselaer campus looked quite snappy, and allowed the opportunity to examine the pedagogical direction that Rensselaer has taken in the 21st century. Although the coursework has changed, we were able to attend classes and presentations that once again opened our eyes in wonderment. The energy and passion of student learning was in the air and recollections of our days as students returned. Walking around the campus has changed as well. There are more steps to climb, the hills are steeper, and the distance between buildings has increased! Over the last few months, I have spoken on the phone with many of our classmates. Quite a few are dealing with age-related physical challenges and regret not being able to return. Here’s an opportunity to re-connect: through the Class Notes. Please email me with news and updates about you. Posted 2020-05-14
Len Bower sent the following report: Three amigos. Beginning with Senior Week 1969, Matt Werhner, Joel Greenman, and Len Bower have continued getting together annually. At first it was ad hoc and informal. But starting in 1974 we began a tradition of fall “camping” that continues. Each fall we pick a location in the Northeast. It started with tent camping but now has become one of remote cabins on a lake somewhere. It originally was just a long weekend, but now that all are retired, we make a full week of it.
We have kept a journal of our adventures both while camping and in life. Each year we read it aloud from beginning to end, laughing at the same old jokes and reviewing the chronicles of our families as they developed. Now that we are all grandfathers, it holds some dear memories for all of us. It will be published this year complete with photos (in a very limited edition).
Joel lives in Buzzards Bay, Mass. Matt lives in Dunedin, Fla. Len lives in Rochester, N.Y. Posted 2019-10-01
We have kept a journal of our adventures both while camping and in life. Each year we read it aloud from beginning to end, laughing at the same old jokes and reviewing the chronicles of our families as they developed. Now that we are all grandfathers, it holds some dear memories for all of us. It will be published this year complete with photos (in a very limited edition).
Joel lives in Buzzards Bay, Mass. Matt lives in Dunedin, Fla. Len lives in Rochester, N.Y. Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Carson Taylor, who earned his master’s in electric power engineering at RPI, has been awarded the prestigious IEEE Power and Energy Society Charles Concordia Power Systems Engineering Award. The award recognizes contributions to the engineering and deployment of control systems and solutions to improve power grid stability.
Posted 2019-03-10
Dave Burkhart sent photos from a recent bicycling vacation in France with Lambda Chi Alpha brothers Bob Darnall ’67, Chan Sweetser ’67, Lee Broad ’68, and Pete Donohoe ’69 (see photo above). After three days in Paris, they rode between 30 and 40 miles a day in the Loire Valley where the kings of France built their fabulous castles—Chateau de Chambord, Chaumont, Amboise, Chenonceau, Villandry, and the Palace at Versailles. Although Dave, Bob, Lee, and Pete have kept in touch and seen each other over the years, none of them had seen Chan in about 50 years. It was a wonderful reunion and a great vacation.
Posted 2018-10-10
Nancy (Hocker) Michels has been keeping herself busy, as is evident in this summary of what she's been up to: “I have been practicing law since 1983 in Londonderry, N.H., after deciding on the spur of the moment to go to law school at night at Suffolk University. Sort of surprised myself as all through law school I kept saying I wasn’t even going to take the bar exam. I think, in part because I never put any pressure on myself about law school, that I enjoyed the class work the most of any schooling. I settled into primarily a bankruptcy practice in New Hampshire and for about the last 17 years practiced before Judge J. Michael Deasy up until last month when he retired. He graduated from RPI in 1967 and frequently would make comments from the bench about our shared educational experience and leaving opposing counsel scratching his head about the comments. I never knew him at the 'Tute."
“Still practicing law full-time, although my children are encouraging me to at least slow down or retire completely. We have a cabin on an island in the middle of Lake Winnipesaukee and as they say, it is my ‘happy place,’ and I would love to spend more time there while I can still drive a boat and dock it by myself. Sometimes the docking part is pretty funny!"
“I have three children, with my baby being 31, and two grandchildren. I was married for 40 years to a wonderful man and shared many exciting experiences, including some memorable political and traveling experiences, with him until he passed in 2013. We worked together in a construction company we owned and then started our own law practice. As one of my daughters used to say, my parents are very strange. They live and work together 24/7 and my dad likes to shop and my mother watches sports on TV. Maybe it has something to do with being around so many guys for four years."
“Went to see the campus about ten years ago on my way to SPAC, as my daughter convinced me to go to a Dave Matthews concert, and so we drove by. The trip was in the summer and the campus looked gorgeous. I never remember seeing that amount of beautiful landscaping. Looking forward to the reunion." Posted 2018-03-15
“Still practicing law full-time, although my children are encouraging me to at least slow down or retire completely. We have a cabin on an island in the middle of Lake Winnipesaukee and as they say, it is my ‘happy place,’ and I would love to spend more time there while I can still drive a boat and dock it by myself. Sometimes the docking part is pretty funny!"
“I have three children, with my baby being 31, and two grandchildren. I was married for 40 years to a wonderful man and shared many exciting experiences, including some memorable political and traveling experiences, with him until he passed in 2013. We worked together in a construction company we owned and then started our own law practice. As one of my daughters used to say, my parents are very strange. They live and work together 24/7 and my dad likes to shop and my mother watches sports on TV. Maybe it has something to do with being around so many guys for four years."
“Went to see the campus about ten years ago on my way to SPAC, as my daughter convinced me to go to a Dave Matthews concert, and so we drove by. The trip was in the summer and the campus looked gorgeous. I never remember seeing that amount of beautiful landscaping. Looking forward to the reunion." Posted 2018-03-15
George Hahn, who retired in 2009 and moved to Elk Grove, just outside of Sacramento, suggests that some of his prior classmates may be interested to learn that he has published three science fiction novels, the Tau Ceti trilogy, and a novella that takes place just after the trilogy. George is also working on another novel in the same universe that attacks the idea of uploading human consciousness to a computer in a more realistic way than in most previous takes on the topic. Anyone who's interested can check out George's website .
George adds that he has one granddaughter who is in her last year of college, and a second granddaughter in her first year of college.” Posted 2018-03-15
George adds that he has one granddaughter who is in her last year of college, and a second granddaughter in her first year of college.” Posted 2018-03-15
Barry Feinsod reports that, after retiring from 34 years of government service, he has been living with his wife, Susan, as a small rancher in the desert mountains of southern New Mexico. The regular exercise of working as a wrangler keeps Barry healthy and fit, and he provides riding lessons and guided trail rides to visitors. The 100-mile views from their place are spectacular, and they enjoy 350 days of sunshine each year. Barry, who jokes that the only downside to living in the area is that he has to keep a gun handy for the occasional rattlesnake, invites those who may be passing by to look him up.
Posted 2018-03-15
1970
Rick Hartt reports that since moving to Rochester, he has continued working with his therapy dog ALLY, who is certified by Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs. Since 2015, ALLY and Rick have now done over 550 therapy dog visits. The Rochester Area Administrators of Volunteer Services awarded ALLY and Rick their 2023 Award for Volunteer Service. ALLY and seven people were nominated, ALLY being the only dog. Julia MacDonald ‘72 and Rick spent time in March in the Caribbean on the island of Grenada celebrating both their birthdays and their 47th wedding anniversary. In Rick’s spare time, he was appointed to the Rush New York Zoning Board of Appeals in January 2022 and was appointed chairperson in January 2023. He continues to volunteer with the Rensselaer Newman Foundation and is very supportive of the re-invigoration of student leadership activity in not only the Student Union but on the campus with the support of President Schmidt. “If you are on Facebook, go to the private RPI Class of 1970 page created by Steve Valentine and you will be added to the group, which now has 90 members.”
Posted 2024-01-12
Lon Blumenthal celebrated 50 great years with his wife, Annette, in summer 2021.
The 50th Class Reunion Committee, chaired by Bill Palmer with members Susan Alten, Otto Zamek, Paul Miller, and Rick Hartt, is looking forward to a successful virtual Reunion & Homecoming and to continue their connections after October through the RAA and the RPI Class of 1970 Facebook page, “where you will find great photos and stories of our past and present.”
Posted 2021-09-29
Gary Aikin has shared that Nason Hall classmate Edward Hicks died on Aug. 13, 2020. Hicks attended both RPI and the Rhode Island School of Design.
Posted 2021-09-29
Susan Alten reports, with great sadness, that during Reunion planning, she learned of the death of Judy Lieberman Porte from ALS in January 2019.
Posted 2021-09-29
Tom Gilbert and his wife, Penny, a Russell Sage student, married in their senior year. Upon graduation, they moved to Poughkeepsie, where Tom began a 10-year stint at IBM. “It was a wonderful decade but I became convinced that computer networks were the future. In 1980, we moved to Vienna, Virginia, where I worked for Satellite Business Systems, and then 19 years at Network Systems Corp. (NSC),” Tom says. All the while, Penny pursued her career as a physical therapist and raised their two daughters while Tom traveled on business. In 1997, Tom again became convinced that cybersecurity was the future, and left NSC to cofound Blue Ridge Networks, which develops best-in-class computer and network security products.
Posted 2021-09-29
Architecture
Gerardo Brown-Manrique continues as a professor of architecture at Miami University’s Department of Architecture and Interior Design in Oxford, Ohio, and is not sure when he will retire. After spending the 2019-20 academic year at Miami’s European Center in Differdange, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (“the spring semester rudely interrupted on March 13, when the students were ordered home and the program switched online”), he returned to Oxford to teach totally online, rarely leaving his house this past academic year. He now looks forward to future Reunion & Homecoming events, and continuing his connections. As a five-year architecture major, he did not graduate until 1971, so he is looking forward to the joint celebration of our semi-centennial (1966-1971). While officially retired as a practicing architect, he continues his scholarly research on interwar European architecture, housing for large numbers, and the work of his mentor, O.M. Ungers.
Posted 2021-09-29
David Donnelly and his wife, Linda, moved from California to Evansville, Indiana, in April, to be near their son, Brian. Before COVID-19, Dave and Linda spent several summers exploring and pet-sitting throughout Europe, and hope to be able to resume those activities soon.
Posted 2021-09-29
Stephen Valentine, who created the Class of 1970 Facebook page, reports that “the page is picking up speed. We are now up to 80 members. Recent additions are Glenn Matsuyama, Bob Heilman, Rene Milo, Bob Soika, Tony Reid, David Boehm, Chuck Rancourt, Roger Wilson, David Donnelly, Lon Blumenthal, Alan Baker, Alan Marie, Bob Harris, and Tom Gilbert. Looking forward to reaching 100 of us after our 50th Reunion.”
Posted 2021-09-29
Gary Nelson has offered to host a brunch at his home in Troy for cross-country and track alumni who will be attending the 50-year reunion on Saturday, Oct 9, at 10 a.m. RSVP to Gary Nelson at garygnelson@gmail.com.
Posted 2021-07-15
The 50th Class Reunion Committee, chaired by Bill Palmer with members Susan Alten, Otto Zamek, Paul Miller, and Rick Hartt, is looking forward to a successful return to campus and to continue their connections after October through the RAA and RPI Class of 1970 Facebook page, where you will find great photos and stories of the class past and present.
Posted 2021-07-15
Remember to join the RPI Class of 1970 Facebook page. — harttrm@aol.com
Posted 2021-02-26
Check out classmate Matt Costello’s website at http://www.mattcostello.com and take a look at the award-winning books he has authored including the Cherringham series and the Mydworth Mysteries.
Posted 2021-02-26
In preparation for our 50th Reunion in 2021, Susan Alten needs new email addresses for Jane Zuckerman Israel, Judy Lieberman Porte, Diana Halstead Smith, Roswita Apkarian Hayes, Deborah Krohn Rogers, and Virginia Lester Teslik. Send her a note at susan.alten.sa@gmail.com.
Posted 2021-02-26
Stephen Valentine took the initiative in 2017 to create a Facebook page that is truly ours. Almost 10% of our class is now part of “RPI Class of 1970,” sharing pictures and stories of the past and present.
Posted 2021-02-26
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Rick Hartt writes: At press time we learned that our 50th Reunion, originally scheduled for Oct. 8-11, 2020, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Facebook page, RPI Class of 1970, is administered by founder Stephen Valentine and now has over 60 members. Let’s shoot for many more as we celebrate our 50 years since graduation. Great photos and memories are posted. Many ideas for our Reunion have been suggested on our FB page. Keep an eye out for news about the rescheduling of Reunion. Let’s all try to re-connect.
A few short notes: Stan Sieger volunteers weekly at the Los Angeles Kitten Adoption Center. Matt Costello, editor of our literary magazine, the Gorgon, just published, with Neil Richards, the third book in his series The Mydworth Mysteries, London Calling! The developer of the classic game The 7th Guest is also an active reviewer of classical music and continues his work on various media projects. Mike Weishan is a great supporter of the arts, local business in Cattaraugus, N.Y., and also a photographer extraordinaire. Walt Piskorski is enjoying life in Nashua, N.H. Del Davis lives in Texas.
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
I heard from Dave Bivans. In the last three years, Dave has been inducted into his high school’s (i.e., Exeter Twp HS, Reading, Pa.) Academic and Athletic Hall of Fame. This is on top of his 2007 induction into Pennsylvania’s State Sports Hall of Fame for his high school conference, county, district, and state cross country championships. He tells us that “given that we live on 84 acres with 80+ of various species of trees, from pine to maple, oak, aspen, and others, I decided to focus much of my woodworking design to utilizing those resources.” Over the past three years he has developed an acoustic guitar design based on a Martin 000 size, completing a prototype last spring, after 2-1⁄2 years developing the skills and tools, from butternut and maple trees on their property. “As expected, it has an extremely mellow sound that a dozen guitarists have given top marks. In addition, being a fly-tier and fisherman for over 60 years, finally acquired property and constructed a cabin on a trout and salmon pond in northern Maine. We now can sleep seven on an 1,800-acre cold water pond and dock our Lund fishing boat along with several canoes and kayaks.”
Posted 2020-05-19
Business
Tom Krause is living in Frisco, Texas, although he had moved around a lot before getting relocated there. He got his B.S. in Mgt. from the ’Tute and a little later his MBA from South Carolina. He has retired from a career in health care/hospital management, but does a little work from time to time. Mostly just concentrating now on downsizing and getting rid of all the stuff that has accumulated over the years.
Posted 2020-05-19
Rick Hartt First things first; it is only a year away to our 50th. There is a Facebook page that classmate Stephen Valentine created, “RPI Class of 1970,” which has 56 members. People on the page have been talking about ideas for our 50th. Join in on the discussion.
Deborah (Henry) Senchak said, “Our 50th Reunion is around the corner. I vividly remember all the ‘ol’ geezers’ at the 50 Year Club table at the dinner — let’s fill that table with our much younger selves and make it a memorable showing for the Class of ’70.” Paul Miller suggested, “Speaking of reunions, any thoughts on social gathering events for Thurs, Fri, Sun, and/or Mon, in addition to a Sat dinner kind of event? It would be nice to have a class gathering place for a few hours each day at or near campus. Susan Alten opined, “The small coed contingent has had several brunches over the years on Reunion weekend and they were wonderful fun. I recommend food/ alcohol involvement, but that may just be me.” James Martinez reflected, “Although college lasted only four, maybe five or seven years, there were memories that haunted everyone their whole life. Remember as you consider that 50 Year Club that inside all of you is a Blutarsky, a Flounder, a Hoover, a Neidermeyer, a D-Day Simpson, and for some, a Clorette or Mandy Pepperidge.” So the story is, get involved, join the Facebook page, and be part of the group that could make our 50th Reunion more than a cookie-cutter weekend. Posted 2019-10-10
Deborah (Henry) Senchak said, “Our 50th Reunion is around the corner. I vividly remember all the ‘ol’ geezers’ at the 50 Year Club table at the dinner — let’s fill that table with our much younger selves and make it a memorable showing for the Class of ’70.” Paul Miller suggested, “Speaking of reunions, any thoughts on social gathering events for Thurs, Fri, Sun, and/or Mon, in addition to a Sat dinner kind of event? It would be nice to have a class gathering place for a few hours each day at or near campus. Susan Alten opined, “The small coed contingent has had several brunches over the years on Reunion weekend and they were wonderful fun. I recommend food/ alcohol involvement, but that may just be me.” James Martinez reflected, “Although college lasted only four, maybe five or seven years, there were memories that haunted everyone their whole life. Remember as you consider that 50 Year Club that inside all of you is a Blutarsky, a Flounder, a Hoover, a Neidermeyer, a D-Day Simpson, and for some, a Clorette or Mandy Pepperidge.” So the story is, get involved, join the Facebook page, and be part of the group that could make our 50th Reunion more than a cookie-cutter weekend. Posted 2019-10-10
On to more serious stuff. Considering the recent air tragedies, Paul Miller shared that he has been a member of the European Advisory Committee, Flight Safety Foundation EAC FSF, 1998-2012. He writes: “The group produced, for the first time ever, the definitive Operators Guide to Human Factors in Aviation, or OGHFA, a compendium both defining human factors and a collection of checklists, briefing guides, and training syllabi for use mainly by commercial airlines worldwide, but applicable to all airmen. Our steering committee worked for seven years, and internationally, to complete OGHFA, and work is now published online for everyone at Eurocontrol’s Skybrary Portal. The work to make commercial aviation safe worldwide has been my volunteer career for quite some time, beginning as a Naval Aviation Safety Officer in 1982, continuing on as a commercial pilot association safety committee member and chair in 1992, and as an EAC FSF member in 1998.” In these capacities, Paul has written over 30 newspaper and magazine articles, two biweekly columns, and more than a dozen professional papers on safety management.
Posted 2019-10-10
Wayne Coleman and Otto Zamek met in Cary 3 in September 1966, and in spring ’67 they both joined RSE, becoming roommates in the Coolie Room. A year later Bart Guttag and Chuck Phelps, both ’71, joined them.
Bart initiated a 50-year Coolie reunion in Las Vegas, March 11-15, and for five days in Bart’s well-stocked suite at Treasure Island, the four Coolies recalled tales of RSE and RPI. Pleasant memories came flooding back, and while they did debate Fox News vs. CNN, they put politics aside to thoroughly enjoy one another’s company once again. They highly recommend similar reunions for all who experienced brotherhood at the ’tute. Otto (Chem ’70), and Bart and Chuck (both Mgmt ’71) have been successfully retired for years while Wayne (Aero ’70) is still an itinerant white-collar worker and musician in this gig economy.
Posted 2019-10-10
Our classmate Ed Touchette has shown that there was and is exceptional artistic ability in our class. His watercolors are stunning. Email him at eddesign@nii.netand join his list.
Posted 2019-10-10
I see on Facebook that Gordie Benoit continues his good deeds with Habitat for Humanity in the Rochester, N.Y.,
Posted 2019-10-10
Bob Reith is on Facebook and if you ever wanted to see incredible avian photography, he is doing it for real all over North America
Posted 2019-10-10
Rick Hartt: Julia MacDonald ’72, ’77, and I have moved to Rush, N.Y., just south of Rochester, where we are only 2/10 of a mile from our son and daughter-in-law. Email me if you happen to be close to the area.
Posted 2019-10-10
As Thomas Myers said in his post, “70 is the new 50. I know that at 70 I’m in better shape than my father or grandfather were. I wouldn’t want to challenge new graduates to any physical challenge, though. I’m highly confident we’ll still look like geezers to them.”
Posted 2019-10-10
Rick Hartt states: I was very proud to be at the ceremony that awarded the most prestigious RPI alumni award to Jeff Kodosky. The Distinguished Service Award is given to at most one alum annually and recognizes distinguished service to RPI, a profession, the nation, or humanity. Jeff is known for his invention of LabVIEW, which was named one of the “Top 50 Milestones for the Industry” by Electronic Design magazine. He co-founded National Instruments Corp. (NIC) in 1976, served as VP since 1978, and VP of R&D from 1980 to 2000, and has been a Fellow of NIC since 2000. He has a personal passion for education and opera. He has been recognized with the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship for his work with organizations including the University of Texas at Austin UTeach program and College of Natural Sciences, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute board of trustees, and the Austin Lyric Opera. Jeff and his wife, Gail, have always been supporters of the arts. While I was director of the Rensselaer Union, they arranged for the exceptional Austin, Texas, vocal group, Conspirare, to come to Troy to perform at RPI and record at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. Jeff has tirelessly given his time, treasure, and talents to RPI.
Posted 2019-03-10
Dave Schopp has been appointed to the board of directors of DASAN Zhone Solutions, which specializes in fiber access for enterprise and service provider networks. He is currently operating partner for Stonebridge Partners, a private equity firm, and also a general partner of Fund IV. Dave is currently chair of the boards of Cast Crete, Hydraulex Global, and Specialty Bakers.
Posted 2019-03-10
Paul Miller writes a commercial aviation safety blog, Safetyforecast.com, where he offers innovative, relevant, and credible comments on current safety issues, recent aviation mishaps (disasters), and arguments in support of safety legislation or international regulation. As he told me, commercial aviation safety improvements are the work of a remarkably hardworking core of international colleagues, who devote immeasurable efforts not only to hazard resolutions and new procedures and training, but moreover advocate for the implementation into regulation and international law.
Posted 2019-03-10
A little bit of trivia from our Class of 70 FB page. Lee Mandell said, “My fraternity, TEP, hired The Doors to celebrate an anniversary. An expensive bet that enough tickets would be sold to recoup the cost of $10K; yes that is all that they cost. I was disappointed that they didn’t come to the house afterward, but I did sit in the front row for the concert.”
Posted 2018-10-10
Ed Touchette continues his artistry. Four pieces from his exhibition at Trident Gallery—Lessons, Barns and Other Structures—were featured in the Spring 2018 issue of Watershed Review, a publication of California State University at Chico. See csuchico.edu/watershed/2018-spring/art
Posted 2018-10-10
Gordy Benoit not only volunteers with ski patrol but also with Flower City (Rochester) Habitat for Humanity. Within the last year he has helped Habitat rehab neighborhoods in South Florida and in Rochester.
Posted 2018-10-10
I reconnected with basketball buddy Bob Reith. Bob’s passion is now photography, and he says that beyond working out, he gets a lot of his exercise photographing wildlife. He uses two primary lenses among several, and one of them is a beast, weightwise. His wildlife photography is something to behold. Go to his Facebook page and check out his wildlife photos: www.facebook.com/bob.reith/photos.
Posted 2018-10-10
Rick Hartt states that among his recent exploits, probably most important is the therapy dog work that he and his spouse Julia Macdonald, ’72 and ’77, do with their dogs Jack and Ally, who are rescues from Georgia and Alabama. Every week, Rick and Julia go to a nursing home, a school where first and second graders read to them, and the community library, and then monthly to an adult day care facility.
Rick adds that The Class of ’70 had a great time in their four, sometimes five, or maybe even six years on campus, and now the group can look forward to its 50th Reunion in 2020. Posted 2018-03-15
Rick adds that The Class of ’70 had a great time in their four, sometimes five, or maybe even six years on campus, and now the group can look forward to its 50th Reunion in 2020. Posted 2018-03-15
Paul Miller shares this memory about the RPI football finishing the season 5-4: “The final game against the Yellowjackets of the University of Rochester occurred on freshman parents’ weekend, as I recall my parents watching the game. Overly excited, we tore out the goal post, and for some strange reason carried it through downtown Troy, about 4:30. A Troy cop stopped traffic. We returned up to the ’86 Field, joyful, as our parents figured it was time to head home in their cars. At least we had spirit, and for once in 17 years, a winning season.”
Posted 2018-03-15
Howard Matis writes: “My RPI education just paid off. Two papers that I co-authored were cited by the Nobel Prize for Chemistry as important background research that led to this year’s Nobel Prize—The Development of Cryo-Electron Microscopy.”
Howard, a physicist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is president of the Contemporary Physics Education Project (CPEP), and both Howard and the CPEP received the 2017 Excellence in Physics Education Award from APS Physics “for leadership in providing educational materials on contemporary physics topics to students for over 25 years.” Posted 2018-03-15
Howard, a physicist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is president of the Contemporary Physics Education Project (CPEP), and both Howard and the CPEP received the 2017 Excellence in Physics Education Award from APS Physics “for leadership in providing educational materials on contemporary physics topics to students for over 25 years.” Posted 2018-03-15
Kenton Lee, who writes that he will always consider himself as part of the Class of ’70 even though he was on the five-year ZBT program, went back and did a bit of digging through some Polys and found that the following acts had performed at the Field House through the years: Simon & Garfunkel, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Association and The Young Rascals (same blanket concert), Sammy Davis Jr., Mitch Ryder (but no mention of the Detroit Wheels), The McCoys (of “Hang On Sloopy” fame), The Lovin’ Spoonful, Woody Allen, The Doors, the New Christy Minstrels, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Al Hirt, Tom Paxton, Jay and the Americans, Flip Wilson, Iron Butterfly, B.B. King, Sonny & Cher, Bill Cosby and Roberta Flack, and Santana. In addition to that impressive list, Jamie Martinez also remembers Little Anthony and the Imperials performing at the Field House; Paul Miller added Gary U.S. Bonds, The Fifth Dimension, The Association, and Alan King.
Kenton also remembered Jimi Hendrix appearing at the Troy Armory; classmate John Granito shared photos from Hendrix's show, and Rick Hartt, who observed that was a concert that they all should have gone to, said that he particularly envied Wayne Coleman, who was in the fifth row.
In a more personal summary of what he's been up to after leaving Rensselaer, Kenton says that, after being with the NYS Dept. of Public Service, American Electric Power, an independent consultant in the U.S., and even several months in Pakistan, and with several auto dealers, he finds that retirement and grandchildren are the best rewards.
Kenton keeps busy with USA Hockey as a referee and coaching clinic instructor, and has officiated on-ice for almost 25 years, from 6-to-7-year-old children through high school JV and varsity and all levels of adult hockey (many of whom act like 6-to-7-year-olds). Instead of paying to go to a gym to exercise, Kenton gets paid to stay fit; he's done over 250 games over the past 12 months alone!
For 2018, Kenton is looking forward to celebrating 45 years of marriage to his wife, Joyce, who just retired, and spending more time with their five grandchildren. Ken adds that he also tries to keep in touch with Sue Alten, former roommate Wayne Coleman, and Carolyn Chin ’69. Posted 2018-03-15
Kenton also remembered Jimi Hendrix appearing at the Troy Armory; classmate John Granito shared photos from Hendrix's show, and Rick Hartt, who observed that was a concert that they all should have gone to, said that he particularly envied Wayne Coleman, who was in the fifth row.
In a more personal summary of what he's been up to after leaving Rensselaer, Kenton says that, after being with the NYS Dept. of Public Service, American Electric Power, an independent consultant in the U.S., and even several months in Pakistan, and with several auto dealers, he finds that retirement and grandchildren are the best rewards.
Kenton keeps busy with USA Hockey as a referee and coaching clinic instructor, and has officiated on-ice for almost 25 years, from 6-to-7-year-old children through high school JV and varsity and all levels of adult hockey (many of whom act like 6-to-7-year-olds). Instead of paying to go to a gym to exercise, Kenton gets paid to stay fit; he's done over 250 games over the past 12 months alone!
For 2018, Kenton is looking forward to celebrating 45 years of marriage to his wife, Joyce, who just retired, and spending more time with their five grandchildren. Ken adds that he also tries to keep in touch with Sue Alten, former roommate Wayne Coleman, and Carolyn Chin ’69. Posted 2018-03-15
Stephen Valentine has created a Facebook page, RPI Class of 1970. There are now 50 members, but other class members are welcome to submit even more great photos and stories as reminders of the Class' illustrious past!
Posted 2018-03-15
1971
Steven Naumann, M.S. ’72, wrote an opinion piece titled “We must act now to protect the electric grid from drones,” which The Hill published on January 10, 2023.
Posted 2024-01-12
Seth Bergmann and his wife, Sue.
Arnie Gundersen, M.S. ’72, is chief engineer for Fairewinds Energy Education and just had his third peer-reviewed paper in the last three years published. The first two concern the spread of radiation near Fukushima. This latest journal article concerns the spread of radiation in California from the 2018 Woolsey Fire, titled Radioactive Microparticles Related to the Woolsey Fire in Simi Valley, CA published in the Journal of Environmental Radioactivity.
Posted 2023-02-27
Warren Walker joined with AXP fraternity brothers of the Class of 1971, and their spouses, to celebrate their 50th Reunion. “As brother Joe so eloquently put it, If our lives were a baseball game, we would only be in the top of the seventh inning! If you were the manager, you would be telling your guys, ‘There is a lot of baseball left to play!’” The group plans to travel to Europe in 2022.
Posted 2023-02-27
Rafael A. Sierra, former chief technology officer of Cynosure, which develops and manufactures medical aesthetics, rejoined the company as R&D adviser. With a career spanning more than four decades, his expertise will help fuel Cynosure’s new product development engine.
Posted 2021-09-29
The Class of 1971 will be celebrating along with the Class of 1970, with their reunion being delayed a year. Larry Maver is a member of the Reunion Committee and is assembling a slide show of images from that era. If you have any digital or print images that you would like to loan or donate, contact Larry at larry.maver@gmail.com.
Posted 2021-07-16
The 50th Reunion of the Class of 1971 (in person) is being planned for Oct. 8-10, 2021. As of May 1, the Reunion Committee included 21 classmates who met the criteria for joining the committee (i.e., they agreed to try to make it back to RPI for Reunion; and they agreed to reach out to classmates they’d like to see at Reunion and encourage them to attend). You, too, are welcome to join the Reunion Committee. If you are interested in doing so, please email Mark Rice at rice@babson.edu. Reunion activities will include:
All-Alumni General Reception and Dinner on Saturday evening
Tour of the campus (including EMPAC) and/or the new athletic facilities
Possible tailgate and football game*
1971 (and 1970) Class Dinner at the Hilton Garden Inn on Friday evening
Greek, athletic, and other student organization events throughout the weekend*
*Once events are finalized, they will be added to the Reunion & Homecoming website.
Posted 2021-07-16
I participated in the Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile and finished the race with a time of 6:42.1, placing me 44th, age-graded, out of 76 competitors. — bergmann@rowan.edu
Posted 2021-02-26
Steve Nauman retired from Exelon after approximately 44 years. After RPI, he served as an engineering officer in an Air Force Civil Engineering unit and then started at Commonwealth Edison in its System Planning Department. Steve went to law school at night and after about 20 years of transmission planning and operations work, shifted to regulatory work. In addition to testifying before federal and state agencies, he represented the utility industry through testimony before several congressional committees on cybersecurity and other electric power reliability policies. He has worked with many RPI electric power engineering graduates, all of whom have provided leadership to the industry.
Posted 2021-02-26
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Seth Bergmann writes: On a sad note, Candy Kanuchok ’70 wrote to tell me that Kirby Rowe passed away in August of 2017. She said that Kirby was on the RPI hockey team, 1968-71.
Posted 2020-05-19
Science
Gary Nelson ’70, ’71, wrote that he and Dave Ritchie organized a Track & Field and Cross Country reunion on September 27. Dave also wrote to tell me about the reunion: “Our Cross Country and Track & Field Teams Reunion, the 1965-75 teams edition (with Doc Hudson ’56 and Crispin Hall ’56 included!), was pretty successful, with 22 former cross country and track guys (and some spouses or partners) attending. I’ve heard from many of those who attended, saying they’d be happy to come back in five years, 2024, which is also the 200th anniversary of the ’Tute. And maybe include a spring home track meet in the get-together.
“Some highlights and thoughts I had: Bob Peters ’65 came from the farthest away — California — truly a cross-countryman! Al Alexander ’69 was runner-up, probably the only time he’s lost (or been entered in) this kind of competition — motoring in from Minnesota! Charlie Patton ’69’s visual presentation of the Puerto Rico and Laurinburg, N.C., pre-season track training trips, plus some pictures he took from various meets — with his winning commentary and various comments from the audience — was a delight! Also, nearly 15 members of the current RPI cross country men’s and women’s teams stopped in and talked with us — they were an engaged and engaging group of young people! Instead of concentrating on a win-loss record for the school, the cross country program is built around helping the runners become the best they can be. So that means fewer meets for each runner, with each runner having a goal for the season and identifying the meets that they will run in, and training for the ultimate meet they want to compete in. Pretty interesting, and less about running the best runners every meet, but rather saving everyone and training them for the end-of-season big contests. Another source of pride for the school is the number of All-Americans that the program fosters and the individual results that these student-athletes achieve. And yes, we heard that the two highest GPAs for RPI’s athletic teams are still held by the cross country and track teams!”
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
Former RPI distance ace Bill Pollock writes that he did not enter the Boston Marathon last year (it would have been his eighth consecutive) due to a knee injury. He had surgery and has already qualified for the 2020 Boston Marathon. Way to go, Bill!
Posted 2020-05-19
Seth Bergmann writes: I was not able to find former RPI distance ace Bill Pollock’s name in the results of this year’s Boston Marathon...we hope you are OK, Bill. On March 16, I ran the Haddonfield “Adrenaline” 5K road race, finishing in 21:54, which was 7th place in the male 65-69 age group.
Posted 2019-10-01
Former RPI center fielder Mike Levitan was recently honored by the Oceanside (Long Island, N.Y.) Little League Association, where Mike dedicated four decades of his life as a coach. On Nov. 5, 2018, Oceanside Park Field No. 3 was renamed “Mike Levitan Field.” Mike played on this field as a child and coached there from 1972 to the present day. Mike was quoted: “It’s something you think about once in a while, and you never really think it’s going to happen to you...It was hard to put into words.”
Posted 2019-10-01
Ken Nowack has stayed in touch with RSE brothers Mike Evanchik, Rich Junker, and Bob Mooney. Ken sent some sad news on the passing of RSE member Jean Lapointe. Here is what I have from the Ann Arbor obituary: Jean passed away Dec. 28, 2018, after a long battle with lymphoma. Jean received both his undergraduate degree and master’s at RPI. He served as an officer in the Navy and then obtained his Ph.D. in organizational psychology at the University of Michigan. He had a long career in corporate organizational development, working at Merrill Lynch, Anheuser-Busch, and Chiquita. He then started his own consulting business, coaching executives in personal and professional growth. He also loved to cycle, completing two 100-mile bike rides to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society while in treatment for his lymphoma.
Posted 2019-10-01
Seth Bergmann writes: I ran the Delaware Distance Classic 15K race on Oct. 7, 2018, finishing in 1:11:23, good for third place among men 65 and over. I am looking forward to my birthday in September, when I will move up to the next age group.
Posted 2019-03-10
Mark Rice, former Grand Marshal at RPI, has been named provost (and professor of entrepreneurship) of Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. Mark had previously been dean of the graduate school at Babson, and prior to that, professor, dean, and vice provost at WPI.
Posted 2019-03-10
RPI track and cross country hall of famer Bill Pollock of Hunt, N.Y., completed the 2018 Boston Marathon in 5:19:47, which was 383rd place in the M65-69 age group. The runners fought strong headwinds on a cold rainy day in Boston. Congrats, Bill! I completed the Haddonfield Adrenaline Run 5K road race on March 17 with a time of 21:34, which placed me second in the M65-69 age group.
Posted 2018-10-10
Linda Miller, founder and co-president of the Newburyport Preservation Trust, presented a session on the preservation of 18th-century houses. Linda moved to Newburyport in 1975 after completing her M.A. in architecture at MIT. Since then she has run her own firm specializing in the restoration and remodeling of older buildings.
Posted 2018-10-10
The Adirondack Almanack recently ran a front-page article on trailblazer Kathleen Suozzo: “Kathleen Suozzo’s work is at the heart of one of the more difficult issues facing the Adirondacks today: upgrading aging waste-water and drinking-water treatment facilities in small communities where the cost is borne on the backs of local residents, though the heaviest usage is when tourists and seasonal residents come to visit. At stake are the lakes, rivers, and streams of the region.” Kathleen is an RPI engineering grad who lives in Bolton Landing, N.Y.
Posted 2018-10-10
I received this note from Gordon Cass: “I like to remind colleagues in our age group that Facebook does have positive features. Heading from MA to FL in February and posting as I drove. My freshman RPI roommate 1967-68 contacted me to say he lives in Tampa and to stop in. We had dinner and caught up on 50 years. Great evening with Steve Gerstein.” Gordon, would you believe I remember Steve Gerstein? He was a sprinter on the RPI freshman track team!
Posted 2018-10-10
Arnie Gundersen writes: “My wife of 39 years, Maggie, and I live in Burlington, Vt. She runs a nonprofit called Fairewinds Energy Education, and I am on the board. In March of 2015, I spoke at Northwestern U. in Chicago, giving a speech, ‘Building New Nuclear Plants Would Make Global Warming Worse.’ Forbes magazine covered the speech. The Forbes story, titled ‘Did Tesla Just Kill Nuclear Power,’ about my Northwestern speech had 530,000 page views! Also, I recently had an article published in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists with a great pic of me collecting radioactive samples near Fukushima titled ‘Is Solar Power Advisable in a Nuclear Disaster Zone?’ I also had a peer-reviewed paper published in Science of the Total Environment about my Fukushima research on radioactively hot particles.”
Posted 2018-10-10
Ralph R. (Rich) Barra, M.S. '72, shared this great memory of how he met his future wife at a Phalanx dance: "Fifty years ago, in September of 1967, I met my future wife at a dance that was “mandatory” for all freshmen to attend. It was the Phalanx Dance. RPI went to all of the surrounding schools that were predominately women (think nursing schools) and recruited 700 young ladies to be bused to the old Field House for an evening where they were matched with (as my wife describes the scene) a “pimply faced young man.” All the matching was done by asking only four questions, two of which would now be illegal: “what is your race” and “what is your religion."
"My apparent date (I actually met her three years later) had a far better offer from a fraternity brother, and my wife was just too uncomfortable to come down from the stands when they called her name." "So the remaining guys and gals were paired by forming two long lines. Then it was just “you with you.” I suspect I might be the only person who ever married his Phalanx Dance date, or at least stayed married since 1967." "I have been so fortunate in so many ways over the years, but meeting my bride (Joyce) was by far the best thing that ever happened in my life.I am thankful to RPI that they made sure that each of us “geeks” went out on at least one date in our college career!" Posted 2018-03-15
"My apparent date (I actually met her three years later) had a far better offer from a fraternity brother, and my wife was just too uncomfortable to come down from the stands when they called her name." "So the remaining guys and gals were paired by forming two long lines. Then it was just “you with you.” I suspect I might be the only person who ever married his Phalanx Dance date, or at least stayed married since 1967." "I have been so fortunate in so many ways over the years, but meeting my bride (Joyce) was by far the best thing that ever happened in my life.I am thankful to RPI that they made sure that each of us “geeks” went out on at least one date in our college career!" Posted 2018-03-15
Seth Bergmann ran the Delaware Distance Classic 15K race in Delaware City, Del., on October 8, 2-17, finishing in 1:09:37, earning second place among men aged 65-69.
Posted 2018-03-15
1972
Hector Mayol says he really loved reading last spring’s 1972 Class Notes. “I can relate to Dave Halwig’s failure at retirement as I went to law school at 55 and started a law career at 60. Ken Adamo, congrats on your achievements; my practice has led me to be counsel to the retirees of the government of Puerto Rico in the largest municipal bankruptcy on record.”
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
David Halwig writes: “Having completely flunked both retirement and semi-retirement, I am a co-founder of IntelliVen Inc., a company which provides strategic and operational consulting to mid-sized businesses who find themselves at inflection points, and I sit on the board of directors or advisory boards for several companies in the Washington, D.C., area. In addition, I sit on the board of trustees for St. George’s School in Newport, R.I., and the Langley School in McLean, Va., chairing the audit and risk management committees for each. I was recently appointed to the Chief Risk Officer’s Council at George Mason University and joined their adjunct faculty. In the past few years, I was a part of an interdisciplinary group at RPI to help develop the Challenge Studio concept, which I hope will grow to fruition in the near future. I also remain a big advocate for the Archer Center for Student Leadership Development, where I feel privileged to lead a couple of graduate-level sessions a year.”
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
Kenneth Adamo was listed in The Best Lawyers in America. He is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. He specializes in all areas of intellectual property law, particularly patent, copyright, unfair competition, trade secrets, and related antitrust matters. Kenneth holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from RPI, an LLM from The John Marshall Law School, and a JD from Albany Law School.
Posted 2020-05-19
Science
Jim Moe writes: I am a new class correspondent and look forward to hearing from any members of the Class of ’72. As for me, after graduating with an M.S. degree in computer science from RPI, I had a career in IT consulting and management, retiring in 2015. My wife and I live in Pittsford, N.Y., and have three kids and three grandchildren so far. We still enjoy downhill skiing, cycling, and travel. My hobby of model railroading has taken me all over the country to conventions and I look forward to seeing the new RPI club layout.
Posted 2020-05-19
Many thanks to Bob Dvorak, who has served as class correspondent, sharing your news in this space, since 1990! Due to medical considerations, Bob has decided it is time to step down and let someone else take on the role. If you are interested in serving as class correspondent for the Class of ’72, contact alum.mag@rpi.edu.
Posted 2019-10-01
Werner Kohler, professor of mathematics in the Virginia Tech College of Science, has been named professor emeritus. A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1973, he made significant contributions to the mathematics of wave propagation in research projects funded by numerous federal research agencies, and co-authored a widely used textbook on differential equations.
Posted 2019-03-10
I’m sorry to report that William “Ziggy” Bernfeld passed away on February 26, after a long struggle with lung disease. Ziggy graduated from the Lally School and received a commission from Army ROTC in 1972. He earned an MBA from the University at Albany and an M.S. in accounting from Pace University. He retired from the Army in 2002 after 30 years of service. He maintained a practice as a certified public accountant from 1986 until his retirement in 2010. He is survived by his wife Catherine, his children, Rebecca MacMillan ’99, Jennifer ’01 & ’02(Greg) Miller, and Adam (Brittney) Bernfeld, and his four grandchildren.
Posted 2018-10-10
Betty Sanders is a Lifetime Master Gardener and a nationally accredited flower show judge. Betty, who has studied gardening everywhere from the Arnold Arboretum to the New York Botanical Garden, has lectured at many garden shows and civic organizations in the Northeast.
Posted 2018-03-15
Ted Hoff ’58, inventor of the microprocesor, and Steve Sasson, inventor of the digital camera, were two of the 11 National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee judges selected for the Collegiate Inventors Competition.
Posted 2018-03-15
1973
Gary DiCamillo shares, "We look forward to seeing our fellow 1973 classmates at the reunion dinner on Friday, October 13th. President Marty Schmidt '81 will be the guest speaker."
Posted 2023-09-19
Posted 2023-09-19
George Spagna, M.S. ’82, Ph.D.’ 86, retired after the spring 2021 semester after 35 years at Randolph-Macon College. His daughter, the Rev. Amy Spagna, is rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Woodstock, Vermont. Daughter Kimberley Cruz Esq. is currently at D.C. Superior Court but in line for appointment as administrative law judge in D.C. Grandson Evan Cruz is 2 1/2!
Posted 2023-02-27
Gary DiCamillo has updates to share on some classmates: “Bob Koch retired as regional sales manager at Mechanical Dynamics and Analysis Co. Sam Thomas was honored at graduation last May (2022) with the RPI Scholarship Award recognition. Rod Pettigrew has been elected to the RPI Board of Trustees. Our old friend Rich Boroway passed away in August 2020. Bob Baker celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary in 2021 and is living in Gloucester, Massachusetts. John Lonski celebrated 37 years at Moody’s and now is president of “Thru the Cycle,” his own economics commentary and forecasting firm. Steve Anderson has lived in Germantown, Tennessee, for 37 years and sold his home inspection service a few years ago. John Zywar held several Zoom meetings over COVID with Phi Sigma Kappa brothers that included musical performances of acts that appeared at RPI over the years. Len Poch continues to work from home at the Binghamton University NYS Research Foundation. Send more news: garydicamillo@gmail.com.”
Posted 2023-01-17
This year reminds me of our freshman year at RPI when the Hong Kong flu was an epidemic. We did not shelter in place back then and most of us were not “social distancing.” That flu turned out to be pretty bad as well: an estimated 2 million deaths world-wide and approximately 115,000 in the U.S. between 1968 and 1970. Three waves. We are handling this flu with more science and experience this time around. Hope the second and third waves are less active than the Hong Kong flu. — garydicamillo@gmail.com
Posted 2021-02-26
Arnold Woo retired from Ericsson in 2017 and is now occupying himself taking classes at Rutgers, enjoying sailing, and flying radio-controlled planes for fun. He has stayed in touch with Edmond Chin.
Posted 2021-02-26
Thomas Gooding of Niskayuna and his dog, Lili Ann, won first place at last February’s Westminster Kennel Club Masters Agility competition (20-inch division). Tom and his wife, Nancye, run Gooding Skin Systems in Latham and travel to dog shows all over North America.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Gary DiCamillo writes: RPI started the 2019-2020 school year strongly with the largest freshman class in history (almost 1,700 freshmen) and with the highest average SAT scores ever (1410). I attended a board meeting in October and we celebrated Shirley Jackson’s 20th year as RPI President with Josh Groban providing the entertainment...great talent with a strong philanthropic bent.
Posted 2020-05-19
Business
Also in October, the Rensselaer Alumni Association held its annual awards program, honoring the most active and loyal RPI alums. This year our classmate John Hamilton was awarded the Albert Fox Demers Medal, the second highest award the association gives out. John has been the longtime president of the Dallas alumni chapter and is now the longest serving club president in the country. John frequently travels back to RPI for homecoming, presidential dinners, and the Big Red Freakout. One nominee characterized John as “a tireless volunteer whose dedication to serving alumni and students of RPI is unmatched.” The Dallas alumni chapter won the 2008 Most Improved Chapter of the Year Award under his leadership. Congratulations, John!
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
In other news, we heard that Jim Ballard was elected to the A-TEK (McLean, Va.) board of directors last summer. Jim currently serves as chairman of Preferred Systems Solutions (PSS) and previously was president and CEO of this government services company. Under his leadership, PSS grew from $57M to $650M in annual revenues with services spanning IT, engineering, and program management to the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense. Jim was a naval officer holding command and leadership roles in naval shipyards, the Naval Sea Systems Command, and the Program Executive Office Submarines. A-TEK is comprised of a team of experts in managing the data that drives federal missions and is a 23-year partner to government agencies including the NIH, Homeland Security, Justice, and Commerce. Great work, Jim.
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
Gary DiCamillo writes: As always, you can check out the Class of ’73 website at www.rpi73.org and check in.
Posted 2020-05-19
Gary DiCamillo I continue to serve as an RPI Trustee (my 24th year) and recently have been serving as chair of the Board’s Finance Committee. I am happy to report that the ’tute’s finances are in very good shape, with a balanced income and expense budget each year, plus an improving balance sheet with lower debt and an increasing endowment. Moody’s (where our classmate John Lonski has been the top economist for many years) rates RPI A2 and S&P BBB+, both with stable outlooks. With a lot of misinformation out there, feel free to email me with any questions I might be able to answer for you.
Posted 2019-10-01
There was a write-up in the Texas Medical Center News. In it, classmate Roderic Pettigrew describes how engineering and medicine, which for years have been taught in separate silos, are now converging. He cites the growth of wearable technologies, biomedical devices, and digital health, which require increased integrated training. The News also announced the selection of Roderic as the executive dean at Texas A&M’s inaugural Engineering Medicine Program. The school will establish a dual degree program and joins other well-known universities (like Duke, Stanford, Columbia, and Dartmouth) in establishing this degree track.
Posted 2019-10-01
Ned Cleland was awarded the Medal of Honor by the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute in February. The Medal of Honor is PCI’s most prestigious award. Recipients have made a highly significant contribution to the industry and have demonstrated a sincere continuing interest in the institute.
Posted 2019-10-01
Unlike previous years, we did not have a strong turnout at last fall’s 45th Reunion. About 13 alums showed up, which is less than half of most previous reunions. Good to hear that our friends Lee Cogansparger and Dave Yaney were there. Steve Norton continues to do a great job with our Class of ’73 website and published a few choice photos of the event. Steve also points out that we now have our fourth recipient of the Class of ’73 scholarship, which we endowed a few years ago. New donations are welcome; the scholarship goes to a deserving student with demonstrated need.
Posted 2019-10-01
Finally, although our 45th Reunion was thinly attended, we did learn of Alfred Li’s honor as an Albert Fox Demers medal winner. Alfred was honored at the RAA Awards banquet on October 11. I also caught up with Michael Eckstut, who writes: “We relocated to Princeton, N.J., after 20 years in the SF Bay area. I’ve had a chance to go to several Princeton-RPI hockey games (with Mark Schwartz) and will occasionally run into Bob Vanderbei, who was Class of ’76, and now teaches at Princeton.” Michael continues to work and is leading a turnaround of a drug development software provider. He is looking forward to Steve Norton’s annual visit as of this writing.
Posted 2019-03-10
There was an interesting article in last summer’s Buffalo News about Bill Greco, an avid yearbook collector and resident of East Amherst. He collected some of the most interesting artifacts of western New York’s famous citizens, including Tim Russert, Bob Lanier, Joe Ehrmann, Warren Spahn, and Sidney Farber (father of modern chemotherapy). Bill retired from careers in cancer research at Roswell Park Cancer Center and as a teaching professor at the University of Buffalo. It’s a neat article…with some interesting exchanges with Deborah Wright Dawson, who is now a county legislator. Look it up in the Buffalo News archives for more on Bill and his collection.
Posted 2019-03-10
Tom Iovino was a 2018 inductee into the American Road and Transportation Builders Association Foundation Hall of Fame. As many of you know, Tom founded Judlau Contracting and grew it into one of the country’s leading civil engineering construction companies, completing more than $3.5 billion in projects, including the Second Avenue Subway in NYC. Tom is a former trustee of RPI; we hope he’s enjoying his retirement.
Posted 2019-03-10
Architecture
Jon Jackson, one of the principals of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (BCJ), the architecture firm that designed RPI’s Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, passed away on August 17. He had recently retired from the firm and was a highly respected figure in both the western PA and national design communities, and his life’s work helped propel BCJ’s rise to national and international prominence. His work on the Biotech Center was emblematic of his excellent work in academic spaces and laboratories. Jon designed buildings for Carnegie Mellon, University of Pittsburgh, Dartmouth, University of Washington, Caltech, University of Illinois, University of California, and Yale, in addition to RPI. He won numerous awards for workplace design and set the stage for collaborations with Pixar, Disney, Apple, and others. In the words of the late Dick Rittelmann ’60, another well-known RPI architecture alum, “the breadth and complexity of BCJ’s work over the years is a testimony to the skills of Jon Jackson as not only a great individual architect, but a manager, mentor, motivator, and collaborator.” Jon was a longtime resident of Pittsburgh’s Chatham Village, where he helped earn the community’s listing in the National Register of Historic Places. We all will miss this very talented alum.
Posted 2019-03-10
Mark Keough writes: As more of us retire, expect to see more notes about our interesting side trips and experiences. We recently had a family wedding in Cleveland and took advantage of the opportunity to visit the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson in Dayton, Ohio. A huge museum, rivaling the Smithsonian’s museums, we spent the entire day there and didn’t see all of it. The newly restored B-17 Memphis Belle was brought into the museum in May 2018. While in the rearmost building, I was very surprised to come across the Teal Ruby satellite sitting in the cargo hold of a Space Shuttle mockup. This satellite was designed to detect the heat signatures of enemy aircraft crossing the polar region during the cold war, along with detecting missile launches and other events. Our good friend and RPI alum Jack Haberle ’73 wrote code for this satellite for at least five years. Due to the Challenger accident and budget issues, the satellite was never launched, but is now proudly on display!
Posted 2019-03-10
Finally, our old friend Michael Eckstut commented on Robert Bochnak’s LinkedIn blog recently on the most important qualities of board members. Michael says it’s important to “not try and run the business”...recognizing that only in rare instances will you know more than management about specific business issues. Good advice.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Well, RPI certainly has a following at the Yale School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). Our ’73 classmate Mitchell Smooke recently was named acting dean of Yale SEAS, succeeding Kyle Vanderlick, RPI Class of ’81. Mitchell is the Strathcona Professor of Mechanical Engineering and professor of applied physics and has served as chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science for over 12 years. He is a widely recognized expert in computational studies of combustion...especially investigating methods of quantifying combustion-generated nanoparticles from land- and air-based systems. I’m sure you have all been wondering what happens to those nasty nanoparticles when they are spewed in the air. Mitchell has developed models to know where they go and why. Congrats to Mitchell on his appointment.
Posted 2018-10-10
I was looking forward to seeing many of you at our 45th Reunion in late September. We’ve been having a great time catching up...check www.rpi73.org for updates. —Gary DiCamillo ’73; garydicamillo@gmail.com
Posted 2018-10-10
In other news, the Rensselaer Outing Club had a 40ish reunion of sorts with several members of our Class of ’73 present. (Yes, they went camping...of course!...to the Mojave Desert at the Joshua Tree National Park). Campers included classmates Roger Harris, Carlos Barraza, Ginny Kania Solla, and Ginny’s daughter, Victoria, RPI ’11. No rain was reported, as it hasn’t rained in the Mojave Desert in years.
Posted 2018-10-10
Gary DiCamillo reports that, like some of his classmates, he too is back at work, as president and CEO of Universal Trailer Corp., a mid-sized horse, livestock, and cargo trailer company with seven plants in six states. Gary offers that if anybody needs a new pig trailer, to just give him a call and he'll be happy to give the “friends and family” discount. Gary apparently also has motorcycle and snowmobile trailers, if that’s more your style!
Gary also encourages more folks from the Class of 1973 to send in more info, saying, "You’ll want to amaze your classmates on how many grandchildren you have and how many new patents you’ve received since graduation!" In closing, Gary suggests checking out the Class website and to let Steve Norton update your profile, and says that he's looking forward to the Class' 45th Reunion in September. Posted 2018-03-15
Gary also encourages more folks from the Class of 1973 to send in more info, saying, "You’ll want to amaze your classmates on how many grandchildren you have and how many new patents you’ve received since graduation!" In closing, Gary suggests checking out the Class website and to let Steve Norton update your profile, and says that he's looking forward to the Class' 45th Reunion in September. Posted 2018-03-15
Marc Bellotti was named to the board of directors of SpineOvations, a California-based medical device company developing minimally invasive therapies for spinal disc problems. Marc is also a partner at Fuel Source Partners, a management consulting firm in the medical device industry. Previously VP of research and development at Sonendo Inc., Marc previously held senior management positions at Baxter Healthcare and Johnson & Johnson. Classmate Gary DiCamillo observes: "Great career Marc...many of us might like to try the SpineOvations product to help our ailing backs."
Posted 2018-03-15
Tom Iovino has retired from his company, Judlau Contracting, after 35 years there. Tom sold his company a few years ago to OHL North America and he stayed on as CEO until last July. A large civil contracting company headquartered in Queens, N.Y., Judlau has completed more than $3.5B in projects for the NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Posted 2018-03-15
1974
James Wernicke reports that the Class of 1974 is beginning to prepare for the Golden Reunion in 2024. “We could use help from all Class of 1974 alumni. Let us know if you are coming and can help with planning (planning not required). Tune in to the Facebook page at RPI 74 or thru LinkedIn at RPI ’74. Note the apostrophe.”
Posted 2024-01-17
James Wernicke recently summited the highest free-standing mountain in the world and the fourth highest of the seven summits — Mt. Kilimanjaro — along with his two sons to celebrate his 70th birthday. Following the seven-day Machame route via the Lava Tower, he reached the Crown of Africa and peak of the still-active volcano around 9 a.m., long after other trekkers half his age had summited. The summit day began at midnight at 15,400 feet elevation and required navigating a steep ascent 4,500 feet up the crater wall in the dark by following headlamps. An outside temperature of 20F (the lowest reading on James’ thermometer) brought back vivid memories of Troy in the winter. He became one of less than 300,000 persons on record worldwide to achieve the feat.
Posted 2023-02-27
Stephen Vasconcellos is on the Scientific Advisory Board of ProcessMiner Inc., an artificial intelligence platform for the manufacturing industry.
Posted 2021-09-29
Engineering
James Wernicke writes: Our 45th class reunion was held last September 27 and 28. While the attendance was not as large as the 40th, we still had a great time. There were some new faces that had never made a reunion before, like Phil Bennett and his wife, Becky. We all enjoyed dinner at Delmonico’s in Albany on Friday night and then got together at the Pump Station for some refreshments after the Saturday activities. In case you didn’t hear, RPI football won 38-0. They must have liked that score because the following week they went and beat Rochester by the same score! You can check out the reunion pictures on our Facebook page, RPI 74. Kudos to our Class Captain Claudia Seligman for all the work she put into the reunion as well as the memorabilia she brought us from New Orleans. Remember the next reunion is not only our 50th, but it is also RPI’s 200th. It should be a very memorable event.
During the dinner we tried to put the RPI brains together to figure out what technologies would be commonplace in 2024. Some of our thoughts were that self-driving cars would be everywhere; help desks would be functional; there would be no physical phone; organs would be 3D printed; cancer would be defeated; there would be major infrastructure shutdowns due to hacking or just plain computer error; the Internet of Things would be ubiquitous; medical AI would be common; there would be one EZ-pass that would work on all toll roads; and vehicles would have RFID chips so they could be tracked. Join us in 2024 when we see how well we have done.
While not at the reunion, Bob Scaringe managed to get himself selected as HVAC Insider Man of the Year. I’ve written about Bob and his company, Mainstream, in the past and it’s good to see him still getting recognition for his work. Steve Earley, president of his firm S. M. Earley, was also made a director of RG Group. Steve has served on several other boards in the past.
Posted 2020-05-19
James C. Wernicke Are you following us on Facebook at RPI 74? We will give you the latest news about the class, RPI, and future happenings...especially our upcoming 50th Reunion in 2024...which coincides with RPI’s 200th anniversary. You can also view pictures of the 45th Reunion!
Posted 2019-10-01
Science
Dr. Julie Shimer, who started out with a B.S. in physics, has moved into director positions with Apollo Endosurgery and Masimo Corp. after leading Welch Allyn and Vocera as both CEO and president.
Posted 2019-03-10
John Leimseider is getting the recognition he deserves; unfortunately it is postmortem. John passed away on Sept. 14, 2018, in Calgary, Canada. As a keyboardist for Iron Butterfly, he had his share of notoriety, and later when the stars turned to him to fix their ailing synthesizers. Folks like Michael Jackson, Ray Charles, and Lenny Kravitz went to John for emergency help. Those of us who remember him never forget his John Lennon beard or his mellow temper. John leaves behind his wife, Laura, son, Noah, and daughter, Zoe. I’m sure he’ll be playing “Stairway to Heaven” next.
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
James C. Wernicke, P.E. states: This will be my last class notes before the Reunion. I don’t know about you but I’m planning to be there. As a retiree in Florida, I enjoy getting up north during the Florida “summer,” which seems to run until November. I even heard that the trees change color up there, but it’s been so long I don’t remember what color they change to!
Posted 2019-03-10
Duane Covino continues to make good use of time in his now almost 11-year-long retirement from full-time work. In October 2017 he joined an “Arts and Ceramics of China and Taiwan” tour, visiting such places as Jingdezhen, the “mecca of meccas” of Chinese pottery. He continues to study and practice pottery at his local community college, and is also finishing his third semester of Spanish language studies. During spring break 2018, he joined a weeklong guided tour of Portugal. While in line in the Geneva airport to change planes for Portugal, directly in front of him was RPI Class of ’84 alum Michael Gobeli, who noticed that Duane was wearing a light-grey RPI fleece jacket. (It pays to advertise!)
Posted 2018-10-10
When the law firm of Dickinson Wright chose to open a branch in Silicon Valley, they picked Michael Ferrazano as the member for the office of patent agents and property attorneys. Michael brings his experience in computer networking, digital signal processing, integrated circuit design, and semiconductor device fabrication to the firm. He is recognized as a “Top Lawyer” in intellectual property by Sacramento Magazine.
Posted 2018-10-10
One of our classmates is keeping very healthy while helping others with autism. Robert “Nick” Nickerson is in the process of running 3,000 miles to raise awareness for the need to fund research to find the cause(s) of autism before it becomes the disease/disability of the century. As of April, he had passed 1,300 miles and was still going strong—or at least as strong as anyone can at 72. For more info or to donate, visit his website 3000MilesForAutism.org. If classmates don’t remember him, it is because he has never been in Troy…he graduated from the RPI Hartford Graduate Center.
Posted 2018-10-10
George Jakobsche writes that after software engineering for 20 years he started attending law school to become a patent attorney, because DEC wanted to grow its in-house patent group. His boss said he would pay for tuition and books but halfway through law school, DEC laid off his entire department. After 18 months of “consulting,” he got a job at an intellectual property (IP) law firm in Boston. A couple of years later, his former boss asked if he was interested in applying for the company’s first-ever in-house patent counsel job. Going from being a first-year associate at a law firm to being in-house patent counsel didn’t hurt, either. After six years, he left to join a different law firm, then another, and finally ended up at Sunstein Law for over 10 years. He says he still writes code for fun (Arduino projects, and the like), and is still a ham radio operator.
George tells me he is living in Concord, N.H., with his wife of 30 years and they have two children, one a chemistry professor at Clark University, the other a photographer. “I like all kinds of beer, especially Belgian and Scottish ales. I always have at least a dozen different kinds of beer at home in my beer fridge (a dorm refrigerator, whose thermostat I modified to run at beer temperature), and about 200 bottles of wine in the crawl space under my house addition. Hobbies include photography (beginning on astrophotography now), woodworking, and electronics projects.” George can be reached at gjakobsche@sunsteinlaw.com. Posted 2018-10-10
George tells me he is living in Concord, N.H., with his wife of 30 years and they have two children, one a chemistry professor at Clark University, the other a photographer. “I like all kinds of beer, especially Belgian and Scottish ales. I always have at least a dozen different kinds of beer at home in my beer fridge (a dorm refrigerator, whose thermostat I modified to run at beer temperature), and about 200 bottles of wine in the crawl space under my house addition. Hobbies include photography (beginning on astrophotography now), woodworking, and electronics projects.” George can be reached at gjakobsche@sunsteinlaw.com. Posted 2018-10-10
Kathe Kilmer, who retired from Kodak after 33 years in their research division, mostly in clinical diagnostics, was saddened at Eastman Kodak’s demise. After leaving Kodak, Kathe spent five years refereeing high school volleyball and many years tutoring SATs part time, but reports it is not as fun since they dumbed it down.
Kathe and husband Bob Kulpinski have a metallurgist son in Ohio and a daughter living in New Zealand in business, as well as three sweet granddaughters: a two-year-old and identical twin three-year-olds. Kathe enjoys tennis, paddle tennis and a bit of pickle, and definitely traveling. Posted 2018-03-15
Kathe and husband Bob Kulpinski have a metallurgist son in Ohio and a daughter living in New Zealand in business, as well as three sweet granddaughters: a two-year-old and identical twin three-year-olds. Kathe enjoys tennis, paddle tennis and a bit of pickle, and definitely traveling. Posted 2018-03-15
Larry Almaleh says that he has tried to make several homecomings, but has been busy traveling for work, as he is still working as a project manager at Black & Veatch, now in the Special Projects Group. Larry, who made his first trip around the world returning from Diego Garcia when delays made him change travel plans to head west to go home instead of east, has been with B&V over 41 years and thinks he set a company record by working with or in every division!
Larry still lives in the Kansas City area; his daughter Katie is getting married in Dallas and his son Ryan has now settled in Denver. After his son broke up with his girlfriend in Hawaii, Larry and his wife, Harriet, became granddog owners after adopting Don Draper, a ten-pound bundle of energy who now runs the household. In response to Larry's comment that it took some time getting used to snow last winter, classmate James C. Wernicke writes: "Larry, don’t you remember RPI winters!?" Larry welcomes other classmates to drop him some e-mail to keep in touch. Posted 2018-03-15
Larry still lives in the Kansas City area; his daughter Katie is getting married in Dallas and his son Ryan has now settled in Denver. After his son broke up with his girlfriend in Hawaii, Larry and his wife, Harriet, became granddog owners after adopting Don Draper, a ten-pound bundle of energy who now runs the household. In response to Larry's comment that it took some time getting used to snow last winter, classmate James C. Wernicke writes: "Larry, don’t you remember RPI winters!?" Larry welcomes other classmates to drop him some e-mail to keep in touch. Posted 2018-03-15
Dana Rowley, who retired back in 2013 after 32 years at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, was elected president of the board at the Livermore Valley Educational Foundation.
Posted 2018-03-15
Don O’Hare retired several years ago with the rank of Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army after 26-½ years of service. A Troy native and married to local nurse Gail Stevens, Don now lives in Colorado Springs with Gail and their daughter, Kelly.
Posted 2018-03-15
1975
Bob Dowgwillo is now one-year retired from a 42-year career as an aerodynamicist with McDonnell Douglas and Boeing. With the three kids long out of the house, he and his wife downsized into their 115-year-old duplex in the historic Skinker DeBalieviere neighborhood in St. Louis. In January, they became proud grandparents for the first time.
Posted 2024-01-17
Frank J. Potter retired in 2019 from a small computer company in Nashville, Tennessee. His B.S. in chemistry from RPI was augmented with an M.S. in chemistry from Vanderbilt, followed by about a decade of analytical chemistry for consulting engineering companies in Nashville and, later, in Fall River, Massachusetts. In the late 1980s, he returned to Vanderbilt and received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering. He ended up working as a technical writer for a software company and then for the specialty computer company from which he retired. During those years, he and his wife raised two daughters. In retirement, Frank created an LLC for cutlery and tool sharpening and is happily honing his way through retirement.
Posted 2023-02-27
Robert Srubas was an engineering executive in the wire and cable industry for 40 years and was granted four patents. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wire and Cable Manufacturers’ Alliance. He served on the New England Chapter of the Wire Association International Board of Directors, including as president.
Posted 2023-02-27
Patty and Jon Lathrop have been busy working on a new lakefront property in northern Idaho. It looks spectacular!
Posted 2021-02-26
Gail Worthington has been frequenting Facebook with photos and reports as she and Mark Vince roam about the western part of the country in their new mobile home.
Posted 2021-02-26
Lori Johnston Chen has submitted her papers to retire from teaching, though I’m sure she hoped she would at least be finishing up the school year in class with her students.
Posted 2021-02-26
Science
Greetings to the Class of 1975! Andy Grosso is living in Georgetown, in Washington, D.C., where he has his own law practice. His longtime girlfriend, Virginia Covington, is a federal judge in Tampa, Fla. They “commute,” and keep JetBlue and American Airlines in business. Last May, Andy gave the keynote address on “Big Data, Better Health,” to a conference of the International Lawyers’ Association in New York City. According to Andy, it was the first (and hopefully the only) time that an audience of lawyers was treated to both a description of quantum computing and a musical quote from Jefferson Starship’s “Ride the Tiger.”
Posted 2020-05-19
Architecture
Got an email from Jackie Masloff last July, which said: “I successfully defended my doctoral dissertation on July 16 and will be receiving a Ph.D. in Educational Studies with a specialization in Adult Learning and Development from Lesley University. I was the first in my cohort to do so and was able to complete all the coursework and writing of the dissertation in three years. I also started a new teaching position in September 2018 as a lecturer in computer information systems at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass. Although my husband retired almost two years ago, I have no intention of doing so! I really enjoy teaching, the students, and the school, and still have much to do as long as my health and my brain are still working well!”
Posted 2020-05-19
David Stark And the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl once again!! Go Pats!
And another thing — by the time you receive these notes, planning will be well underway for our 45th Reunion.
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Travis Whitehead (B.S. & M.S. E.E.) announced his bid for Queensbury Town Supervisor against the incumbent. He and his wife, Valerie, have been looking for a piece of land that includes a waterfall so that they could tap into it to generate hydroelectric power to power their home, and apparently just narrowly missed a parcel near their home. They also have amassed a collection of vintage music-making devices, pinball machines, jukeboxes, and tube-type radios. They also host a weeklong summer camp for their four grandchildren each year.
Posted 2019-10-01
Science
Patrick Dreher (B.S. & M.S. Physics; MBA) was named the chief scientist for the new IBM Quantum Computing Hub at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. Pat is a research professor in the NCSU Department of Computer Science and an associate faculty member of the NCSU Department of Physics. The IBM Q Hub at NCSU started operations in the fall of 2018, providing NCSU with remote access to IBM Q commercial quantum computing devices, including the most advanced and scalable universal systems available.
Posted 2019-10-01
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Gerry Ogris (Econ.) was appointed to the advisory board of URentMe. com, an online marketplace for renting recreational vehicles, motor sports, and motorized watercraft based in Henderson, Nev.
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Altivia, a chemical company headquartered in Houston, Texas, has appointed Russ Herman (Mech.E.) as commercial manager of its Aromatics business, responsible for sales and marketing of phenol, acetone, alpha-methylstyrene, and bisphenol-A, produced at their plant in Haverhill, Ohio.
Posted 2019-10-01
David Stark writes:
On the home front, I now have a married son—the wedding was lovely all the way around, and the weather cooperated, too! To save a bit of time and money, my wife and I spent a week in Bar Harbor (oh, excuse me, “Bah Hahbah”), Maine, and toured Acadia National Park. On our way north, we stopped in to visit Jon Lathrop (Nuc.Sci.) and his wife, Patty, in Lowell, Mass. We had a great visit!
And the Boston Red Sox won the World Series!! Go Sawx!
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
Bob Dowgwillo (Aer.E.). He writes: “The Dowgwillo household is set to celebrate three weddings within 15 months. Son Alex was married this past August. Our elder daughter Emily is engaged to be married in May 2019, and younger daughter Catherine is engaged to be married in October 2019.” Bob and Heidi have downsized and have settled into their 1908 duplex near Forest Park in St. Louis.
Posted 2019-03-10
Architecture
Ray Weisner writes: Finally, over the summer Paul Nilsson and I had a great (and very retro) time at the Peter Frampton and Steve Miller Band concert in NYC. Reliving the dream. I’m still living and working in Manhattan, as a partner with VRC Valuation Research, a business valuation and M&A consultant. I hung up my architecture spurs right after getting my RA registration, and just after my MBA. My wife, Carole, is almost entirely too happy in retirement. All is good.
Posted 2019-03-10
Architecture
Ray Weisner writes: Also this summer, I caught up with another former classmate who transferred out, to RISD, Peter Dubin. Peter joined the firm in Chicago that his father was in, and Peter has designed, among other things, a fantastic residential high-rise in China.
Posted 2019-03-10
Architecture
Ray Weisner writes: “Wanted to say hello and provide— especially for my architecture mates—three blasts from the past. I was in New Mexico this fall, and caught up with a long-lost former classmate, Lorn Tryk. Lorn lives in Santa Fe and has his own architectural firm. He transferred to Rice after our sophomore year. It was great to see him!
Posted 2019-03-10
Architecture
Frank Pitts (Arch.) continues to collect accolades. He was named the 2018 Changemaker Award recipient by the Center for Health Design’s board of directors. The award honors individuals or organizations that have demonstrated exceptional ability to change the way health-care facilities are designed and built, and whose work has had a broad impact on the advancement of health-care design.
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
We received an article from the Albany Business Review concerning Bob Bedard (EE), CEO and owner of DeFacto Global, a tech company based in beautiful downtown Troy, which focuses on financial forecasting software for Fortune 500 companies. Bob started DeFacto Global in 2010, and moved it to Troy in early 2017 so he could partner with RPI and escape Connecticut.
Posted 2019-03-10
David Stark: Big news from the Stark household is the engagement of my older son, Chris. Maureen and I won’t be going on any big vacations this year—the wedding will be in October.
Posted 2018-10-10
Greetings to the Class of 1975! Got a note from Leland Deck last winter that just missed the cutoff for the Spring ’18 issue, so here it is:
“In October a group of ’70s-era Rensselaer Outing Club (ROC) members had a 40th-ish-year reunion (camping of course). Roger Harris, ’73 & ’76, wisely picked a place to go camping that (a) has stellar rock climbing and hiking, and (b) where we could absolutely count on it not raining: California’s Mohave Desert. The 11 ROC alumni attendees in Joshua Tree National Park for four days graduated from RPI from ’71 to ’78 (our 12th camper is a courageous wife who’s tolerated ~40 years of bizarre ROC tales and ROCer visits...surely earning honorary ROC status the hard way).
“The campers who managed to remain hale, hearty, and crazy pulled out the ropes, carabiners, etc., and tackled JT’s spectacular red granite formations, while the saner ones hiked and explored Joshua Tree. No ROC gathering could ever be complete without a slide show, of course. JT NP is a designated International Dark Sky Park, providing a spectacular backdrop to share old and new pics of our wilderness adventures around the world and reminisce.
“While planning, we heard from dozens of other ’70s-era ROCers, who offered lame excuses like ‘I’m hiking in Peru’ or working the grape harvest, or the so-sad ‘still have an office job’ affliction. As we packed up we started planning for another reunion in 40 years, but some talked us into trying to do better than that. As long as we’ll be at another rain-free campground, we’ll likely make it.
“PS: A special shout out to Victoria Solla ’11. Not only did she follow both her parents’ path to RPI, but she was also a hard-core ROCer; a certified double-barreled RPI-ROC legacy!” To see who attended, see photo above. Posted 2018-10-10
“In October a group of ’70s-era Rensselaer Outing Club (ROC) members had a 40th-ish-year reunion (camping of course). Roger Harris, ’73 & ’76, wisely picked a place to go camping that (a) has stellar rock climbing and hiking, and (b) where we could absolutely count on it not raining: California’s Mohave Desert. The 11 ROC alumni attendees in Joshua Tree National Park for four days graduated from RPI from ’71 to ’78 (our 12th camper is a courageous wife who’s tolerated ~40 years of bizarre ROC tales and ROCer visits...surely earning honorary ROC status the hard way).
“The campers who managed to remain hale, hearty, and crazy pulled out the ropes, carabiners, etc., and tackled JT’s spectacular red granite formations, while the saner ones hiked and explored Joshua Tree. No ROC gathering could ever be complete without a slide show, of course. JT NP is a designated International Dark Sky Park, providing a spectacular backdrop to share old and new pics of our wilderness adventures around the world and reminisce.
“While planning, we heard from dozens of other ’70s-era ROCers, who offered lame excuses like ‘I’m hiking in Peru’ or working the grape harvest, or the so-sad ‘still have an office job’ affliction. As we packed up we started planning for another reunion in 40 years, but some talked us into trying to do better than that. As long as we’ll be at another rain-free campground, we’ll likely make it.
“PS: A special shout out to Victoria Solla ’11. Not only did she follow both her parents’ path to RPI, but she was also a hard-core ROCer; a certified double-barreled RPI-ROC legacy!” To see who attended, see photo above. Posted 2018-10-10
David Stark reports that he and his wife Maureen have continued their SKI (Spending the Kids’ Inheritance) vacations, and spent two weeks in September 2017 in Vancouver, Canada, and on a sea/land cruise to Alaska. During the trip, they visited Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord, as well as two resorts outside Denali National Park, but unfortunately Mount Denali was socked in with clouds during their entire trip, and that same overcast prevented them from having any chance of seeing the northern lights.
Posted 2018-03-15
Bob Fitzgibbon is working as a principal engineer in RF/microwave and other physics areas for Alion Science and Technology in Rome, N.Y., and is also a member of the Rome Academy of Sciences, which hosts topical talks and sponsors science fairs in the local schools. Bob's wife, Jennifer, is a church organist and they are both active in choir and other church work. They also had a wonderful trip to Missouri in August 2017 to see the eclipse.
Bob and Jennifer's extracurricular activities include astronomy and amateur radio, and they also talk to Catherine Fiore and Valerie Lyons and Paul Crilly ’76 every now and then on Facebook. They wish all the best to their fellow alumni! Posted 2018-03-15
Bob and Jennifer's extracurricular activities include astronomy and amateur radio, and they also talk to Catherine Fiore and Valerie Lyons and Paul Crilly ’76 every now and then on Facebook. They wish all the best to their fellow alumni! Posted 2018-03-15
1976
Ken Schmalz started right out of RPI with Kimberly-Clark Corp. The first third of his career was in engineering roles, the middle third in plant manager/operations roles, and the final third in supply chain and logistics roles. He retired in May 2015 after 39 years with the same company. He then bridged into his encore career as an instructor/consultant in Lean Leadership/Manufacturing techniques for the local technical college. He did that for three years before retiring completely in June 2018. He and his wife were married in 1984. Their daughter graduated college and is now married and working in Minnesota. “Raising a family and career took us through Connecticut, Texas, South Carolina, and Wisconsin (three times) before ending up just a few miles south of the hallowed, frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. Go Packers! We’ve settled into a place overlooking a local lake for some peace and tranquility for a while anyway. Our address is W5473 Meilke Rd., Menasha, WI 54952.”
Posted 2024-01-17
Gary S. Silverstein, M.D., retired July 1, 2021 after 39 years as a diagnostic radiologist. He and his wife, Lori, plan on splitting their time between their homes in Upper Holland, Pennsylvania, and Naples, Florida.
Posted 2023-02-27
Beth Montelone, a highly experienced researcher and administrator, was named Kansas State University’s interim vice president for research. Previously, she was the university’s senior associate vice president for research.
Posted 2021-09-29
Eldridge Mount III, an independent consultant with more than 40 years of industrial experience, was inducted into the Association of International Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators Hall of Fame (AIMCAL), for “playing a vital role in AIMCAL’s growth and expanded range of offerings to members and the industry.”
Posted 2021-09-29
Engineering
Francis "Bud" Offermann was featured in The Buffalo News in September for keeping alive a great family tradition: throwing out the first pitch on opening day for the Buffalo Bisons. His grandfather formerly owned the Bisons and was among Buffalo’s most famous citizens. Bud is an indoor air quality scientist who runs his own company and often testifies as an expert witness in complex court cases.
Posted 2020-05-14
Nelson Gomm writes: “Although I have gone into semi-retirement, I decided to write a novel, Overhead Assets. It’s a military techno-thriller based on a mix of my experiences on a black program I was working and my classified mission in Vietnam. I’ve written lots of technical documents but this was much more difficult — but fun to write. It is available now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. My second novel should be out in 2020.”
Posted 2019-10-01
Robert Saia, M.S. ’76, was named senior vice president, business development, at Cadence Aerospace, a provider of highly complex aerospace components and assemblies to manufacturers of commercial and defense aircraft and aeroequipment.
Posted 2018-10-10
John McManus was promoted to senior vice president, environmental services, at American Electric Power in March. He is responsible for directing the development of environmental policy for AEP, assuring compliance and overseeing environmental support services for AEP’s generation and energy delivery facilities.
Posted 2018-10-10
After 20 years as an avionics consultant in support of USAF surveillance aircraft (E-3 AWACS and E-8 JSTARS), Nelson Gomm, M.S. ’76, retired last August. Now living on Cape Cod with his wife, Laurie, he has resumed a hobby he had ignored for over 50 years—ham radio. “RPI and NCE gave me the education, tools, and confidence to become an independent contractor.” He can now spend more time with family and boating in the summer.
Posted 2018-10-10
Gary Neal was elected for a three-year term as treasurer general of the General Society of the War of 1812.
Posted 2018-03-15
1977
Emmett Partain has retired after 39 years of company service from his R&D position at the Dow Chemical Company. He and his wife (Karen Wisniewski, Class of 1980) are spending some of their retirement time traveling around the U.S. and Canada on their bucket list to visit each NHL arena.
Posted 2024-01-17
Martin K. Ettington recently retired from a career as a software developer, software manager, and IT project manager. In the last 12 years, he has written over 100 books on unusual topics, including longevity, the paranormal, spirituality, UFOs, space travel, ancient history, and much more. Martin brings an analytical approach to his books and experiences to help others better understand the truth of these subjects. His books can be seen on his website at mkettingtonbooks.com. He has also been recently interviewed for four episodes of Ancient Aliens, which were scheduled to air in early 2022. He lives in San Pedro, California. He also has a 24-year-old son, Neil.
Posted 2023-02-27
Eileen White, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey deputy director, chief scientific officer, and associate director for basic research, is among 120 elected to the National Academy of Sciences for distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. She was elected to the prestigious 2021 class of fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy for the significant and enduring impact of her cancer research.
Posted 2021-09-29
Michael Della Rocca was appointed to the board of directors of Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives, a leading infrastructure construction company with renewable energy and civil expertise.
Posted 2021-09-29
Science
Charles Roth (Comp.Sci.) writes from Ann Arbor with a few updates... “Eight years as senior software architect at ProQuest. Unit-testing evangelist, speaking at ‘Agile & Beyond’ in Detroit, May 2019. Volunteering and building software tools for VotersNotPoliticians of Michigan, we successfully ended gerrymandering in Michigan last year! Daughter Emma going on second year at Boston University in technical theater, wife ‘Pastor Barb’ doing pastoral care for senior living centers. croth@thedance.net, blog lookfar.caucus.com.”
Posted 2020-05-19
J. Richard (Rick) Pooler has joined Bond, Schoeneck & King's environmental and energy practice in Syracuse, N.Y. He was formerly chief environmental, health, and safety counsel for many years at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Posted 2019-10-01
Lawson Fowble writes: “Just got my latest issue of Rensselaer alumni magazine and thought I should pass along my current status. I'm unemployed! (Yay!) After 35 years with my old company, I have now officially retired. For those who remembered, I graduated with a degree in chemistry but ended up working for and owning a manufactured home company. A few years ago, my fellow owners (family members) and I sold the company to the country's largest home builder. After three years working for the combined operation, it was time to say goodbye and move along. Now I work as a part-time consultant to them and otherwise just goof off. Along the way I picked up an MBA and a couple of degrees in computer science, and was an adjunct at Herkimer County Community College for a few years.”
“On a personal note, Patty and I (we met at a Phi Sigma Kappa party when we invited girls from Saint Rose) had our 40th anniversary last fall. I had a full head of hair then but after two daughters, one son, and five granddaughters, I've pulled most of it out. My wife also gave me two heart attacks, but she hasn't killed me yet, and I managed to get a riding lawn mower out of it. We still live within an hour of Rensselaer. Best wishes to all my fellow classmates and frat brothers.” Posted 2019-10-01
“On a personal note, Patty and I (we met at a Phi Sigma Kappa party when we invited girls from Saint Rose) had our 40th anniversary last fall. I had a full head of hair then but after two daughters, one son, and five granddaughters, I've pulled most of it out. My wife also gave me two heart attacks, but she hasn't killed me yet, and I managed to get a riding lawn mower out of it. We still live within an hour of Rensselaer. Best wishes to all my fellow classmates and frat brothers.” Posted 2019-10-01
Jeffrey Friedman has been named the recipient of the 2019 Wolf Prize in Medicine. He is being recognized for his discovery of leptin, a hormone secreted by fat cells that modulates food intake and energy expenditure.
Posted 2019-10-01
Claire Fraser has been appointed president-elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). AAAS is the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through the Science family of journals. Claire is the director of the Institute for Genome Sciences, leading a team of scientists who are housed in the University of Maryland School of Medicine's new Health Sciences Research Facility.
Posted 2019-10-01
Vic Vitek and his wife have completed (more or less) their move to New Hampshire and are enjoying their new home. Vic writes that there was a highlight—when they flipped the switch and started using power from the solar panels—while it was mostly sunny they were able to power the house and feed excess power back to the grid. “While we have adjusted, the cats are still a bit confused about why things have been moved so much. Our dog just rolls with the punches.”
Posted 2019-03-10
John Hill remains active in civic affairs in Alexandria, Va., as chairman of the board of Alexandria Renew Enterprises, the city’s wastewater treatment utility. In October, Alexandria Renew was recognized as “Partner of the Year” from the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, for launching a seven-year construction program to reduce raw sewage overflows into the Potomac River by more than 96 percent by 2025. John received the award from Robert Kennedy Jr., president of the National Riverkeeper Alliance, who said, “From high school rowing teams, to kayakers, to anglers—everyone who uses the Potomac River downstream of Alexandria will be a beneficiary of this project.”
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
Rich Tocher wrote that he retired at the beginning of 2019 from a 40-year career as a consulting geotechnical engineer in Colorado. His work included design of high-rise buildings, highways, and dams across the western United States. He now lives in Crested Butte, Colo., where he and his wife, Julie, are skiing, climbing, and hiking.
The Fall 2018 Class Notes highlighted memories of the summer survey courses. Rich remembered that his father, Frank Tocher ’41, completed the 1940 summer survey in the forests around Warrensburg, N.Y. At the course Frank met his future wife, Doris, at a Saturday night dance.
Posted 2019-03-10
Barbara (Compaine) Cobuzzi left her former health-care billing company and really likes being back on her own again. Bob Cobuzzi is still working at AT&T as a project manager for new technologies. They enjoyed a vacation to the Dominican Republic in March and really enjoyed our 40th Reunion last October.
Posted 2018-10-10
Bryon Harry Rakoff wrote that he retired last fall from full-time work. He was an airport planning consultant in the private sector for 27 years and then was with the Federal Aviation Administration Airports Division for 13 years, and is now working part time. He and his wife, Linda, are enjoying semi-retirement and are planning numerous trips including one to Poland and Russia and a cross-country drive. He is still very involved with theater, most recently in a local production of My Fair Lady. As a former RPI Player, he writes that he still knows “which way is up”!
Posted 2018-10-10
Jim-Bob Williams joined an improv troupe and will be doing stand-up comedy soon. All of us know he will be great at that and wish him the best. I was delighted to see him at Reunion last fall. We hadn’t seen him since our wedding!
Posted 2018-10-10
Rick Brodzinsky retired last June after being with IBM for 34.5 years. Congratulations, Rick!
Posted 2018-10-10
From Vic Vitek: He and his wife are in the process of selling the house they have lived in for over 25 years and are having a retirement home built in New Hampshire. They hoped to be in it by September. Good luck with the move, Vic!
Posted 2018-10-10
Vinnie Metzger writes in: “I’ll be over in Europe during the Reunion weekend, so will not be able to attend.” He reports that he appeared in The Accountant last fall, with Ben Affleck, as well as Confirmation, on HBO, and adds, “On TV, I’ve turned up on episodes of Stranger Things, Containment, Survivor’s Remorse, Finding Carter, Greenleaf, and Devious Maids.” Vinnie also mentions having appearances on Manhunt: Unibomber on August 22, Being Mary Jane on September 19, Valor on October 16, and in the movies in Bastards with Glenn Close and Owen Wilson on December 22.
Posted 2018-03-15
Engineering
Ben Cahill (BSEE) recently retired after working for Intel Corp. as a software engineer for 26 years. Prior to that, he was a computer and analog hardware engineer with Formation, Castle Instruments (his own business), Varityper (where he met his wife, Gail), Wyse Technology, and Chips and Technologies. Bill says that along with retirement comes the opportunity to get back into hardware (and play a lot of music)!
Posted 2018-03-15
Karen (Schmidt) Ryan and Jim Ryan posted their regrets about not being able to attend Reunion: "Sorry we can’t make it—work events that we can’t miss. Retiring in June 2018 though, so work will not get in the way for much longer. Hope you all have a blast."
Posted 2018-03-15
Maureen H. (Regan) Robinson shared her thoughts about the Class' latest Reunion, and some remarks about some other classmates: "Dear classmates! You missed a great Reunion! All who came seemed to really enjoy themselves very much. We have definitely learned that it is important to have a Class of ’77 event each day and to have some events on campus and some off campus. Not everyone can attend all of the events, but many can attend at least one event. The surprise for us was that our lecture given by George Christian was extremely well attended and by multiple classes as well! Following that we had dinner at Dinosaur BBQ, right at the foot of the Green Island Bridge, and had several people attend that hadn’t even registered for Reunion, so we had no idea they were coming! The fun continued through the weekend and ended with a celebration at the Oktoberfest on Sunday at a goodbye lunch and dancing and beer. The club had decorated the tables, complete with red roses. Club 77 showed up at 677 Prime and enjoyed our favorite band, Monolith. If you weren’t there, we were all wondering where you were and why you were missing the party!! Many thanks to Jim Robinson, Barb and Bob Cobuzzi, and Victoria and Bill Gordon for helping with all the details, as well as Kaitlyn Lounsbury from the alumni office for accommodating our desires as a class."
"In preparation for the Reunion, I did contact a number of folks. First of all, Jim and I were excited to meet Wayne Roberts (Steve Wayne Roberts) and his wife, Darcy, this summer. They live across the lake from us in Georgia and we had a delightful time when we got together. The picture below is of the three of us in early October at the Atlanta chapter meeting of the RAA at the new Mercedes Benz stadium. It was well attended with about 77 folks, but we were the only three from our class. Very nice tour of all the clubs in the stadium and locker rooms. It is very impressive."
"I also had a chance in September to meet up with Kathy and Jon Sigler in White River Junction in Vermont. Jon said he wouldn’t be able to make the Reunion because he was scheduled to be in a bicycle race in Croatia that week, but he was eager to tell me how much his experience with the Student Union had influenced his career for the positive. I also had dinner with Harriet Markis in Times Square in New York City. Harriet really enjoys being a professor at Pratt and appreciates the enthusiasm of her students." Posted 2018-03-15
"In preparation for the Reunion, I did contact a number of folks. First of all, Jim and I were excited to meet Wayne Roberts (Steve Wayne Roberts) and his wife, Darcy, this summer. They live across the lake from us in Georgia and we had a delightful time when we got together. The picture below is of the three of us in early October at the Atlanta chapter meeting of the RAA at the new Mercedes Benz stadium. It was well attended with about 77 folks, but we were the only three from our class. Very nice tour of all the clubs in the stadium and locker rooms. It is very impressive."
"I also had a chance in September to meet up with Kathy and Jon Sigler in White River Junction in Vermont. Jon said he wouldn’t be able to make the Reunion because he was scheduled to be in a bicycle race in Croatia that week, but he was eager to tell me how much his experience with the Student Union had influenced his career for the positive. I also had dinner with Harriet Markis in Times Square in New York City. Harriet really enjoys being a professor at Pratt and appreciates the enthusiasm of her students." Posted 2018-03-15
1978
David Brown Kinloch is a senior partner at Appalachian Hydro Associates, which dedicated its new 2.64 MW hydroelectric power plant, The Matilda Hamilton Fee Hydroelectric Station at Lock and Dam 12 on the Kentucky River, on September 21, 2021. It is a run-of-river plant built in the abandoned lock chamber. It uses submersible turbine-generators, with variable frequency drives to maximize output with changing river levels and changing head. Projects at other locks and dams are planned.
Posted 2023-03-23
Chris Daly was hired by Energy Distribution Partners (EDP) as region vice president for the central United States, where he will lead the operations management team to achieve safety, service, quality. Chris brings over 30 years’ experience in the propane, heating oil, and HVAC industries.
Posted 2021-09-29
Bob Lengel and his wife, Sandy, established the Dr. Robert H. and Sandra K. Lengel Chair in Aerospace Engineering at Penn State.
Posted 2021-09-29
Kathryn Tyler Prigmore spent 21 years teaching at Howard University’s School of Architecture and Planning/Design. She is now associate director at Shalom Baranes Associates, in Georgetown. “I like these projects because most of the time, the people in the building have been in facilities that haven’t been renovated in a very long time. I enjoy helping understand the kinds of space they’ll be going in, the technologies they’ll able to use, and then to see them after they’ve moved in and how much better their working space is from what they left.”
Posted 2021-02-26
Richard Sedlak completed 42 years with America Cleaning Institute, as executive vice president of technical and international affairs. This included environmental fate and a combination of personal and environmental causes on the cleaning processes.
Posted 2021-02-26
Bob Moretti has been elected the national vice chair after being selected by the Treasury Department to serve on the nationwide Taxpayer Advocacy Panel. Panel members listen to taxpayers, identify issues, and make suggestions for improving the Internal Revenue Service and customer satisfaction.
Posted 2021-02-26
Neil Rothman is taking on a new challenge as professor and program coordinator for a new undergraduate program in biomedical engineering at Stevenson University. He says through his undergrad program at RPI and the foundation it provided, he feels lucky to be able to create a great curriculum and exceptional experiences for the SU students to launch their careers.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Mark Keough writes: Frank Paxhia is doing well. My wife, Janet, and I visited Frank and his wife, Sue Anthony, in September after we had visited the nearby Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome (N.Y.) — a famous location for WWI dogfights! We still need to get back to the Aerodrome next spring, as the ground winds were too high for the bi-wing planes. Frank is doing well, having retired from IBM several years ago. Woodworking and other hobbies keep him busy!
Posted 2020-05-19
Science
Jean Pouliot recently made me aware of the two kids books that he has written and illustrated. He studied physics at RPI with us from 1974 to 1976. The most recent book is Bernie and the Day the Icebergs Melted, published in 2018. It follows a family of walruses as they try to understand why their ice is melting. The story takes the reader to Indonesia, where a dramatic rescue occurs, and to Washington, D.C., where animals confront a conference of world leaders. It’s a hopeful story that calls kids to action to save the planet from climate change. The second book is I am a Tyrannosaurus Rex! Both books are available online, so brush up on your dino skills!
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
Mark Keough writes: Last February, Janet and I were in Montana skiing with our ski club at Whitefish Ski Resort — near Glacier National Park. We took off one of our days to go snowshoeing along the edge of Lake McDonald and another afternoon to go dogsled riding — both were great times!
July and August were interesting, as I became rather non-responsive to my wife and a CT scan showed a large brain cancer tumor (glioblastoma) sitting on top of my left brain lobe. I don’t remember that weekend, but had full consciousness upon waking up from surgery on July 2. The surgery removed 75% of the tumor sitting on top of my brain but the other 25% remains embedded in my brain. Was back to work by the end of July and completed six weeks of daily chemo pills and radiation sessions by the end of August. My 38 stitches got removed in mid-September. I’m now on the maintenance program (Optune) with mesh headsets that stick to my head (after having shaved off all of my hair!) that flip-flop the magnetic polarity on my brain, making it difficult for a dividing cancer cell to correctly place the right number of chromosomes on each side. With a different number of chromosomes in each divided cell, the cancer cells die. Basically, it is a way to prolong my life by keeping the cancer cell growth down. Look forward to hearing from you!
Posted 2020-05-19
Mark Keough writes: "We'll be looking forward to another good winter of skiing. This past winter took us to Whitefish, Mont., for skiing, along with a dog sled ride (those dogs love to pull!) and a neat snowshoe hike along the frozen shores of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. A great place to visit, no matter what time of year!"
Posted 2019-10-01
John Siegenthaler recently led a full-day design-focused workshop on Hydronics for High Efficiency Biomass Boiler Training for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. John is professor emeritus of engineering technology at Mohawk Valley Community College. He is also principal of Appropriate Designs, a consulting engineering firm in Holland Patent, N.Y., which focuses on state-of-the-art application of hydronic heating. Through extensive research and application of engineering principles, Appropriate Designs has developed advanced modeling methods for simulating the thermal and hydraulic performance of hydronic systems. In other words, how to heat your house or building with wood and be good at it!
Posted 2019-10-01
Science
Linda Akli had an article published by HPC Wire in honor of the February 11 International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Linda, who graduated with a computer science degree, is now the assistant director of Training, Education & Outreach at Southeastern Universities Research Association and manager of the XSEDE Broadening Participation Program, which focuses on increasing diversity in the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE). In the article, she offered the following: "My advice to anyone entering the field (computer science), is be yourself. If you don't fit in an environment, move on because the right one is probably around the corner. Second, find the area within HPC (high performance computing) that supports your passion. You will do your best work if it is your passion. Third, be open-minded about who might be your mentors. My mentors have been male and female, but not one has been of color due the small number that work in advanced computing. Last, develop a strong network. Your network will get you through the tough days and help you maintain perspective."
Posted 2019-10-01
Anthony (Tony) Grosso joined Rockefeller Capital Management last December as a managing director to build their San Francisco office. Prior to joining Rockefeller, Tony spent 15 years as a managing director at Merrill Lynch, where he was senior leader of the Ventures Services Group, a team focused on advising private equity and venture firms.
Posted 2019-10-01
John Benedict, our class physician/author, has released his fourth medical thriller, Bad Robot. His earlier books included Adrenaline, which became the no. 1 medical thriller in the Kindle store (Oct. 2014) and garnered a write-up in The Washington Post. There are over 200,000 copies in print of his books, and when it was released in November, Bad Robot was in the no. 2 spot of Hot New Releases on Amazon in the medical thriller category.
Posted 2019-03-10
Sam Anthony was awarded the 2017 NYS Council Russel D. Porter Service to ASCE Award in August 2018. Sam was chosen for this award given his exceptional service and dedication to the civil engineering profession and his local American Society of Civil Engineers branch, along with mentoring young civil engineers and enhancing the public opinion and knowledge of the civil engineering profession.
Posted 2019-03-10
AmideBio LLC recently announced that Pawel Fludzinski has been named CEO. AmideBio has a pipeline of biotherapeutics targeting metabolic diseases. Pawel was recently with Eli Lilly & Co. where, as global brand development leader, he led a cross-function team developing drugs targeting diabetes.
Posted 2019-03-10
Business
Rich Morris passed away in April 2018. After undergraduate studies in the management/law program at RPI, he entered Albany Law School. After graduating from law school, Richard completed the LLM program in taxation at New York University. Rich worked in the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Tax Department for 37 years, and as managing director, traveled all over the world for JPMC. Rich always had fond memories of being the music director and DJ at WRPI “Nifty 91.50” FM.
Posted 2019-03-10
The MetroWest Daily News of Framingham, Mass., recently profiled Peter Reinhard in their “Good to Know” column. Peter has been working for the same company for over four decades, although with various name changes (GTE, Verizon, and General Dynamics). Looking back, Peter enjoyed several different aspects of his career, including “ruggedizing”—taking commercial electronic packages and making them rugged for the military to withstand sand, dust, physical shock, and extreme temperatures.
He also worked with Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) technology, which is used for communications with submarines (remember “Hunt for the Red October”?) and also with Blue Fin Robotics that makes unmanned underwater vehicles, which are robots for ocean and deep-sea research/reconnaissance. As a hobby, Peter races his black 2008 Corvette—against the clock, not other cars—and is a member of the Bay State Corvette Club. Posted 2019-03-10
He also worked with Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) technology, which is used for communications with submarines (remember “Hunt for the Red October”?) and also with Blue Fin Robotics that makes unmanned underwater vehicles, which are robots for ocean and deep-sea research/reconnaissance. As a hobby, Peter races his black 2008 Corvette—against the clock, not other cars—and is a member of the Bay State Corvette Club. Posted 2019-03-10
John Grubb has been awarded the prestigious Award of Merit and title of fellow by ASTM International’s committee on steel, stainless steel, and related alloys. This is ASTM’s highest recognition for individual contributions to developing standards, and is for John’s role in providing exemplary technical contributions and leadership to the flat-rolled and wrought stainless steel in areas of advanced metallurgy and new technology. Now enjoying retirement as a consultant, he previously worked for Allegheny Ludlum and GE.
Posted 2019-03-10
Mark Keough writes: It was wonderful seeing all of our classmates at our 40th Reunion in early October at RPI. We all have neat shirts and sets of RPI socks courtesy of the “Tute,” to proudly spread the word of RPI’s “Transformation”! The scheduled activities were great, along with simply walking through the campus to see the changes of buildings and landscaping, along with reminiscing on times during our school years, whether in the Quad, CC308, or Ricketts. Special shout-out to Peter Pfeiffer for arranging our class dinner on Saturday evening at the Albany Marriott, where we had a surprise visit from Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson. Also, special thanks to Peg and Tom Savchik for hosting the informal Friday and Saturday afternoon gatherings at their home nearby. Looking forward to our 45th in 2023!
Posted 2019-03-10
I enjoyed a great ski season here in the Northeast and had a good ski trip with my wife and friends to Morzine, France, in March. Mountain biking season is now upon us and I’m focused on not going over the handlebars or hitting trees!
Posted 2018-10-10
Anthony DeLio has been promoted to senior vice president, corporate strategy, and chief innovation officer of Ingredion Inc. Most recently serving as senior vice president and chief innovation officer, Anthony is responsible for further developing the company’s strategy, identifying growth opportunities, and pursuing partnerships and acquisition opportunities. He joined Ingredion in 2006 as divisional vice president and general manager, North America. Prior to Ingredion, he held senior leadership positions with ADM, Mars, and Nestle. Ingredion is a global ingredient solutions provider, turning grains, fruits, vegetables, and other plant materials into value-added ingredients and biomaterial solutions for the food, beverage, paper, brewing, and other industries. Serving customers in over 100 countries, their ingredients make crackers crunchy, yogurts creamy, candy sweet, paper stronger, and add fiber to nutrition bars.
Posted 2018-10-10
Donna Hamlin has been appointed to the board of directors of DailyPay. Dr. Hamlin is an internationally known authority in human resources, and has provided strategy, change management, and human performance management services for Fortune 500 global enterprises in more than 44 countries. DailyPay enables an employee to transfer earned wages when the employee needs them, rather than waiting for a weekly or biweekly paycheck. This provides a first step for the employee toward financial security, resulting in a 40 percent reduction in voluntary turnover within three months, accompanied by an increase of 87 percent in employee satisfaction and a reduction in employee absenteeism of 26 percent. Dr. Hamlin is currently a CEO of Boardwise LTD and board chair of Hamlin Harkins Ltd., and has worked with Citibank’s Associates First Capital, Trident Systems, Asyst, and Texaco.
Posted 2018-10-10
1979
Mark Eagle had his second grandchild in June. He continues to mentor, advise, and invest in startups and does fractional CTO work in Denver, Colorado. He received his pickleball certification and has started teaching. His motto is make a difference, have fun, and oh, by the way, make some money.
Posted 2024-01-17
William J. Delaney joined Cohn & Dussi, a full-service law firm with its principal office in Boston, as counsel. He has had an active role in many of the significant commercial law and insolvency cases in Rhode Island over the past 34 years.
Posted 2021-09-29
David Hess was appointed to the board of directors for Woodward Inc., where he will also serve on the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee.
Posted 2021-09-29
Engineering
Paul Sicard writes: Almost 100 people from ’79 enjoyed last September’s 40th Reunion. We had an enjoyable kickoff at Wolff’s Biergarten and a very enjoyable class dinner buffet at Brown’s Revolution Hall, both along Troy’s River Street just north of the Green Island Bridge. As usual the Class of 1979 was by far the largest class there except for the 50 Year Club. Just think how we will dominate Reunion when that’s us in another 10 years. (Mark the year 2029 on your calendar now!) We had a blast with a ’70s-style band party (OK, it was a DJ) at Mother’s on Saturday night. I hadn’t seen the video of Meat Loaf doing “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” in years! What a wonderful time. Thanks to Karl Oestreich and Susan Brownell and everyone else on the Reunion planning committee.
Jeff Shapiro, the speaker at our class dinner, insists that when he retires from Disney later this year he is moving back to Boston from southern California because the housing prices are so much cheaper there. Twisted! And we had lots of people announcing retirement, including Pete McCowan, whose last day at the NY Department of Transportation was the Friday of Reunion.
Doug Lentivech left his wife Kathy home to mow the lawn while he spent Saturday afternoon at Reunion; Doug is a deputy commissioner for the New York State Department of Education, splitting his work between Albany and New York City.
Unfortunately, there is also sad news to pass along. Dave Shulder passed away suddenly at his home in Austin, Texas, on November 3, about a month after attending our 40th Reunion. Dave had worked 30-plus years as an engineer at IBM. I received word at Reunion that one of my nuclear engineering classmates, Steve Jaquez, had passed away last year. Steve had been running a website design business in LaGrange Highlands, Ill.
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
Bill Jameson was deployed with Team Rubicon in 2019 to Beaumont, Texas, and Grand Bahama Island for disaster relief for flooding and Hurricane Dorian. Bill was named the Charlotte, N.C., metro area field operations lead for Team Rubicon, an independent agency that provides disaster relief. Bravo, Bill!
Posted 2020-05-19
Business
C.J. Urlaub is now the senior vice president of strategic partnerships, integration, and care delivery at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston, N.Y. He had previously been president and CEO of Mercy Hospital in Buffalo.
Posted 2020-05-19
Engineering
Chuck Kunze has been appointed director of marketing and product management for 3A Composites USA, a global supplier of composite panels for the architecture, graphic display, and industry and transport markets.
Posted 2020-05-19
Ron Yu traveled to New York, Beijing, Turkey, Dubai, Doha, and Geneva (the UN World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO) among other places in the past year. He is celebrating the Year of the Pig with wild boar sightings near his urban Hong Kong home.
Posted 2019-10-01
Joe Campbell was the featured speaker at a lecture program in his hometown of Oneonta, N.Y., on "Combating Human Trafficking & Illicit Marketplaces on the Web Using Artificial Intelligence." Joe leads the Artificial Intelligence and Systems group at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory.
Posted 2019-10-01
Ruth (Sessler) Bernstein is a professor in nonprofit studies at the University of Washington-Tacoma. She had previously worked in the oil industry after earning a master's in geology at Brown, and settled in Washington state where she and her husband, Jeffrey, raised their family. She completed a philanthropy program at Indiana University and a Ph.D. in management from Case Western Reserve before beginning her teaching career. "I teach with a focus on the United States and the Northwest nonprofit sectors," she says. Students in Ruth's classes work with local nonprofits to have real-world experience.
Posted 2019-10-01
Carson Taylor ’69, John Paserba ’88, and Nicholas Miller ’79 (l) - Daniel Sabin ’93 (r)
Engineering
Peter Fedun has joined Urban Engineers in Philadelphia as deputy practice leader for rail and transit. He has more than 30 years of engineering experience specializing in rail transit design for light rail transit, heavy rail, and high-speed rail. He is a registered professional engineer in six states, a member of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA), and serves on the Committee of 12 – Rail Transit as secretary.
Posted 2019-03-10
Nick Miller has won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Utility Variable-Generation Integration Group for his work integrating wind and solar energy into electrical systems. Nick has worked for GE for 37 years and is a senior technical director of GE’s Energy Consulting Group. He has spent more than 15 years working as an inventor and technology developer for GE’s wind equipment business, focusing on making wind and solar power grid-friendly, including developing several patents.
Posted 2018-10-10
Paul Vitucci writes that while he was seriously considering retiring in the next year or two, he received an offer he could not refuse. He left American Bridge Co. after 22 years and started working as the quality manager for Brightline, a new express rail service in South Florida. His focus will be on the east-west rail line construction in the undeveloped corridor from the Florida east coast to the Orlando airport.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Robin (Block) Kemper was elected president of the American Society of Civil Engineers for the 2018-2019 term. She is the fifth woman to lead the organization in its 165-year history. Her induction in October as president-elect marks the first time in ASCE history that women hold all three levels of presidential leadership (president, past president, and president-elect).
Kemper is a senior risk engineering consultant for Zurich Services Corporation. As an ASCE member since 1979, she has held a variety of leadership roles including president of the New Jersey Section. In 2015, she was named Civil Engineer of the Year by the ASCE New Jersey Section, in recognition of her contributions to the civil engineering profession.
In a career that has spanned nearly four decades, Kemper has worked on many structural engineering building design projects, including the feasibility study of the Bethlehem Steel plant that helped transform the former historical plant into a vibrant community. She holds a Master of Engineering and a dual bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and building science from Rensselaer and is a licensed professional engineer in six jurisdictions.
Kemper joins the ranks of illustrious alumni who have served as ASCE president, including bridge engineer Charles Macdonald, Class of 1857, steel expert William Metcalf, Class of 1858, and Civil Engineer Corps leader Mordecai Endicott, Class of 1868. Posted 2018-03-18
Kemper is a senior risk engineering consultant for Zurich Services Corporation. As an ASCE member since 1979, she has held a variety of leadership roles including president of the New Jersey Section. In 2015, she was named Civil Engineer of the Year by the ASCE New Jersey Section, in recognition of her contributions to the civil engineering profession.
In a career that has spanned nearly four decades, Kemper has worked on many structural engineering building design projects, including the feasibility study of the Bethlehem Steel plant that helped transform the former historical plant into a vibrant community. She holds a Master of Engineering and a dual bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and building science from Rensselaer and is a licensed professional engineer in six jurisdictions.
Kemper joins the ranks of illustrious alumni who have served as ASCE president, including bridge engineer Charles Macdonald, Class of 1857, steel expert William Metcalf, Class of 1858, and Civil Engineer Corps leader Mordecai Endicott, Class of 1868. Posted 2018-03-18
Melanie Brown writes that after serving as chief patent counsel of Cytec Industries, she set up her own intellectual property law practice handling contracts, opinions, and patent protection. Melanie continues to serve on the board of BRICK Academy, a nonprofit established to turn around a failing elementary school in Newark, N.J.; last year, she started to mentor a BRICK family out of poverty, a process which included teaching the second grader to read, tutoring the mom for the GED and securing employment for her, and hosting the three children at her own home during their summer vacation.
Posted 2018-03-15
Bill Jameson retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Army Reserve in May 2017 after 37 years, having served as an Army engineer with the 1st Armored Division in Germany, and then in Korea with the Corps of Engineers.
Bill, who began his orienteering hobby back in ’75 at Rensselaer, was recently elected to the Orienteering USA board of directors and named secretary. He is now retired and living in South Carolina with his wife, Shelly, who is originally from Troy, and they have two children, adopted in Korea, who are now a doctor and a nurse. Posted 2018-03-15
Bill, who began his orienteering hobby back in ’75 at Rensselaer, was recently elected to the Orienteering USA board of directors and named secretary. He is now retired and living in South Carolina with his wife, Shelly, who is originally from Troy, and they have two children, adopted in Korea, who are now a doctor and a nurse. Posted 2018-03-15
Nariman Farvardin, president of Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J., was featured in an article in the September 5 issue of Forbes on the use of computer science and advanced math classes in training financial analysts.
Posted 2018-03-15
Mark Eagle writes that he and his family have recently visited Iceland, the Panama Canal, and France. Having found traveling to be harder than working, Mark is now the director of development services for Uncommon Solutions, a technology consulting firm, and is the Denver RAN captain.
Posted 2018-03-15
Rich Lowney received the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Jeremiah Milbank Gold Medallion award at the organization’s national conference in Dallas recently. Since 1983, Rich has helped raise money and awareness and affect policy to advance the programs that serve more than 31,000 children in New Hampshire’s 13 Boys & Girls Clubs. Rich is also the president of the NH Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs.
Posted 2018-03-15
John Emmett has retired from his nuclear engineering career after four years with Commonwealth Edison in Chicago and then 34 years at the Susquehanna nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. His last assignment was developing Susquehanna’s response to the Fukushima accident in compliance with NRC regulations and Institute for Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) industry guidance. He previously had been a reactor engineer, on-shift in plant operations (including a senior reactor operator certification), systems engineering supervision, and nuclear fuels engineering.
John writes he is now enjoying lots of tennis, being a volleyball referee, playing with his Porsche, and getting better at his hobbies of woodworking and photography. John is married to Bernis Soper ’80 and they live in Mountain Top, Pa., where they raised their two children, David and Grace. Posted 2018-03-15
John writes he is now enjoying lots of tennis, being a volleyball referee, playing with his Porsche, and getting better at his hobbies of woodworking and photography. John is married to Bernis Soper ’80 and they live in Mountain Top, Pa., where they raised their two children, David and Grace. Posted 2018-03-15
1980
Chris Dufresne is looking forward to retirement in about “400 work days! Didn’t expect to work this long but I have a few important objectives to achieve at Boston Scientific in Galway before I hang up the skates. I watch in amazement at our younger daughter, Alison, who is the engineering manager at Masten Space Systems in Mojave, California. She has built a large team with the goal of designing, building, validating, and putting a Lunar Lander on a SpaceEx flight in November 2023. “Xelene 1” is destined for the Lunar South Pole to conduct a wide range of experiments. Although NASA funded, complex missions by small start-ups are inherently risky so we are crossing our fingers that Masten hits its milestones.”
Posted 2023-03-24
James C. Mullen was named chief executive officer of Editas Medicine Inc., a leading genome editing company. He will continue as chairman of the company’s board of directors, and has been named an independent senior adviser to Arena Pharmaceuticals. He has more than 30 years’ experience building leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations on a global scale.
Posted 2021-09-29
Mark Kula was named president of WhiteFox, a global leader in drone airspace security, in May. He is the former general manager of Asia Pacific for Moog Aircraft, and vice president at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. Mark was also a mentor at Starburst, a startup accelerator enabling innovation for the global aerospace industry.
Posted 2019-10-01
Danny Rich, Ph.D. '80, received the Godlove Award from the Inter-Society Color Council (ISCC), honoring his "long-term contributions in the field of color." Rich has worked at Sun Chemical for 21 years as a senior color physicist and currently leads the color research laboratory team.
Posted 2019-10-01
Carl Mancuso joined Teledyne Marine as the director of product line management for Teledyne Benthos, which consists of acoustic modems and positioning products, flotation, releases, pinger locators, and deep tow systems. He was previously vice president of sales and marketing at Falmouth Scientific Inc. Carl serves on the board of the Marine & Oceanographic Technology Network (MOTN).
Posted 2019-03-10
Bob Schuetz was promoted to operations vice president at Energy Northwest in April. Before joining Energy Northwest in 2013, he served as a maintenance manager at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations. Bob served as a submarine officer in the Navy for 28 years, including time as commanding officer of the attack submarine USS Hyman G. Rickover and deputy commander and chief of staff for the Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Posted 2018-10-10
Christopher Dufresne writes: “Have hit 25 years living in Europe. Sadly my wife and I have lost three of our parents over the past 20 months. Our daughters, Alison and Stephanie, are thriving. Alison is a propulsion and systems engineer at Deep Space Industries in Silicon Valley designing their engines that will propel craft to near-earth asteroids, where they will land, mine, take off, and return. Stephanie pursues film, dance, and acting opportunities with her latest project at the Gate Theatre in Dublin where she has the lead role in The Red Shoes.” The Dufresnes live in Galway, Ireland.
Posted 2018-03-15
Miles Moffatt joined Tighe & Bond of Westfield, Mass., as a technical adviser and vice president. A 33-year industry veteran, Miles has managed major water programs and projects for clients throughout the Northeast.
Posted 2018-03-15
Bernis Soper is continuing her role as business manager for the Luzerne County SPCA. She is married to John Emmett ’79.
Posted 2018-03-15
1981
Miki (l) and Joe (r) in Canada skiing the Kootenays in BC.
Tom Litzinger will retire in May 2022 after 37 years of employment at Penn State. He was assistant dean for educational innovation and accreditation and director of the Leonhard Center in the College of Engineering.
Posted 2023-03-24
Betty Jo Licata, dean of Williamson College of Administration at Youngstown State University, will retire at the end of the year. She has led the college for more than 26 years.
Posted 2021-09-29
Cliff Meiselbach and Elizabeth Katz celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary and have recently relocated to Annapolis, Maryland.
Posted 2021-07-16
Science
Andy Sands was an editor for the AO Manual of Fracture Management - Foot and Ankle, which was released in Davos December 2019.
Posted 2020-05-19
Christine Whittaker was featured in a publication of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) during Women's History Month in March. She is chief of the NIOSH Risk Evaluation Branch in the Education and Information Division. Throughout her career, her focus has been assessing chemical hazards to workers and determining how those hazards can be most effectively mitigated through science policy.
Posted 2019-10-01
Valen Johnson was named dean of science at Texas A&M University and holder of the Richard H. Harrison III/External Advisory Council Endowed Dean's Chair in Science. At the time of his appointment, he was University Distinguished Professor of Statistics and head of the Department of Statistics, and was serving as interim dean of Texas A&M Science.
Posted 2019-10-01
Thomas McNellis, a senior manager at Lockheed Martin, was among the first three honorees inducted into the Weather Hall of Fame. His work led to development of the National Weather Radar Testbed, which advanced the state of the art in tornado detection and warning using adaptive radar scanning, among other breakthroughs.
Posted 2019-03-15
With deep sorrow I must report that my friend, Mike Pickett, passed away Aug. 21, 2018. A passionate hockey player, he was inducted into the Auburn High School Hall of Fame in 1980. He loved traveling the world with his wife, Terri, and his work as director of global channel sales at Brooks Automation and regional sales director at Innovent Technologies allowed him to travel to more than 25 countries. He loved driving his Miata to Maine beaches, skiing with his daughters and friends, and following his daughters’ softball careers. He will be greatly missed.
Posted 2019-03-10
Thomas McNellis, senior manager, advanced programs strategy, for Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, was one of the first three inductees into the Weather Hall of Fame at the National Weather Museum and Science Center in October 2018. His work led to development of the National Weather Radar Testbed, which advanced the state of the art in tornado detection and warning using adaptive radar scanning, and facilitated research for multi-mission phased array, and assimilation of radar data into forecast models.
Posted 2019-03-10
I heard that Larry Landon and Jack Colucci got together in Niagara Falls, when Jack was up there for a hockey tournament. I am informed that after 37 years, Jack still has it! He can still make plays! And speaking of Larry Landon, he is the executive director of the PHPA—the Professional Hockey Players Association. They are celebrating their 50th anniversary, and have only had two executive directors. Larry has been in this position since 1993. In celebration, two YouTube videos were made and you can see the great work done by our classmate Larry: www.youtube.com/watchv=DvTVbhMlu4I&t=15s and www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTasoy62Ttw.
What great tributes these are. Lou Lamoriello and the hockey night Canada legend Don Cherry have some great things to say about Larry and the PHPA. This is a true tribute to my friend. Hat’s off to Larry. Posted 2018-10-10
What great tributes these are. Lou Lamoriello and the hockey night Canada legend Don Cherry have some great things to say about Larry and the PHPA. This is a true tribute to my friend. Hat’s off to Larry. Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Frank Scavo sent news that Gustavo ‘Gus’ Santelli passed away May 15, 2017. His career included two decades at DuPont, and almost 15 years at Lead Time Technology, where he became president and CEO.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Cliff Meiselbach (BSME) has retired after a 36-year career at IBM, including positions as CFO of its Greater China Region and its Microelectronics Division. He and his wife, Elizabeth Katz (M.S. Pysch), reside in Fairfield, Conn., and recently celebrated their 35th anniversary while on safari in South Africa. They plan to increase travel and family time, while plotting their next career moves.
Posted 2018-10-10
Pat Roohan was named vice president of data management and analytics solutions at MVP Health Care in August. Previously, Pat had a 30-year career at the NYS Department of Health leading quality, patient safety, health information technology, and data system initiatives, most recently as deputy commissioner of health for the Office of Quality and Patient Safety.
Posted 2018-03-15
1982
Robert J. Fairchild is a senior partner at Appalachian Hydro Associates, which dedicated its new 2.64 MW hydroelectric power plant, The Matilda Hamilton Fee Hydroelectric Station at Lock and Dam 12 on the Kentucky River, on September 21, 2021. It is a run-of-river plant built in the abandoned lock chamber. It uses submersible turbinegenerators, with variable frequency drives to maximize output with changing river levels and changing head. Projects at other locks and dams are planned.
Posted 2023-03-24
Dean Francis joined Quality Steel as vice president of strategy and corporate development. He has more than 10 years of experience in management consulting.
Posted 2021-09-29
Drew Kugler was hired in a new role as vice president of innovation and product development at AES Clean Technology, a leader in the design, construction, and manufacturing of modular cleanroom systems and custom cleanroom equipment for life science and technology companies.
Posted 2021-09-29
David Haas is still living in northern New Jersey and is treasurer of the New Jersey chapter of the Rensselaer Alumni Association. He continues his second career in financial planning and started a new service called College Money Match to help families plan for the costs of education and choose a college that makes sense financially. He looks forward to connecting with other alumni at live events in the New Jersey and New York areas.
Posted 2021-09-29
Raj Gandhi was named vice president of ASIC Engineering.
Posted 2021-09-29
Please join us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/groups/RPIClassOf82. — Mark Bowers ’82; mark.bowers@lighthouse-one.com.
Posted 2021-02-26
Steven Marsh was appointed as special IP counsel for PicPocket-Labs. He oversees all patent prosecution and is responsible for strengthening the company’s IP portfolio.
Posted 2021-02-26
John Brown has been the chair of the Department of Mathematics and Information Science and Technology at Cabrini College for over 20 years. A recent student newspaper article lauded him for how his passion for teaching mathematics translates to a passion for student success.
Posted 2021-02-26
Al Fargnoli dropped a quick note that, although it hasn’t been an eventful year, he now has a new job title, “senior research engineer” and that he’s “...at least getting paid to do mathematics!”
Posted 2021-02-26
Darhl Ehrgott joined the Navy flight program after graduating and spent 10 years on active duty, then 10 more in the Navy Reserves. He flew the F-14 Tomcat off the USS Enterprise and was in the Top Gun program at NAS Miramar in San Diego, joined American Airlines in ’92, and currently is qualified as a pilot on the Boeing 777 out of Miami. For any of his old friends at RPI who want to say hello, call (239) 821-4420. Or if you’re in the Naples, Fla., area, stop in!
Posted 2021-02-26
Edward Gilchrest owned a contract product design and engineering firm in Oxford, Conn., for 14 years. Over the past few years they have added contract manufacturing to the mix, taking on manufacturing responsibility for a number of the products they have designed for clients. Clients range from small startups to Fortune 500 enterprises. www.gyre9.com.
Posted 2021-02-26
Check out this great article about Judy Johnson spotlighting her volunteer role as a Tech-Girlz instructor and coordinator at https://www.techgirlz.org/volunteer-spotlight-judy-johnson/. Judy is in her sixth year as a software engineer at Onyx Point in Maryland.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Mark Bowers writes: Please join us at www.facebook.com/groups/RPIClassOf82.
Posted 2020-05-20
Science
Al Fargnoli shared that in April 2019, he hiked Mount Tammany (N.J.). Then in May, he celebrated his 13th work anniversary with Hubbell Power Systems. In September he was awarded his first patent from the USPTO. He writes: “I am one of five inventors. It’s a method of synchronized phasor measurements on an electric power distribution network because everyone needs to know the relative phase of the mains. Someday your toaster could use this!”
Posted 2020-05-20
Business
Betty Jo Licata (Ph.D., MBA ’81) noted: I am celebrating my 25th year as dean of the Williamson College of Business Administration at Youngstown State University. I still reflect upon the RPI Professional Leadership Program we ran for high management potential engineering and science students. I hope those who went through the PLP all experienced great career success as tech leaders.”
Posted 2020-05-20
Engineering
Brian Adler has been on the run! “I finished my 30th NYC marathon (185th marathon) and I have now run at least one marathon a year (40 consecutive years) since our junior year at RPI. I ran my very first one in Portland, Maine, while doing a co-op work assignment in October 1980. I’m still teaching physics, aerospace engineering, and digital electronics — and looking at retiring in a couple of years.”
Posted 2020-05-20
Science
Rich Allen wrote: “I am approaching 30 years at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Although I have had only one employer, it seems like I have had multiple careers, mostly in various aspects of semiconductors and MEMS. But recently I have moved to leadership of the NIST Accelerometer Calibration Service. Total career change! On more personal notes, Ruth Ann and I celebrated 35 years of marriage in October and our three children are all grown up and well-started in their careers.”
Posted 2020-05-20
Engineering
Carol (Fik) Davis has been pretty busy! “I have been married for 27 years to my husband, Larry, who practices real estate law, and we have a 17-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter (started a little late!). I have been practicing occupational medicine for 21 years now and have retired from nearly 18 years at the clinic at Brookhaven National Lab. I now do per diem work at Plum Island Animal Disease Center at the employee health clinic where I ferry to work. I also am employed by a federal agency where I perform fitness for duty exams at the IRS and federal courts. Over the years I have combined engineering with medicine and have had the opportunity to do stints at the LIRR, Belmont Racetrack, Toyota, Corning, Jim Beam, and the JFK Airport.
“I am in touch with my past RPI roommates, Mary, Jill, Michaela, former fellow cheerleaders Sandy and Rose (with Mary and Jill), and my friends Mary and Gary (Y’all know who you are!). Would love to hear from anyone I shared a class with or Church IV friends. My favorite memories of RPI were weekend movies at CC308, the summers I spent there on work study, or classes where I took up roller skating and did a bit of careful rolling through campus with Mary or dancing at the Rafters at Saratoga Lake. I enjoyed cheering at hockey and football games too, and enjoyed a short time in the chorus before things got too intense to stay! I’m on Facebook or my contact is cddavis@optonline.net. Best wishes!”
Posted 2020-05-20
Business
Marty Byrne recently marked his 11-year anniversary at RPI as director of business development for the Center for Future Energy Systems (CFES). According to Marty, “CFES supports NYS energy initiatives through applied research, technology transfer, education, and outreach. It is especially gratifying that our offices are in the George Low Center for Industrial Innovation building, a tribute to his vision for cooperative interface between academia, industry, and government. I take pride working at the institution that launched a 30+ year industry journey in technical sales and marketing with GE, Total, and 3M and I proudly display my RPI diploma, which carries George Low’s signature. My education allowed me to raise four wonderful professionals and I look forward to retirement with my wife of 44 years, visits with grandchildren, and travel. The wonderful RPI faculty and staff are second to none and will always have a special place in my life.”
Posted 2020-05-20
Engineering
Emile Anderson retired from Raytheon IDS. He’s currently a MITRE senior systems engineer working for USAF FMS programs at Hanscom AFB. He is also engaged in his community through the Knights of Columbus, as a NH/VT/ME Red Cross trustee, and as an adjunct prof. at NH Community College in math/physics. Plus, he’s an RPI alumni volunteer!
Posted 2020-05-20
Engineering
Bob Fairchild, vice president of Appalachian Hydro Associates, is happy to report that construction is nearly complete on their brand-new hydroelectric power plant at Kentucky River Lock and Dam 12 near Ravenna, Ky. Bob and his business partners, including David Brown Kinloch ’78, are also part owners of the Mother Ann Lee Hydroelectric Station at Lock and Dam 7 on the Kentucky River, which they purchased in 2005 and refurbished from 2006 to 2009. MALHS has produced more than 10 GWh since its refurbishing.
Posted 2020-05-20
Science
Louis Kokernak has been living in Austin, Texas, for nearly 30 years, where he runs an investment advisory firm. His charitable interests include community health care, secondary education, and local parks. “Best wishes for the members of the Class of ’82!”
Posted 2020-05-20
Engineering
Margaret (Mac) McMahon (Ph.D.) and her family are “...still in Maryland where I teach cybersecurity. I am missing ice hockey while my knees get sorted out. I have been lecturing about military history and genealogy, and there are links to my books and blog at https://aweekofgenealogy.com. If there are any other RPI descendants of the 51st Pioneer Infantry Regiment soldiers (formerly NYNG 10th), drop me a line.”
Posted 2020-05-20
Engineering
Randy Kuldell shared that he and his Phi Kappa Theta brothers Brian Heft ’80, Mike Laraia (’82, ’83 M.S.), Michael Tessman, and Paul Spicer (’81, ’82 MBA) all met up for three weddings of their progeny in 2019. The weddings were in Tripoli, Pa., Skytop, Pa., and Norfolk, Va. There are two more weddings on the calendar for this year. According to Randy, “...just when we all thought paying for college was over, now comes paying for weddings!”
Posted 2020-05-20
Mark Bowers writes: Please join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/RPIClassOf82.
Posted 2019-10-02
Derek HasBrouck took 50 days to complete a 3,300-mile cross-country bicycle trip from Saratoga, Calif., to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., with stops in Saratoga Springs, Utah, and Saratoga, Wyo., along the way. The adventure, inspired by the Paul Simon song, “America,” gave him a deep understanding and appreciation for people and places across the U.S.
Posted 2019-10-01
Sue Baelen and Sue Mackey, who were frosh roomates in Nason Hall, offered their tale of two Sues, with Sue B. noting that “other than sharing a first name, we didn't have that much in common, but we formed a strong friendship and she even created my wedding dress when I married Phil King soon after graduation. Sue M. went on to be an engineer in Rocky Flats, Colo., and I became a tech writer for a robotics and machine vision company in Massachusetts (pretty cool gig as we greeted 1984!).
“The interesting part, though, is our choice of second careers. Phil and I moved to San Francisco and after many twists and turns I was finally able to pursue my dream of becoming a home-birth midwife. It was something I discovered when I was at RPI and knew that’s what I wanted to do when I 'grew up.' I’ve been helping families since 2001 and there are even a couple of babies named after me (the Baelen part!).
“In a parallel universe, Sue M. left engineering and became a registered nurse, pursuing a career in hospice work. So from that single dorm room on the third floor of Nason Hall, we have someone helping souls come in and another person looking after them as they make their way out. Who would have thought?”
Sue M. adds that she's continuing her quest to visit the national parks and state capitols; this time it's Olympic, Cascades, Mt. Rainier, and Olympia. Posted 2019-10-01
“The interesting part, though, is our choice of second careers. Phil and I moved to San Francisco and after many twists and turns I was finally able to pursue my dream of becoming a home-birth midwife. It was something I discovered when I was at RPI and knew that’s what I wanted to do when I 'grew up.' I’ve been helping families since 2001 and there are even a couple of babies named after me (the Baelen part!).
“In a parallel universe, Sue M. left engineering and became a registered nurse, pursuing a career in hospice work. So from that single dorm room on the third floor of Nason Hall, we have someone helping souls come in and another person looking after them as they make their way out. Who would have thought?”
Sue M. adds that she's continuing her quest to visit the national parks and state capitols; this time it's Olympic, Cascades, Mt. Rainier, and Olympia. Posted 2019-10-01
Brian Geary, M.S. '82, an attorney, has been hired as counsel for Ernstrom & Dreste LLP. Brian's legal background includes private practice and in-house corporate counsel. He spent 17 years as president and general counsel of a material supplier company.
Posted 2019-10-01
Vijay Thaker, PE, M.S. '82, joined HNTB Corp. as a project manager in the firm's New Jersey structures practice. Based in HNTB's Lawrenceville office, he leads design, delivery, technical review and construction support for the firm's highway and bridge projects with the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Posted 2019-10-01
Rick Schuett has been hired as senior vice president of business development at MaxLite, a leading global manufacturer and marketer of energy-efficient lighting solutions. In this newly created role, he is responsible for accelerating company growth by focusing on new and under-penetrated markets.
Posted 2019-10-01
Chris Heimgartner checked in: "Since graduating I've been in the electric utility industry, first in California, then in Washington, and now in Kentucky. The industry has changed enormously since '82, and I've had a front row seat. I currently run a small municipal utility in Kentucky and we just retired our legacy coal plant and transitioned onto different energy sources. Anybody who thinks that's easy has never been to coal country. If anybody ever comes to the Henderson area, please let Chris know!
Posted 2019-10-01
Matt Gilligan started working for Raytheon as a co-op after our sophomore year and never left. Matt states that he's "...now the vice president of Navigation, Weather and Services. We do cool stuff for NOAA, NASA, FAA, and the DoD like the ground systems that fly the GPS and weather satellites, as well as a lot of the air traffic control systems that control a good portion of the air space around the world. Still happily married to Linda Murray '84 living in Topsfield, Mass. Three great kids!"
Posted 2019-10-01
Lazhar Abida, Ph.D. '82, reports that he finally retired — after teaching at (almost) all levels on three continents!
Posted 2019-10-01
Don Maynard has "half retired" from 30 years in Vermont with the same company. In that time he got PE and PG licenses in several states, and worked half the time outdoors: designing and building dams, finding and permitting public water supplies, and cleaning up hazardous waste, from town dumps and mom-and-pop underground tanks, to solvent and gas plant superfund sites. Currently he is on call for cleanups in national parks across the country, from Yosemite to New York City. He and his wife, Louise, are still married after 33 years, and live in the Florida Keys each winter, and off-grid in the Adirondacks in the summer. They have one son and one grandson.
Posted 2019-10-01
Diane Castro mentioned that there have been lots of changes in the Castro home this year. "My husband, Mark, and I have both retired and two of our daughters are engaged to be married; our oldest, Jennifer, this June and our middle daughter, Elizabeth Castro '16 (to Chris Flood '16) in 2020. Our youngest daughter, Grace, started her mechanical engineering career this year with Schneider Electric. We are above the STEM curve — three daughters — one nurse and two engineers!"
"This past summer I had mini reunions with a few Class of ’82 friends. AGD sisters Marci (Sindell) Goffin and Colleen (Muscarella) Delmonte got together for lunch on a beautiful day overlooking the Narragansett Bay and then in the fall we were able to reunite with my dear friend Steve Montambault and his wife, Riva. It was great to spend time with them!" Posted 2019-10-01
"This past summer I had mini reunions with a few Class of ’82 friends. AGD sisters Marci (Sindell) Goffin and Colleen (Muscarella) Delmonte got together for lunch on a beautiful day overlooking the Narragansett Bay and then in the fall we were able to reunite with my dear friend Steve Montambault and his wife, Riva. It was great to spend time with them!" Posted 2019-10-01
Bob Hartman shared that he and Carol Yeaton '84 "...are still married with three children. Oldest is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan in biostatistics. Middle kid is a lead test engineer for the Chick-fil-A mobile app. The youngest started last year as a full-time developer in the Amazon Web Services group. In 2008 I started my company, Agile For All. We specialize in helping organizations become more agile across the board. Everything from teams using Scrum, to executives creating truly agile organizations. Our clients run the gamut, from the 10-person startup to huge Fortune 50 companies. When I started I thought it would be a one-person business forever, but we now have 15 people! It's a bit crazy at times, but I love helping organizations understand how to use agility as not only a competitive advantage, but also for better recruiting and helping their people feel better about their work and work environment."
Posted 2019-10-01
Anne Massey is joining the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst as Dean and Thomas O'Brien Endowed Chair. Anne's thrilled to be returning to the Northeast after 23 years in the Midwest!
Posted 2019-10-01
Mark Bowers writes: Neil Christie let us know that our classmate and his longtime friend Dave Didio passed away in September 2018. Dave was a Navy aviator with 10 years of active service, and later retired from the Naval Reserve with the rank of commander. He worked for 10 years in the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond as an information technology expert. Most recently, he was a partner in a successful home improvement business. Dave was known to his large circle of friends and clients for his cheerful disposition, his kindness, sense of humor, his loyalty to friends, his love of animals, and his excellent cooking.
I had the pleasure of reconnecting with Dave over a phone call a few years ago. Fair winds and following seas, shipmate.
Posted 2019-03-10
Mark Bowers writes: By the time you read this, I’ll be a little over one year in as the founder and executive director of the Professional Development Consortium of Hampton Roads (pdc-hr.org). The consortium is a platform for local volunteer leaders to connect, coordinate, and collaborate on common goals and challenges. We provide low-cost/no-cost leadership education to local professional societies, civic associations, faith-based groups, and service organizations.
Posted 2019-03-10
Bob Laurita shared that “...after nearly 40 years, this is my first time writing an update for the alumni magazine. Ironically, it is just a few months before I will retire from corporate life to spend more time with my family.
“Since graduation, I’ve spent most of my career in the electric utility industry. For the past 15 years, I’ve worked at ISO New England, the organization that administers the region’s wholesale electricity market. I’ve had the opportunity to work with many dedicated people and helped the advancement of energy efficiency, renewable resources, and competitive electricity markets.”
Bob also noted that, “Hopefully the next chapter of my life will be as rewarding. My wife and I plan to travel, sail, ski and—most importantly—spoil our grandchildren!”
Posted 2019-03-10
Mark Weyna continues to work in the medical device space and is currently SVP of customer success and operations at United Imaging Healthcare. On the side, Mark and his wife, Nancy, are opening multiple kickboxing studios in Seattle and Tucson. His daughter is finishing grad school and will be a DVM exotic animal pathologist, and his son recently graduated and is now an exploration geologist. Mark would be happy to reconnect at mark.weyna@yahoo.com.
Posted 2019-03-10
David Dickoff, M.D., reports that he “is so proud that his son, Aaron, is an RPI freshman and an RPI Medal winner.” David also noted that the dorm rooms are exactly the same!
Posted 2019-03-10
Faye Yarbrough was endorsed to serve as an International Ministries (IM) missionary in King William’s Town, South Africa. She will serve through an IM partner, the Baptist Union of Southern Africa, as a teacher of math and science. Faye has held a variety of professional positions related to chemical engineering, earning numerous educational and career accomplishments and awards in the field. Her most recent role is laboratory manager with Triumph Processing Inc., in Lynwood, Calif.
Posted 2019-03-10
George Lukacs Jr. reported that “I find myself river running, swimming, cart-golfing, and deep powder snowmobiling a whole lot more than back-country skiing in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains between entrepreneurial ventures these arthritic days.”
On a somber note: George Lukacs let us know that Ed Carey III passed away unexpectedly in February “...doing what he loved most, alpine skiing!” Also, Rob Peterson shared that Lisa, his wife of 32 years, passed away after a long battle with cancer.
Posted 2018-10-10
Gordon Davidson was hired as the executive director of the Mount Washington Community Development Corp. in Pittsburgh, Pa. His responsibilities include implementing a new strategic plan, developing new programs and plans for community needs, developing multiple funding strategies, and developing strong communications with community members and stakeholders.
Posted 2018-10-10
William “Bill” Meaney was appointed to the board of directors of State Street Corp. Bill is the president and chief executive officer of Iron Mountain Inc., a global provider of storage and information management services.
Posted 2018-10-10
Ernest Grey retired as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Air National Guard, after decades navigating C-130s to Earth’s polar regions between their respective brutal winters.
Posted 2018-10-10
Stephen Mohr moved into the Applied Research group at OSIsoft. Stephen shares that his “...son Matthew finished his RPI degrees in May. By coincidence, his master’s project and some of my research are in the same area of graph theory. Matthew likes to point out that he got better grades than me!”
Posted 2018-10-10
Diane (Ozovek) Howard retired in 2016 after 34 years in industry. She started at IBM as a computer engineer in Endicott, N.Y. Eventually she transferred to IBM’s Federal Systems Division in 1992 and worked the remainder of her career in the defense industry with roles of increasing responsibility for IBM, Lockheed Martin, Thales, and Northrop Grumman. She retired from Northrop Grumman as VP, operations—Cyber Division. Upon retirement she made a quick retreat from the Washington, D.C., area with her husband, Don (Col. (R) U.S. Army, and also a retired Lockheed Martin executive) to Sarasota, Fla., where they are both enjoying the sunshine along with many visitors escaping the winter cold from the North! Diane continues to volunteer for RPI as chair for the Annual Fund Volunteer Leadership Council and enjoys her frequent visits to campus—“RPI is amazing!!!” Diane also stated that “...our 35th Reunion weekend was a lot of fun last fall, although sparsely attended from the Class of ’82! (Our 40th will be just around the corner—hope we can get more of our class to campus!)”
Posted 2018-10-10
Lou Alongi noted that he designed a very low-tech drip irrigation system that’s “user-friendly” for senior citizens. The system is very green because it uses gallons of water per hour and not per minute. Lou also casually mentioned that he was—ahem—a bit “seasoned” when he graduated and is currently 88!
Posted 2018-10-10
Don Maynard (B.S. ’82, M.S. ’88) is still working for the Johnson Co. in Montpelier, Vt., after 30 years. Don’s work is focused primarily on cleaning up hazardous waste, these days in the National Parks (Anacostia River, D.C.; NYC landfills), and also public water supply development and dam engineering. He’s married to RPI engineer Louise Beaulieu ’81 and has one grandchild.
Posted 2018-10-10
Naomi Shields shared that she is “...beginning over! Amazing at almost 60! I’ve been in Wichita since 1994. Tremendous reputation and good friends made in residency while in the Air Force in San Antonio. My adopted parents now have some health issues, so the plan is to go back to Texas in June 2018 and join San Antonio Orthopaedic Specialists. There are a few mission trips during my transition; Costa Rica with Health Volunteers Overseas in February, then Haiti and Vietnam in May. I’m teaching a couple of Clinician Patient Communication workshops as well. Oh, and I hate moving and the boxes!”
Posted 2018-10-10
A. Curtis Pagano is the VP of quality and regulatory compliance at Delavau Pharmaceutical Partners in Philadelphia, Pa. He is expecting to retire in late 2018 and looks forward to new and exciting non-work-related things.
Posted 2018-10-10
Please join us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/groups/RPIClassOf82.
Posted 2018-10-10
Mark Bowers recently founded the Professional Development Consortium of Hampton Roads (Virginia)—a place for leaders of professional development organizations to connect, collaborate, and coordinate on common issues and goals. Mark been thinking about it for several years…and decided it was finally time to act!
Posted 2018-03-15
Patrice Milos (M.S. ’82, Ph.D. ’84) was appointed to the board of directors of MedMates, a life sciences industry network group in Rhode Island. She is the president/CEO and co-founder of Medley Genomics, which addresses the challenges of genomic heterogeneity in the diagnosis and treatment of complex diseases. Initially focused in oncology, Medley provides unique ‘molecular fingerprints’ of a patient’s cancer enabling individualized diagnosis and optimal treatment.
Posted 2018-03-15
Michael Angle was promoted in August 2017 to chief technology officer (CTO) of Opus. Mike was formerly president and co-founder of Alacra, a leading provider of Know Your Customer and Referential Data solutions, acquired by Opus. In his expanded role as CTO, Mike leads software development, technology operations, and data solutions globally.
Posted 2018-03-15
Rob Stone worked in NYC for the last 14 years before he and his wife, Mary Ann, moved to Chicago, where Rob is now the CIO for Jenner & Block—a large international law firm. Rob noted that “…we decided this move would give us the chance for a major lifestyle change—we left a house in the suburbs of Connecticut and now live in an apartment in Lincoln Park. It’s been quite freeing to get rid of most of our ‘stuff.’ I also got back almost three hours a day by reducing my commute!”
Posted 2018-03-15
Guy Gabrielson III reports that his youngest son, Dane, finished his through-hike of the Appalachian Trail in the early fall...199 days, 2,190 miles! His middle son, Roy, is finishing up his master’s in fine art education in Cambridge, Mass., and hopes to be teaching next fall. Guy’s eldest son, Jess, is working in the tree business doing the high stuff and loves the thrills! Guy adds that he hopes to get back to RPI soon.
Posted 2018-03-15
Amy Dickison spent the summer doing a lot of sailing out of Newburyport, Mass, and Russ Paige ’81 and his daughter joined Amy’s family on the boat while they were passing through.
Posted 2018-03-15
Paul Agnello is a senior fellow at GlobalFoundries in Malta, N.Y., joining GlobalFoundries when it acquired the IBM Microelectronics business in 2015 (after 25 years at IBM).
Posted 2018-03-15
Chris Hanke (B.S. ’82, M.S. ’86) and his wife Kathy Mason reconnected with Paul Agnello (B.S. ’82, Ph.D. ’88) and his wife Iris Agnello in mid-2017 on a “…fabulous two-week vacation in Northern Spain (La Rioja and Basque regions), enjoying lots of great food and wine.” Chris has been working for Qualcomm in Raleigh, N.C., for four years, still keeping his hands dirty designing mixed-signal/analog power management circuitry for large data-center server chips.
Posted 2018-03-15
1983
Doug Robinson has returned to work for Rensselaer as the IP Manager. Doug has been a practicing patent attorney for 37 years and most recently was the executive director of Intellectual Property at Lenovo.
Posted 2024-01-17
Chris Root, chief operating officer at Vermont Electric Power Company, received the 2020 Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Power and Energy Society (PES) Meritorious Service Award for “outstanding contributions in leadership, technical, and educational activities of the IEEE PES.”
Posted 2021-09-29
Business
The Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver has named Vivek Choudhury dean. Says Vivek: “You have the chance to interact with students, learn about their aspirations, and work with them. And if you’re lucky, you have an opportunity to make a difference in some lives.” Since the days of earning his MBA at Rensselaer, Vivek has led a distinguished career in academia with faculty positions at Florida State University and the University of Pittsburgh, followed by faculty and leadership roles at the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner School of Business, and at George Washington University’s School of Business.
Posted 2020-05-20
Science
David Tannenbaum was the sole bicycling competitor in Team USA’s Master Division at the 2019 Maccabi Pan American Games in Mexico City, finishing 8th in the 55-59 age group. The Games include three races: a 13-mile time trial on a Formula 1 car racetrack at 7,200-foot elevation, a 48.8-mile course that lapped around Ajusco Mountain in 45-degree temperatures at 11,772 feet, and a 51-mile mountain descent from 5,200 feet and return climb. Following RPI, David spent 13 years overseas as his wife was posted to six countries with the UN, traveling to 45 countries. Since his return to the U.S. in 2014, he has been a foreign cultures and languages teacher at Fort Huachuca near his home in Hereford, Ariz. In 2018, he medaled in every Senior Olympics event he entered, taking five gold medals at state and qualifying for nationals.
Posted 2020-05-20
Business
Dr. Geoffrey Akers, P.E., is a principal engineer at Missile Defense National Team for General Dynamics in Huntsville, Ala.
Posted 2020-05-20
Joseph Daly was appointed to the board of directors of Image Sensing Systems. He is the founder and CEO of Essig Research, an engineering services company that specializes in the design and repair of large, infrastructure related equipment.
Posted 2019-10-01
William Danko was the speaker at a Lally School event in March. The author of Richer Than a Millionaire: A Path-way to True Prosperity, he delivered the talk "The Millionaire Next Door: You're Richer When You Think."
Posted 2019-10-01
James Hardie Industries announced that Jack Truong will become the company’s new CEO. Chairman Michael Hammes said, “Jack offers the ideal combination of commercial expertise, operational excellence, and leadership in order to continue to grow the business and maintain the industry-leading performance, across multiple geographies.” Jack has been president of international operations at James Hardie since early 2017. Prior to that, he was president and CEO of Electrolux North America. Earlier, Jack enjoyed a successful 22-year career at 3M Company, where he held senior leadership roles throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia-Pacific. He is the recipient of 11 U.S. patents and several international patents. And, he enjoys giving time to philanthropic causes and professional industry associations.
Posted 2019-03-10
David Gertler received the Albert Fox Demers Medal from the Rensselaer Alumni Association. This award is the second highest award that the RAA bestows and was established in 1942 to recognize substantial contributions to the welfare of the Institute by either alumni or non-alumni and to stimulate further interest in the support of Rensselaer.
Posted 2019-03-10
Materials engineer turned comedian (yes, you read that right) Eric McMahon was back in Troy this past year to perform at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall during the New Year’s Eve celebrations. Eric, now residing in central New Jersey, has been featured on ESPN and NBC. As he told the Troy Record, “It’s always good to come back to Troy and see how much the area has changed. Even though I’ve been gone more than a few years now, I’m in the area every year at least either to perform or to ski or both. Troy also helps me find new material—it’s got a never-ending supply. The city seems to have had some highs and lows, and I’m happy to see that it’s currently on one of the highs.”
Posted 2018-10-10
Mark Begor was named CEO at Equifax Inc. Mark spent 35 years at General Electric serving in a variety of roles leading multibillion-dollar business units of the company, including president and CEO of GE Energy Management from 2014 to 2016, president and CEO of GE Capital Real Estate from 2011 to 2014, and president and CEO of GE Capital Retail Finance (Synchrony Financial) from 2002 to 2011. Most recently, Mark was a managing director at Warburg Pincus.
Posted 2018-10-10
Wes Horbatuck, who was promoted to president of Norcom Insurance in November, has been with Norcom since 1993, where he held his position as executive vice president and manager of the Norcom Insurance team. The president/CEO of Norcom Mortgage had this to say: “Wes Horbatuck has grown Norcom Insurance into one of the best insurance agencies in Connecticut.”
Posted 2018-03-15
Business
Saul Kaplan, who is the founder and chief catalyst of the Business Innovation Factory, and recently shared his “From…To Story” for a colleague’s book that contains stories of pharmacy school graduates who leveraged their education in surprising ways. Saul began with his pharmacy degree from the University of Rhode Island, although he knew he wouldn’t spend his career filling prescriptions. After adding an MBA from Rensselaer, he leveraged both degrees to work in the pharmaceutical industry for Eli Lilly & Co., where he had the opportunity to work on the U.S. introduction of Prozac. Saul then became a consultant, first with Arthur D. Little and then as a senior partner at what became Accenture. After retiring from Accenture, Saul led Rhode Island’s economic development agency.
Posted 2018-03-15
Business
Mark D. Lansing, now an attorney, has joined Dickinson Wright PLLC in their Washington, D.C., office, and focuses his practice on property tax and condemnation matters with respect to energy, industrial, and commercial properties. After receiving his B.S. and MBA from Rensselaer, Mark earned his J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University.
Posted 2018-03-15
Mark Mistur, dean of Kent State’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design, served as the featured speaker at a recent Bowman Breakfast, a twice-yearly tradition at Kent since 1963. Mark’s vision for future learning at the university included adding interdisciplinary course offerings and co-curricular initiatives and creating an innovation infrastructure to provide interdisciplinary spaces. Mark states that some challenges for higher level classes that could be explored by such learning would include algae pollutants in Lake Erie, water scarcity and conservation, issues of rapid urbanization, or wearable technology. “It is not just about STEM, or even about learning new skills and requiring more education," he explains. "This helps of course, but creating an innovation economy requires thinking outside the box and continually challenging and solving things. It requires encouraging greater creativity, ingenuity, and quickly adapting to market demand.” Prior to Kent State, Mark was associate dean of Rensselaer’s School of Architecture.
Posted 2018-03-15
Kevin Updegrove, former site leader at Chromalloy Tampa Castings, is the CEO for Advanced Airfoil Components, a new joint venture between Siemens and Chromalloy in Tampa, Fla. The primary scope is turbine blade and vane cast components for power generation. Kevin has been with Chromalloy for 23 years and has a proven record of success starting up new facilities and effectively managing operational excellence to achieve the highest level of manufacturing performance. Kevin and his wife, Diane ’84, received the Alumni Key award at the RAA Awards Dinner in October.
Posted 2018-03-15
Dino Cerchie retired after 30 years at McDonnell Douglas/Boeing. He started back in 1983 in Long Beach at the old Douglas Aircraft Co., continued studies while working, and picked up a master’s in engineering from USC. He almost finished his Ph.D. in engineering from University of Arizona, had it not been for a new product launch that demanded too much attention to finish his dissertation. Dino met his wife of almost 30 years, Pam, while in Long Beach—both having started work the same day. They have two sons, both out of college with advanced degrees and on their own. After much travel around the world working with customers on various aircraft programs, Dino and Pam in retirement now travel closer to home in their four-wheel drive EarthRoamer RV, the first trip being 100 days, 12,000 miles, 19 states, and four Canadian provinces on “the roads less traveled.”
Posted 2018-03-15
Brent Williams retired after 25 years at Xerox Corp. in Rochester, N.Y. Prior to that, he worked at Charles Stark Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, Mass., for eight years. While at CSDL, he received an M.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT. Brent spent his entire career in various technical areas, including his last three years at Xerox, where he was a systems engineer working on the multifunction devices designed in collaboration between Xerox and its Japanese partner Fuji Xerox. Brent and his wife live in Penfield, N.Y. He’s enjoying retirement and much of his time is occupied by either riding or repairing bicycles. In addition to volunteering with an organization in the inner city of Rochester that takes in unwanted bicycles, makes them safe and rideable, and gives them to people for free to use for transportation, Brent also works part-time in a local bike shop and repairs bikes for friends and neighbors at his home.
Posted 2018-03-15
1984
Dr. Charles A. Sternbach, ’84 Ph.D., will receive the Michel T. Halbouty Outstanding Leadership Award at the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) IMAGE 2024 event. The Halbouty Award is given in recognition of outstanding and exceptional leadership in the petroleum geo-sciences. It is the AAPG’s most distinguished leadership award.
Posted 2024-01-17
Mark Berube was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2011. He continued to work through 2018, supporting the U.S. Air Force at the Pentagon, while focusing on time with his family. After an intense eight-year battle, he passed away in July 2019. RPI and his fraternity, SAE, were very important to him. Mark is survived by his wife, Karen, and three children, Allie, Nicole, and Matthew. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Posted 2021-09-29
Mark Griffon is visiting assistant professor of health services at Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachusetts.
Posted 2021-09-29
Michael Bartikoski joined Diamond Crystal Brands as chief operating officer. Prior to joining Diamond, he was vice president of frozen manufacturing and supply chain operations at Rise Baking Co.
Posted 2021-09-29
Kevin retired and we have relocated back to Carson City, Nev. Our home that was rented for eight years needs lots of TLC so “staying at home” has allowed us to make a dent in the project list. — kupde@sbcglobal.net
Posted 2021-02-26
William Morales had to look for a new job due to the relocation of the Bureau of Land Management to the West. Fortunately, he found a job with the Department of Defense in the same line of work. Additionally, William has started posting YouTube videos. One shows you how to convert a 3-foot-tall, battery-powered Christmas nutcracker so that it uses either AC or battery. The other video shows how to convert a folding bike to electric.
Posted 2021-02-26
Todd Engelhardt ’84, MBA, has been named regional director of investments at Cumberland Advisors. Todd will provide investment advice to individuals, institutions, retirement plans, and government entities throughout Southwest Florida. A Series 65 licensed adviser, Todd has more than 30 years of investment management experience.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Diane Updegrove writes: First, thank you to Carlos Nieto (Class Pres), Florence Huban Suraci (Class VP), Marie Sayre Cole, Laura Dunn Salvati, and Walter Ashe for pulling together our 35th Reunion. Marie captured 19 classmates attending various activities during the weekend. It was good to hear how everyone is doing. I had wonderful conversations with several people, however, I ask that they send an “official” update to me as I don’t want to report something they would rather not share with the masses!
Posted 2020-05-20
Engineering
Florence Huban Suraci (Chem.Eng.) has just crossed her 20 years at Cisco, manager of strategy and planning for Cisco’s Americas Data Center Architecture. Her husband, Tom Suraci, and she remain active in community and alumni events and were happy to see everyone who was able to join or correspond to the recent 35th Reunion, as well as being at the 20-year celebration of Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson. They are proud of starting their own legacy family; son Jonathan Matla ’15 (Ind.Eng. and ’18 MBA & M.S. Finance) is working as a restructuring consultant at EY, and son Peter Matla ’17 (IT) is working as a cloud and IT consultant at Deloitte. They enjoy living locally in Loudonville, N.Y., and spend winter in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla.
Posted 2020-05-20
Engineering
There is a motivating article in the August 7, 2019, edition of the Greenwich Times. In July, Tom Brust, an avid swimmer and biker, participated in the Greenwich Cup Triathlon for the 30th straight showing at the strenuous event. Tom moved to Greenwich after his 8th race as he liked the community. He participates in other marathons, but the “Cup” is his favorite. After leaving RPI, Tom earned a graduate degree from Columbia Business School.
Posted 2020-05-20
Engineering
Diane Updegrove writes: Since there is not much else to report, you get to hear about my life. During my trip north, I enjoyed lunch with Liz Rodriguez (B.S., BArch). Her work in the Troy area is admirable. I also was lucky enough to attend the Duracell Co. picnic at Lake Compounce as a guest of my son Alex and met up with Gary Rapp who also works for Duracell, and his wife, Kim. They are doing well and were in the process of moving their son who just graduated from RPI to his new job in NYC. Lastly, I am a second-time grandma; Baby Mae Ellis Updegrove was born in August.
Our 40th Reunion will coincide with RPI’s 200th anniversary, 1824-2024. I’m sure it will be an impressive event, so I thought it best to get it on your radar now.
Posted 2020-05-20
Will Morales received a promotion as the complaints manager for the Bureau of Land Management, an agency with about 9,000 employees. Will really enjoys his job and, more excitingly, his new daughter! Will remarried five years ago and his wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.
Posted 2019-10-01
Architecture
Elizabeth "Liz" (Syska) Rodriguez ('84 B.S., BArch) sent in this nice note: "Hello all, I have been reading the class notes for years and always thought nobody would remember me and nothing is worth writing about. After reading Diane's plea for submissions and then the One Last Thing section, which described Whitney M. Young's call to action in 1968, I was inspired to finally write. Since graduating, I have made my career as an architect at TAP Inc., a not-for-profit community design center right here in Troy. In 2019, TAP will be celebrating its 50-year anniversary: 50 years of helping our clients revive vacant buildings, helping not-for-profits to provide their services, and municipalities to improve their communities. It is very rewarding work. I have had the good fortune to marry Darren Scott '92. We have two wonderful children who bring us a lot of joy. I have worked under my mentors and friends, Joe Fama '70, G.S. Christopher '70 (deceased), and now Barb Nelson '80. I have the pleasure of working with my best friend, Laura Ryder '87, and the very funny Joel Altschul '72. TAP’s formation was inspired by Whitney Young’s speech. It started with the thesis project of Vince LePera '69. Many RPI architecture students, too many to name here, have come through our doors to get some real-world experience. We enjoy their youthful energy. I invite all of them to come celebrate with us as TAP turns 50. Visit us to see what TAP Inc. is up to these days."
Posted 2019-10-01
Dean Roth has spent the last year assisting the Ukrainian Curling Federation as they prepare for their first foray into international competition. He’s been consulting with the UCF on starting in-country social curling programs and is the director of their high-performance curling program. He also coached the mixed doubles team in the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships this April in Stavanger, Norway. Sounds like Dean is our resource if we want to add curling to the events at our next reunion!
Posted 2019-10-01
Karen Murdoch ('84 B.S. ChemE; '92 MBA) was awarded the Women of Innovation Award for Small Business Innovation by The Connecticut Technology Council. Karen has had an exciting career and life. After graduating from RPI, Karen worked for Air Products in Allen-town, Pa., for two years, then moved to Connecticut and worked for UTC. She moved from the fuel-cell to the space division and remained there for 18 years. She worked with the space shuttle program on the development of Sabatier, a system that takes carbon dioxide, reacts it with hydrogen, and gets the oxygen back. Karen left UTC and started her own consulting business. She also works part time for Skyre, which builds and sells products for H2, energy, and CO2 transformation markets. Added to all that, Karen lives in Somers, Conn., with her husband, Mark, and two children. There is a very nice article based on an interview with Karen in the Journal Inquirer, March 30, 2019.
Posted 2019-10-01
Science
Santa J. Tumminia ('84 M.S. '87 Ph.D Biology) was appointed deputy director of the National Eye Institute (NEI), a part of the federal government's National Institutes of Health (NIH). After earning her Ph.D., Santa joined NEI as a senior staff fellow in the Laboratory of Mechanisms of Ocular Diseases. She then spent five years with the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the largest private funding source for retinal degeneration research, where she oversaw a $12 million vision research grant portfolio. She returned to NIH and has served in numerous capacities including ongoing oversight of key NEI biomedical initiatives such as eyeGENE, a pioneering public private genomic medicine initiative that ties advances in ophthalmic disease gene identification and disease phenotype to clinical care. As a longtime mentor to NIH staff in administrative, scientific, and clinical careers, Santa was honored with an NIG Director's Award for mentorship in 2018.
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Katherine Dewkett, PE (M.E. CivilE), not long after having been promoted to senior associate, has been promoted to the position of associate vice president of the site/civil transportation department in Dewberry’s New York City office.
Posted 2019-10-01
Diane Updegrove writes: Sean Lydon sent in an upbeat note. To celebrate their 34th reunion, a small group of alumni responded to a contest to see who had lasted the longest in their first job. The hands-down winner was Charles T. Bucci who still works for the same organization, Allegro MicroSystems, LLC, in Worcester, Mass.! (National anthem playing in the background as he is handed his award.) Chuck also is proud to announce that his oldest daughter, Danielle, is attending RPI as a member of Class of 2022 – third generation! Second place was captured by Louis Agro, who now works for Frontier Communications from Westchester County, N.Y. Lou reports he and his wife, Camille, have sent their youngest son James off to college and are now empty nesters. Mike Hurle rounded out the medalists. He and his husband, John, are busy renovating the former Stover Mansion in Bucks County, Pa., but still find time to travel in the U.S. and Europe. Not making the podium was Sean. Still a bit on the competitive side, Sean soothed his wounds just as he did after a brutal Comp Fund project, with a cold brew after it was all over. Sean works as an international trade consultant from Washington, D.C., which has kept him on the road quite a bit lately.
Posted 2019-03-10
Norma Hubele, Ph.D. ’84, an automotive safety expert and educator, founded The Auto Professor, a resource that uses statistical findings to educate consumers about the safety record of cars (www.theautoprofessor.com). She created the ranking system Auto Grades, a data source for accurate information on how well cars have protected drivers in crashes. “Our fun Auto Grade search allows people to look up vehicle safety grades by not only make, model, and year, but by their age and gender! It’s really exciting, groundbreaking stuff,” she told Arizona Foothills Magazine. Norma is engineering professor emeritus at Arizona State University. She has studied auto crash statistics and auto safety for over 30 years, and has provided expert witness testimony in over 100 legal cases involving vehicles.
Posted 2019-03-10
Meredith (Gordon) Stevens was appointed to the board of governors for GS1 US. GS1 is an information standards organization that brings industry communities together to solve supply chain problems through the adoption and implementation of GS1 Standards. Meredith is vice president, strategy and deployment, at Johnson & Johnson Supply Chain. Meredith is also an active member of the Smithsonian Science Education Center and the RPI Supply Chain Advisory Boards.
Posted 2019-03-10
The Hanover Insurance Group announced that Kathleen S. Lane was elected to the company’s board of directors. She has held senior roles at several Fortune 500 companies, most recently as executive vice president and chief information officer at TJX Companies. Kathleen earned her bachelor’s degree at SUNY-Albany and her MBA and M.S. in management information systems at RPI.
Posted 2019-03-10
There are some very flattering comments about Tim McCabe in Digital Journal. Tim is “a dynamic, methodical, and self-driven individual with excellent communication skills and a proven track record of successfully building high-performing organizations.” Tim is the director of sales and marketing at Auto-Guide Mobile Robots. Before this position, Tim served as VP of marketing and technical sales at American Science and Engineering Inc. Prior to that, he held the position of director of AMHS product management at Brooks Automation. Tim graduated with his mechanical engineering degree from RPI.
Posted 2019-03-10
Diane Updegrove: The opportunities available to students today are truly amazing. My son Andrew will be studying abroad this fall in Copenhagen; if we have any alumni who are living over there, let me know.
Lastly, I am a grandma. Darling Hannah Anne Updegrove was born in November. Ready or not, time to move on to the next phase of life! Please send some news!
Posted 2018-10-10
I’ve been emailing with Gary Rapp. He has quite the RPI legacy and his son Kent, currently attending, is in Germany. Kent was selected for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals. The program provides 75 American and German students between the ages of 18 and 24 the opportunity to spend one year in each other’s countries, studying, interning, and living with hosts on a cultural immersion program.
Posted 2018-10-10
I also enjoyed two weeks in the small town of Schlehdorf, Germany, where roommate Chrissy Krempl lives. We hiked daily in the mild spring weather thanks to the foehns (look that one up). Chrissy is changing from project manager to marketing manager for EOS GmbH, a 3D printing company. She is a great host if you get to the area.
Posted 2018-10-10
I had lunch in Berkeley, Calif., with lab partner Mark Mitchell. It was great to catch up on 34 years of “life.” Mark takes exceptional pictures of birds/animals and posts them on Instagram. He still is a consultant for pharmaceutical companies in “trouble.”
Posted 2018-10-10
Kevin and I had a delightful dinner and evening with Kaitlyn Lounsbury ’15 who was the southern representative from the Alumni Office.
Posted 2018-10-10
Connie Hastings enjoyed Reunion & Homecoming's fun-filled weekend, and attended the campaign kickoff with her second-oldest daughter—an RPI junior/senior currently on a co-op adventure—and classmate Diane Updegrove. Turns out that Connie and Diane were the only registered ’84 grads for the weekend! Connie's son, an RPI freshman, played pre-event music with other band members in the foyer of the EMPAC. "Quite a treat," Diane remarked.
Connie's oldest daughter is also an RPI graduate (2015) who married her college sweetheart, and she now lives in Texas; Connie's husband Ed missed the Reunion, as he was home with their youngest son, who hasn't decided if RPI will be his future! Connie is busy with full-time employment and Ed with running his own business. Posted 2018-03-15
Connie's oldest daughter is also an RPI graduate (2015) who married her college sweetheart, and she now lives in Texas; Connie's husband Ed missed the Reunion, as he was home with their youngest son, who hasn't decided if RPI will be his future! Connie is busy with full-time employment and Ed with running his own business. Posted 2018-03-15
John Tesoro was named president and CEO, responsible for American operations, of TUV SUD—a world leader in testing, certification, inspection, and training—in October. In its announcement regarding his new position, the company had the following praise for John: “An experienced technology executive with a collaborative, deliberate, process-oriented leadership, John’s previous experience includes transformative solutions selling processes, organic growth initiatives, successful acquisitions and business unit restructurings, involving strategic planning, market research, financial modeling, due diligence, divestitures, and business integration—all invaluable skills that will help keep TUV SUD America on its continued course of development and growth, and most importantly to be the solutions provider of choice for clients.” John resides in the Boston area with his family, and will be based out of the company's Peabody headquarters.
Posted 2018-03-15
Nambirajan Seshadri, M.S. ’84, Ph.D. ’86, former chief technology officer, Broadcom Corp. and NAE member, received the 2018 IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal, the highest honor conferred by the IEEE in the field of communications and networking.
Posted 2018-03-15
Tobi Saulnier had a nice write-up in the Albany Times Union last summer. Tobi, who founded 1st Playable because she wanted to create games with a social purpose, earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate at RPI and used the RPI incubator to help start her business in 2005. At that time, only 11 percent of the game-development community was women. Now the number has grown to 22 percent; however, the changing industry has brought new challenges and opportunities. According to Tobi, anyone can produce a game; the challenge is making something people will pay for from a professional. Tobi has focused on educational games, building partnerships with organizations like The Environmental Law Institute, and maintains the principles she started with—putting people first, getting outside whenever possible, and having fun wherever possible. 1st Playable now resides in a former ballroom at Troy’s Market Block.
Posted 2018-03-15
1985
Adam Kushner was offered an adjunct teaching position at CUNY Spitzer School of Architecture in upper Manhattan to teach one of the country’s first architectural courses on 3D printing.
Posted 2023-03-24
Peter M. Athanas, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. Peter authored or co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers and two book chapters. He served on numerous proposal review panels, including review panels for the National Science Foundation. In the classroom, he taught both undergraduate and graduate courses. He directed more than 90 master’s degree and 20 Ph.D. students, and served on more than 220 master’s degree and Ph.D. committees in total.
Posted 2023-03-24
Eric Gruff is senior vice president of chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) at Lengo
Therapeutics. With nearly 30 years of experience in drug development, Eric has specific expertise
in regulatory affairs. Posted 2023-03-24
Therapeutics. With nearly 30 years of experience in drug development, Eric has specific expertise
in regulatory affairs. Posted 2023-03-24
Joe Mozden Jr. is chief executive officer of Sonic Foundry, a global leader in empowering organizations to harness the power of video for every class, training, communication, and event.
Posted 2021-09-29
Leigh J. Price will lead strategy and corporate development at Kyndryl, the new, independent public company created following the separation of IBM’s Managed Infrastruc- ture Services business. Leigh was vice president of corporate development strategy at IBM, and played a significant role in many of the company’s acquisitions and divestitures over the past decade. He also served as vice president of intellectual property for IBM, leading its patent and research licensing businesses.
Posted 2021-09-29
Michele (St. Pierre) Sweeney was named to the Coventry High School Hall of Fame. She has spent her career in the high-tech industry, working at both semiconductor and multi-physics simulation software innovators. She has volunteered for Home Improvement Ministries and Caring Canines, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, cofounded The Fairyland Project, an initiative aimed at inspiring families to enjoy being outdoors.
Posted 2021-09-29
Catherine J. Ellithorpe, AIA, is principal of S/L/A/M Collaborative (SLAM). Based in Glastonbury, Connecticut, she joined SLAM in 1994, and has expertise in the public education and corporate sectors. Distinguishing herself as an architect with a strong interest and understanding of all facets of the architecture, engineering, and construction industries, she is the first woman member on the SLAM Construction Services Board of Directors.
Posted 2021-09-29
Pierre Langevin has retired after 35 years at Honda Canada Inc., acting as general manager for Eastern Canada.
Posted 2021-02-26
Business
In August, digital manufacturer Protolabs, located in Minneapolis, Minn., named Moonhie Chin (M.S.) to its board of directors. Protolabs is the world’s fastest digital manufacturing source for rapid prototyping and on-demand production. Chin had served in numerous leadership roles at Autodesk Inc. since 1989 before concluding her 30-year tenure with the design software giant as senior VP of digital platform and experience.
Posted 2020-05-20
Business
In April, Michael W. Kozlowski (MBA) was appointed executive director of marketing and communication at Alfred University. Kozlowski served as chief marketing officer and director of strategic initiatives for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, a position he held since 2014.
Posted 2020-05-20
Engineering
After stepping down as president and CEO of Seagate Government Solutions in October, Deb Oliver (MEE) was named to the SRC Inc. board. She began her career in the GE Aerospace Edison Engineering program and held various engineering positions with both GE Aerospace and Lockheed Martin. She rose to program VP at Lockheed Martin and in 2003 was selected as Lockheed Martin’s Stanford Sloan Fellow.
Posted 2020-05-20
Science
Richard Olsen (Math) joined American International Group Inc. (AIG) as chief actuary, General Insurance, based in New York. Most recently, he was chief financial officer of Munich Re’s U.S. P&C reinsurance subsidiary. He is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society.
Posted 2020-05-20
Architecture
Patricia DeLauri writes: The Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) is a volunteer organization of committed alumni working to support the Institute, its alumni, and future alumni. The following are two examples. In September at Homecoming, the RAA was proud to recognize Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity with its first Community Service Award for Greek Life. Also, the RAA recognized Andrew Berger ’20, Katie Hyrb ’21, and Emily Veenhuis ’20 with the RAA Red & White Emerging Leader Award, presented to a rising junior or senior who is a member of the Red & White student organization and shows exceptional leadership and commitment to Rensselaer and the RAA’s mission. Through your generous gifts to the RAA Scholarship Fund, the RAA can recognize and encourage these emerging leaders and organizations. As alumni, this is one way to proudly pay it forward.
The RAA Board of Trustees invites you to join RAA Connect, a networking platform and mobile app built exclusively for Rensselaer alumni and alumnae. RAA Connect brings our community together with access to an easy-to-use alumni directory, featuring powerful search filters and the most current career information, allowing you to connect with alumni around the world. Visit RAAconnect.com, and follow the simple steps to get connected.
Posted 2020-05-20
Patricia DeLauri writes: “As president of the Boston Chapter, I’d like to acknowledge that this was the 10th consecutive year that RPI has volunteered at the Boston Marathon pre-race dinner event, which was held on April 14. We had close to 30 volunteers this year who acted as marshals directing runners and their families through the dinner event at Boston City Hall. The B.A.A., which is responsible for organizing the marathon and its many associated events, has come to rely on our RPI group’s service. Such dedication from this group enhances the image of RPI in our community.”
Posted 2019-10-01
Theresa Kozikowski (B.S. Biol.; MBA) has been named by Webster Bank as its director of human resources, enabling functions & employee relations. In her new role, Teri will be responsible for human resources policies, risk and compliance and regulatory matters, and she will serve as the human resources liaison to the Operational Risk Management Committee, and Legal. Kozikowski transfers to Webster from Edelman Financial Services, where she contemporized the HR function as the chief human resources officer. Prior to Edelman, she was managing director of human resources, U.S. & Canada, at Marsh & McLennan Companies, and she spent 16 years at General Electric in positions of increasing responsibility within the human resources function. She is a past president of the Rensselaer Alumni Association and currently serves as co-chair of the Rensselaer Alumni Hall of Fame program.
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Jonathan Novick (B.S. E.E.) has been appointed by Alteros, an Audio-Technica company, as director of sales and marketing, where he will oversee sales and marketing activity of Alteros UWB wireless technology products. As a longtime audio industry veteran, Novick has spent his career in various positions at companies like Avermetrics, Audio Precision, and Hewlett-Packard/Agilent Technologies. He has been a longstanding member of the Audio Engineering Society, where he has served as VP, governor and, most recently, as the business manager for the AES@NA MM program. Jonathan shares his audio expertise by performing RF coordination and front-of-house mixing duties for a large children's performing arts program in his hometown.
Posted 2019-10-01
Business
David Gingerella (MBA) has been appointed the vice chancellor of administration and finance at UMass Dartmouth. He will serve as the primary point of contact to the system office, state agencies, and other affiliates on financial and business matters. Previously, Gingerella served as the vice president of administration and finance and chief financial officer at Rhode Island College.
Posted 2019-10-01
Business
Christopher Crolius (MBA) was named the winner of the Mohawk Valley Community College Alumni of Merit Award in April. He earned an associate degree in civil technology in '78 from MVCC before earning a bachelor’s degree in construction management from Utica College and a master's degree from RPI. Crolius is a principal and the founder of MARCH Associates Architects and Planners PC, an architectural firm located in Utica, N.Y., and dedicated to the planning, design, and construction of high-quality educational, corporate, and industrial facilities. The firm has completed many projects at MVCC's campuses, including the Learning Commons and the Alumni College Center.
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Peter Carbone (B.S. ChemE) has joined Acorda Therapeutics Inc. as senior vice president, quality, where he is a member of the company's leadership team. In this role, Carbone leads Acorda's Quality Assurance and Quality Control departments and manages all companywide quality initiatives. Acorda Therapeutics develops therapies to restore function and improve the lives of people with neurological disorders. As a longstanding pharmaceutical industry leader, Carbone has served in a variety of roles of increasing seniority at numerous pharmaceutical companies, including Allergan, where he was vice president of biologics quality, and Amgen, where he was executive director of corporate quality-validation.
Posted 2019-10-01
Architecture
Patricia DeLauri writes: Paul Georges was named managing principal at JKRP Architects, a Philadelphia architectural firm that designs a range of retail and entertainment projects, as well as health-care and housing projects, and residential developments. He has been with the firm for 30 years.
I’d like to share some news of my own. At Reunion & Homecoming, the Rensselaer Chapter of Boston received the 2018 Craig W. Angell ’35 Chapter of the Year Award. As chapter president, it was both exciting and rewarding to accept the award. However, true recognition belongs to all those Boston area alumni who work throughout the year, planning all those events and functions that strengthen the RPI community.
In this column, I have often spoken about the RAA Scholarship Fund which the Rensselaer Alumni Association Board launched in 2016. From this fund, the RAA presented three RAA Red & White Emerging Leader Awards (M. Beaudoin ’19, M. Montero ’19, and S. Crooks ’20). It is very gratifying to recognize and assist such quality young student leaders; they benefit from alumni generosity. If you have donated to any of the scholarship funds, thank you!
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics named Sankaran Mahadevan (M.S. CE) to its 2018 Class of Fellows and Honorary Fellows for his dedication to the advancement of aeronautics and astronautics. Since starting at Vanderbilt University in 1988, Mahadevan has served as professor of civil and environmental engineering, the John R. Murray Sr. professor of engineering, and a professor of mechanical engineering. His research interests lie in reliability and uncertainty analysis methods, material degradation, structural health monitoring, design optimization, and model uncertainty.
Posted 2019-03-10
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Eyenovia has appointed Michael Rowe (M.S. Psych.) as vice president of marketing. Eyenovia is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of ophthalmology products utilizing its patented piezo-print technology to deliver micro-therapeutics topically to the eye. In prior positions, he served as the head of global strategic marketing, ophthalmology, at Aerie Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for U.S. and international commercialization, planning, and execution for Rhopressa, a drug that lowers elevated intraocular pressure in patients with open-angle glaucoma.
Posted 2019-03-10
Science
Last July, Lora M. Green (Chem.), a longtime patent trial and appeal board (PTAB) administrative patent judge, joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, a Palo Alto, Calif., based provider of legal services to life sciences, technology, and growth enterprises worldwide. She has joined WSGR’s patent trial and appeal board practice as Of Counsel, and will be based in their Washington, D.C., office. Green’s tenure as an administrative patent judge (APJ) at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office began in 2001. She has been one of the most active judges handling post-grant review proceedings covering life sciences-related patents. Before serving as an APJ, Green served as judicial law clerk and as a patent examiner in the U.S. Patent and Trade Office.
Posted 2019-03-10
After running a practice at the Valley Medical Center in Renton, Wash., Eric Waterman, M.D., an ENT and rhinoplasty and facial plastic surgeon, has opened the Waterman Rhinoplasty and Nasal & Sinus Center of Seattle in Madison Park, Wash. A graduate of the RPI/Albany Medical College B.S./M.D. program, he was inspired by his great-grandfather, who was also an eye, ears, nose surgeon, and discovered his passion for this specialty during his residency. Dr. Waterman also provides allergy management and serves as clinical faculty for the University of Washington.
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
Biogen, in Cambridge, Mass., has appointed Mark Hernon (Ind. & Mgmt Eng.) as senior vice president and chief information officer. Biogen discovers, develops, and delivers worldwide innovative therapies for people living with serious neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. In his new role, Hernon leads the global information technology organization and is responsible for accelerating and supporting Biogen’s operations through delivery of innovative technology tools and systems.
In prior years with Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Hernon served as regional CIO for the Americas and global head of R&D, QA, and HR systems as well as VP of operations for the Cambridge site. He was most recently the global head of R&D Site Strategy and Operations, where he led the global transformation of Takeda’s R&D footprint. Hernon holds a B.S. & M.S. in industrial and management engineering and an MBA from the Lally School of Management.
Posted 2018-10-10
Science
After retiring from the Air Force in 2016, Col. Hans Ritschard (Chem.) joined the staff at the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center where he is now the director of performance improvement. He leads a variety of initiatives that ensure a culture of continuous improvement, and facilitates projects that increase efficiency and promote the highest quality of health care. In the greater community, he has served on the Cheyenne Frontier Days General Committee as the Military Chair, and he currently serves as a board member of the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce.
Col. Ritschard also has M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary, two master’s degrees from Air University, a postdoctoral fellowship from Harvard Medical School, and a public policy fellowship at the Rand Corporation.
During his Air Force career, he served as a child psychologist at Wiesbaden Air Force Base in Germany and RAF Lakenheath, England. He has also commanded Medical Operations and Ancillary Services Squadrons in both Idaho and Ohio and has served as the director of the Department of Defense Psychological Health Strategic Operations for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.
Posted 2018-10-10
Science
In March, Greg Travelstead (Geol.) was appointed executive director of the Sawtooth Society located in Hailey, Idaho. Formed in 1997, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Sawtooth Society is the only organization dedicated exclusively to protecting, preserving, and enhancing the 756,000-acre Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA). Greg has served as the Sawtooth Society’s stewardship coordinator preserving open space in the scenic Sawtooth Valley and Stanley Basin; he has worked with policymakers and the public to address threats facing the SNRA. Additionally, he has consulted with the government, and private and nonprofit clients, on land and water planning issues while working for the U.S. Forest Service on trail maintenance. Good luck!
Posted 2018-10-10
Science
Jeff Hutchinson (M.S. CompSci) has been appointed chief information officer by Bombardier Inc., the parent company of Bombardier Aerospace and Bombardier Transportation; headquartered in Montréal, Canada, Bombardier is the world’s leading manufacturer of both planes and trains. In this position, Jeff is responsible for leading Bombardier’s global IT, digital asset, and cyber security functions. Jeff has more than 30 years of experience leading and transforming IT organizations at large, matrixed companies including Honeywell, Maple Leaf Foods, SAP, and Danone/Dannon. Throughout his career, he has focused on leveraging leading processes, digital assets, technology, and collaboration to enable improved business performance, profitability, and business growth.
Posted 2018-03-15
Engineering
Sean O’Sullivan (EE) was named by Business & Finance News as one its 2017 50 Outstanding Tech Entrepreneurs. While at the helm of NetCentric, Sean created “software for inside the Internet," and he is credited with co-creating the term “cloud computing” alongside George Favaloro from Compaq. In 1995, Sean founded SOSV (formerly SOSventures), a venture capital and investment management firm. As managing general partner, Sean has created and supported a wide range of business, humanitarian, and educational enterprises. He also founded JumpStart International, which was a humanitarian engineering organization based in Baghdad and operating throughout Iraq during the post-war period of 2003-2006. As chairman of the Irish Entrepreneurship Forum and founder of Open Ireland, Sean is a leader and influencer of Irish government policy in fueling economic growth and recovery in the technology sector. He has also been a regular investment panelist on the popular RTÉ TV show Dragon’s Den, as well as an occasional columnist for the Sunday Business Post.
Posted 2018-03-15
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Kraig Nienhuis (Comm.) played hockey for the Boston Bruins in the 1980s and then various professional squads in North America and Europe. He then became a singer/songwriter/entertainer performing at diverse venues across North America. Kraig has played before a world record crowd of 113,000 at the “Big Chill,” at the NHL Winter Classic, and recently at the Edmonton Oilers 30 Year Reunion with Sarah McLachlan and Tom Cochrane. Impressively, Kraig has opened for such renowned performers as ZZ Top, Nickelback, Heart, Huey Lewis, Tragically Hip, B-52s, Doobie Brothers, George Thorogood, and David Lee Roth, among others, and he also performed at the Bushstock Music Festival in London, England. His musical repertoire spans several decades and multiple genres...maybe he’ll play the Freakout!
Posted 2018-03-15
Engineering
Judi Hunderfund (ChemEng), was appointed director of the Department of Consumer Protection/Weights & Measures for Rockland County, N.Y., where she has spent much of her career in various positions protecting the public’s health and welfare, last September. Her department protects consumers by investigating complaints, assists in developing laws to protect the public, and warns of frauds and scams; in her new role, Judi will expand online access to the public.
Posted 2018-03-15
1986
Robert Psholka has joined Guardair Corporation, the largest U.S. manufacturer of OSHA compliant safety air guns and pneumatic vacuums, as the new director of operations. He brings over 30 years of experience leading operations in industrial manufacturing.
Posted 2023-03-24
Engineering
Gregory Low was promoted to director of engineering operations for SRCTec LLC. He has contributed to many SRC programs, most notably managing the SR Hawk product line and leading the Ground-Based Sense and Avoid program.
Posted 2020-05-14
Debbie (Geisler) Hren sent a note to the alumni website about a reunion of AFROTC alumni in the summer of 2016. The group included Brad Smith and his wife, Lisa, Rich and Lisa Guba, Russ and Ling Nero, Brian Jordan, and Debbie and her husband, Mark Beckmeyer. Mark Danehy ’84 and his wife, Lori, also joined them. Mark retired from the Air Force/Air National Guard in 2012 after 28 years and became chief engineer at NOAA.
Posted 2019-10-10
Rich Guba met his wife, Lisa, through another AFROTC grad, Jeff Heller, while in San Antonio, Texas. Rich left the Air Force in 1992, joined the Naval Reserve in 1993, and retired in 2008. He works for the U.S. Coast Guard as an electronics engineer in support of new ship construction.
Posted 2019-10-10
Brad Smith is enjoying his recent retirement and continues to serve others by providing beer brewing software and essentials to home brewers around the world. While Brad and Lisa were engaged, Brad met Russ Nero’s future wife, Ling, as she was finishing OTS at Randolph AFB and introduced her to Russ. Russ and Ling live in Fairfax and have two children. Russ retired from the Air Force in 2010 and became a systems engineer at TA SC.
Posted 2019-10-10
Engineering
Brian Jordan (CSE) is now at Aerospace Systems and not missing the commute from Burke to Ft. Meade. He and his wife, Karen, who met while attending a Red Sox game with a mutual friend, have three kids.
Posted 2019-10-10
Debbie is going on 15 years at GSA as a program manager in network services. She and Mark live in Great Falls, Va. Debbie spends her free time doing aerobics, gourmet cooking, and her most recent science project: restoring their Audubon-certified wildlife sanctuary to native plants and organic practices.
Posted 2019-10-10
Gallimore is the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering at the University of Michigan. Holder of two endowed professorships, he is founder and director of the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory, which is developing the plasma drive system that ultimately may propel humans to Mars. He co-founded MCubed, a real-time seed-funding program for high-risk, multidisciplinary research, which has been adopted throughout the university.
Gallimore earned his bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering at Rensselaer, and his master’s and doctoral degrees at Princeton. His primary research interests include advanced spacecraft (electric) propulsion, plasma physics and advanced plasma diagnostics, nanoparticle energetics, and the use of plasma for energy transfer and environmental remediation.
A fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Gallimore has served on a number of advisory boards for NASA and the Department of Defense, including the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, as well as college and university advisory boards. Posted 2019-10-10
Dave Chaput was not able to attend the Class' reunion, but sent an update saying that he and his wife have three children and live in Brookeville, Md. Dave left the Air Force in 1994 and is a major account manager at Cisco.
Posted 2019-10-10
Rear Admiral Karl O. Thomas (Naval ROTC) assumed command of Combined Task Force 70, the U.S. Navy’s largest battle force, while aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan recently. This follows his tour as director, 21st Century Sailor Office for the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Arlington, Va. Thomas also earned an M.S. in information technology from Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.
Posted 2019-03-10
The Burlington Ontario Junior Hockey League Cougars hired Mark Jooris, former RPI hockey star, as head coach for the 2018-19 season. This is his third stint as head coach, and he has also served as the team’s general manager. Jooris was OJHL and Ontario Hockey Association Coach of the Year in 2015-16. Mark played for the Cougars prior to his NCAA career at RPI and also played professionally in Finland, Germany, Switzerland, and for the American Hockey League.
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing in Pittsburgh named Arnie Kravitz (M.S. EE) as its new chief technology officer. Kravitz’ primary responsibility is the development of technologies to make robotics more accessible in the U.S. manufacturing industry. He has previously held several C-level positions at major Fortune 50 technology companies and served as adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University.
Posted 2019-03-10
Science
John Jacquin (M.S. Comp.Sci.) recently received the Division Leadership & Service Award from the TAPPI NET Division at the 2018 PaperCon Conference Awards. John is technical service and application development manager at Michelman, a global developer and manufacturer of environmentally friendly advanced materials for the coatings, printing and packaging, and industrial manufacturing markets. He received his B.S. in chemical engineering from Rutgers University and is currently chair of the Binders, Additives & Minerals Committee of TAPPI.
Posted 2018-10-10
Although he did not compete at RPI, Ed Neighbour (B.Arch, B.S. Bldg.Sci.) has become an avid long-distance runner. He is president of the Morris County Striders after fulfilling two terms as president of New Jersey’s USATF and as division chair of the Long Distance Running Committee. He has competed in several New York City marathons, as well as Philadelphia, Rome, Madrid, Buenos Aires, and the Big Sur in California.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Dr. Alec Gallimore (B.S. Aero.Eng.) has been named to the ANSYS Board of Directors. ANSYS is the global leader in Pervasive Engineering Simulation software, enabling imaginative and innovative product design across a myriad of aerospace and consumer products. Dr. Gallimore holds several posts at the University of Michigan, including professor of aerospace engineering. He is director of the NASA-funded Michigan Space Grant Consortium, co-director of the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Lab, and has served on the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board. Alec also holds an M.S. and a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from Princeton University.
Posted 2018-10-10
The Albany Times Union recently published an article about women entrepreneurs overcoming the hurdles of starting a business, featuring RPI grad Lynn Momrow-Zielinksi (B.S. Chem.Eng., M.S. Mgmt.Eng.), who co-founded Extreme Molding, a silicone and plastic injection molding manufacturing company in Watervliet, N.Y., in 2002. The business partners leveraged their savings to purchase their first injection molding machines. Their products range from dog collar buckles to pacifiers, following strict health and safety guidelines for multiple baby products. Sales have reached at least $5 million annually and sometimes twice that. Lynn’s philosophy, “when times get tough, go bowling,” has served her well.
Posted 2018-10-10
Anthony Szema, M.D., has been promoted to clinical associate professor of medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, and Division of Allergy/Immunology, Northwell Health, and clinical associate professor of occupational medicine, epidemiology and prevention, and director of the International Center of Excellence in Deployment Health and Medical Geosciences, at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.
Dr. Szema wrote two new books: Unusual Diseases with Common Symptoms and World Trade Center Pulmonary Diseases and Multi-Organ System Manifestations. He is CEO of RDS2 Solutions Inc. and is co-inventor of a vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) drug that cures pulmonary fibrosis and lung injury and pulmonary hypertension. His part-time practice is Three Village Allergy & Asthma, PLLC, South Setauket, N.Y. He is married to Denise Monte, M.D., FACS. He and his children, Allison and Austin, received their black belts in Tae Kwon Do over the summer. Posted 2018-03-15
Dr. Szema wrote two new books: Unusual Diseases with Common Symptoms and World Trade Center Pulmonary Diseases and Multi-Organ System Manifestations. He is CEO of RDS2 Solutions Inc. and is co-inventor of a vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) drug that cures pulmonary fibrosis and lung injury and pulmonary hypertension. His part-time practice is Three Village Allergy & Asthma, PLLC, South Setauket, N.Y. He is married to Denise Monte, M.D., FACS. He and his children, Allison and Austin, received their black belts in Tae Kwon Do over the summer. Posted 2018-03-15
Michael Wands was named head of Global Investment Strategies at Putnam Investments. He joined Putnam in 2008, having spent his career since RPI on Wall Street, most recently as head of Fixed Income N.A. for State Street Global Advisors.
Posted 2018-03-15
Arnold Abraham (B.S. Physics), with 25 years of federal service, retired as associate director of intelligence for United States Cyber Command at Fort Meade in August 2013. The next day, he started law school at the University of Maryland, where he was the oldest student in the class. Arnold graduated cum laude, passed the bar, and is now the principal attorney/founding partner of The CyberLaw Group, a 21st-century firm focused on personal privacy and data protection.
Posted 2018-03-15
Engineering
Kathleen Conley (B.S. ECSE, MBA) has been promoted to senior vice president of operations at CommerceHub. Prior to joining CommerceHub in 2014, Kathleen worked in a diverse portfolio of companies, including Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan, Bank of America, Viewlocity, Factory Automation & Computer Technologies, and Computer Integrated Modular Mfg.
Posted 2018-03-15
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Peg Olsen (M.S. Urban&Env., Ph.D. Ecol. Econ.) was named director of the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Peg, who most recently served as chief conservation officer at the National Audubon Society overseeing 23 state programs and 46 nature centers as well as international programs, also worked for the Conservancy from 1989-2003, holding various national and international posts and launching the Australia Program. In her new position, Peg will be protecting 585,000 acres and working on the environmental challenges of land and water protection, reducing the causes of climate change, and utilizing nature to adapt in a climate-changing world.
Posted 2018-03-15
Business
Dan Ireland (B.S. Mgmt.) recently participated in presenting an interactive webinar on career advice for entry-level engineers. Dan is senior director of content operations at IEEE GlobalSpec, where he’s responsible for managing a group that maintains technical content for one of the largest engineering resource and digital media websites. Dan previously managed an IHS aerospace engineering group in the UK.
Posted 2018-03-15
1987
After reading his orders from the podium, Vice Adm. Carl Chebi, right, salutes Vice Adm. Dean Peters and assumes duties as Commander, Naval Air Systems Command on Sept. 9 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.
Adam Stewart has spent over 30 years in the software industry, joining the executive teams at startup companies after their first round of VC money and then taking them to exit. After six such exits, he is leaving the software industry in search of his next gig, potentially developing a one-year business training curriculum for high school students. He continues to reside in the Capitol Region of New York. Adam was a waiter at Holmes and Watson in Troy.
Posted 2023-03-24
Abe Mantell, a professor of mathematics at Nassau Community College (SUNY) in New York, was awarded the Mathematical Association of America’s Meritorious Service Award at its annual meeting (MathFest 2021).
Posted 2023-03-24
Dr. Giuseppe Condemi has joined New Jersey Cancer & Blood Specialists. He has been a hematologist and medical oncologist for over 20 years.
Posted 2021-09-29
David Kim joined Blue Heron, a design-led development firm, as Elite Division president, overseeing Blue Heron’s custom design-build division.
Posted 2021-09-29
Chris Fontes was named a fellow of Los Alamos National Laboratory for sustaining a high level of achievement and leadership in atomic and plasma physics. He was explicitly recognized for pioneering contributions to the understanding of atomic processes in plasmas and their application to a broad range of physics problems including nuclear fusion, laboratory experiment, and astrophysics. Chris was also honored with becoming a Distinguished Alumni of B.M.C. Durfee High School in 2019. He plays ultimate frisbee as often as possible.
Posted 2021-09-29
Aaron Breidenbaugh was appointed director of U.S. Markets and Regulatory Affairs for Rodan Energy. He will assist Rodan’s clients in navigating complex U.S. energy markets and help to reduce their total energy expenditures while enhancing a sustainable energy economy.
Posted 2021-09-29
Dave Berque has been appointed DePauw University’s vice president for academic affairs, through the 2022-23 academic year. Berque, who also is a professor of computer science, began teaching at DePauw in 1992. In 1997, he was named the U.S. Professor of the Year for baccalaureate colleges by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The Indianapolis Business Journal listed him among its “Innovators” in 2006, noting that he developed software that improved interaction among students and teachers. He received the Mira Techpoint Award for educational contribution in technology in 2007. Berque holds three U.S. patents and has received more than $1.57 million in external grant funding, including eight grants from the NSF.
Posted 2021-02-26
Science
Mark Dorfman, M.D., is senior managing partner of Eye Surgery Associates in South Florida, which recently entered into a strategic partnership with Eyecare Services Partners Management. He serves as chief of pediatric ophthalmology at Joe DiMaggio Pediatric Hospital.
Posted 2020-05-14
Bonnie Litvack, M.D., was elected president-elect of the Medical Society of the State of New York. A radiologist, she is director of the Women’s Imaging Center at Northern Westchester Hospital, part of Northwell Health. Under her leadership, the center has been named a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology. Bonnie lives in Chappaqua with her husband and three daughters.
Posted 2019-10-01
Jeffrey Snow, a four-year standout in tennis in both singles and doubles, was among those inducted into Rensselaer's Athletics Hall of Fame in April.
Posted 2019-10-01
Architecture
Valerie Bok was named a principal at architecture+, a design and service oriented architecture and planning firm in Troy that serves clients in health care, education, government, and other cultural and community organizations. She is currently collaborating on psychiatric facility projects in Wyoming and Texas and has recently designed new medical offices for The Center for Rheumatology and a children’s psychiatric facility in Columbus, Ohio.
Posted 2019-03-10
Christopher Fontes, staff scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, has been elected a fellow of the American Physical Society for his pioneering contributions to a broad range of physics problems including nuclear fusion and astrophysics. His most recent work includes trying to understand the light that is emitted from neutron star mergers, in connection with the recent gravitational wave observation announced in August 2017 and the Nobel Prize awarded in December 2017.
Posted 2018-10-10
Kristin (Stoehr) Pereira sent in a quick report about the Class' 30th Reunion: “A little older and a lot wiser, we put our well-earned laugh lines to good use. It was so nice seeing everyone again.”
Posted 2018-03-15
Mark Ameres reached out to invite anyone in the Cape Cod area to drop by! Also feel free to drop Mark a line to keep in touch.
Posted 2018-03-15
George Norman reports that he and Mary (Rooney) LaChance ’97, after both being first-time candidates for Glastonbury, Conn., Town Council, are happy to report that they were both elected on November 7! George and Mary are looking forward to working together to serve the great town of Glastonbury.
Posted 2018-03-15
Paul Urmson may have missed Reunion, but he had a chance to reconnect with classmates Jim Rider and Peter Quinones when they visited Troy recently.
Posted 2018-03-15
Jim Rider is currently the visual effects supervisor for HBO’s forthcoming adaptation of Fahrenheit 451.
Posted 2018-03-15
Rick Mastracchio was named senior director of operations for Orbital ATK's Commercial Resupply Services program. As a member of the Advanced Programs Division’s Human Space Systems team, Rick manages the CRS Mission and Cargo Operations teams and supports other Human Space Systems programs, including Orbital ATK’s exploration pursuits beyond low earth orbit. Rick’s new role with Orbital ATK follows an accomplished career with NASA, during which he flew as a mission specialist on three Space Shuttle flights and spent time on the International Space Station, logging 228 days in space, including nine spacewalks.
Posted 2018-03-15
Peter Quinones reported the following regarding a reunion within a reunion that took place when the Class of ’87 swimming and diving team took the opportunity to reconnect: "Dinner and reminiscing Friday night at the home of Bob Kirchner and his wife, Natalie Wittner Kirchner (Russell Sage), was attended by Armen Pogharian, Hans Foerster, Eric Pearl, Ralph Krempl, and Sebastian (Sam) Pascarelle. Tony Sarrack had to leave before dinner and Tom Belletete and Deb Cherniwchan Belletete joined the festivities the next day. Jeanne DeBonis (nee Carboni) was a last-minute scratch. While visiting the Robison Pool on Saturday, they fortuitously ran into former Big Red Swarm and old friend Bob Keyes. Bob and the team have started making plans for the 100th anniversary of the swim team, occurring in 2018. If you were on the swimming or diving team at RPI in the last 100 years, please reach out to make sure you are included."
Posted 2018-03-15
1988
Suzanne Cano Meeker, MBA ’93, just celebrated 27 years of marriage and 13 years in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is a process engineer for Bank of America/Global Operations and, after a long and winding career, loves every minute of her current role! Her two children have both finished college and are well on their way with their careers. Tennis, pickleball, dance lessons, cooking, and volunteering with nonprofit boards fill her time when she is not working or traveling the world with her husband. The 11th address can be “written in ink!” #emptynestlife
Posted 2024-01-17
Robert Lopez was awarded the National Council of Architectural Registration Board’s (NCARB) highest honor, the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service. He was recognized at the organization’s 2021 Annual Business Meeting for his commitment to architectural regulation and NCARB’s mission to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare.
Posted 2021-09-29
Marcy Dreimiller is vice president of human resources for Saratoga Hospital. She has been with the hospital since 2009, most recently as associate vice president of human resources.
Posted 2021-09-29
George Pastrana is president, chief executive officer, and board member for Living Greens Farm, one of the largest vertical, indoor aeroponic farms in the United States, providing year-round fresh salad greens, bagged salad kits, microgreens, and herbs.
Posted 2021-09-29
Steven T. Rogers was appointed vice president of business development for Gamma Aerospace, a specialized, end-to-end provider of engineered airframe and flight components for leading original equipment manufacturers and Tier I suppliers in the aerospace and defense industries. Steven brings more than 35 years’ broad jet engine and rotorcraft industry experience to his new role.
Posted 2021-09-29
2019 was ironically the best travel year as my travel agency, ABC World Vacations (www.abcworldvacations.com), took on additional consultants and I visited a record number of new countries, bringing my total visited country count to 113. While 2020 has brought my business to a complete halt, I am confident that we will be traveling the world again in the future. — Grace Roth ’88; grace@abcworldvacations
Posted 2021-02-26
Nancy Aronson was a computer science major at Rensselaer, and has always been both an artist and packrat. She merged those two interests together by opening a curiosity shoppe with her husband, where they sell all kinds of vintage and fun items, antiques, and handcrafted one-of-a-kind items.
Posted 2021-02-26
Derek J. Goldberg, co-owner of Peak Power & Mfg. Inc., teamed with the Easy Field Corporation to design, manufacture, and sell over 30 facemask-making machines in the first half of 2020, which are producing over a half-billion face masks this year. www.OurMaskHelps.com
Posted 2021-02-26
Ravi Ravichandran has been named vice president and chief technology officer (CTO) for the Intelligence & Security sector at BAE Systems Inc. As CTO, he drives the development, integration, and transition of next-generation solutions that advance the company’s current programs and future technology pursuits. With 25-plus years focusing on technology innovation, prototype development, and product transition to franchise programs, his work has been granted patents and featured in books and academic journals. He has received many awards from BAE Systems and was selected as Technology Solutions “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2012.
Posted 2021-02-26
Chris Zajda recently merged his company Perrone & Zajda Engineers with a larger firm and he is now vice president and one of the partners at RZ Design Associates Inc. in Rocky Hill, Conn. They are one of the area’s leading consulting engineering firms, providing HVAC and structural engineering services. For 10-plus years, he has been an active member of the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Urban Search and Rescue Task Force One.
Posted 2021-02-26
Kris Provenzano is looking back at an almost 30-year career with the U.S. National Park Service. Having worked at parks from the Bering Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, she is currently managing the design and construction of the $300 million-plus water and wastewater system modernization program at the Grand Canyon. She thanks RPI for the education that got her there!
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Brian Stevens (M.S. ECSE) has joined the board of directors of Nutanix, a global leader in cloud software and hyperconverged infrastructure solutions. He most recently served as chief technology officer (CTO) of Google Cloud, where he was responsible for leading the technology vision for Google’s public cloud offering. Prior to that, he was executive vice president and CTO at Red Hat, responsible for all engineering strategy and execution at the open source software company. He also served as CTO of Mission Critical Linux, and spent more than 14 years working at Digital Equipment Corp. as a senior architect.
Posted 2020-05-20
Business
Joyce Jarrett (MBA) has recently become chief financial officer for the Nash-Rocky Mount Public School District in Nashville, N.C. Most recently, she was the manager of business affairs at the Center for Great Public Schools at the National Education Association in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, she was the assistant finance director in finance and administration for George Washington University School of Business. For much of her career, Jarrett worked as the associate executive director for fiscal affairs and operation and as the manager of business affairs for the NC Association of Educators in Raleigh.
Posted 2020-05-20
Elisa Barney (B.S., M.S., Ph.D.), now approaching her 20th anniversary as a professor at Boise State University, gave a TEDx talk, "How digital technology helps solve mysteries in the humanities." We know that engineers make many things in our daily lives from computers to power grids. They also do many humanitarian projects.
There is another less known side: Digital Humanities — using computers and technol-ogy to help further the study of the humanities such as art, literature, and history. Elisa shares stories of how computers can be used to help further knowledge in history, literature, and art. There is much more to this story than just building a webpage. You can watch this talk by going to YouTube.com and searching "Elisa Barney TEDxBoise." Posted 2019-10-01
There is another less known side: Digital Humanities — using computers and technol-ogy to help further the study of the humanities such as art, literature, and history. Elisa shares stories of how computers can be used to help further knowledge in history, literature, and art. There is much more to this story than just building a webpage. You can watch this talk by going to YouTube.com and searching "Elisa Barney TEDxBoise." Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Carrie (Hansen) Kinnison (E.E.) is the newly published author of GlobeWandering on a Budget: Travel Tips for Grown-ups, which is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Filled with decades of experience, interjected with personal travel accounts, and written with a touch of humor, this book offers the keys to comfortable and rewarding GlobeWandering on a modest budget.
Posted 2019-10-01
Business
Niels Steenstrup (Mgmt) joined PASSUR Aerospace Inc. as chief commercial officer, a new position in the company. Following PASSUR's mission to grow global airspace capacity without adding infrastructure, his focus is to build on existing business and rapidly expand the global network of customers to provide PASSUR's solutions to the benefit of airlines, airports, and air navigation service providers everywhere.
Posted 2019-10-01
Architecture
John Tobin (M.Arch) has joined SMRT Architects & Engineers as office director for the firm's New York office. Before that, he was vice president of delivery and innovation at EYP, where he held technical and executive positions for over a decade. John, who had previously taught architecture at RPI for ten years, currently serves on the NY State Board of Architecture and the Lean Construction Institute, Albany COP. He is a frequent writer and speaker on advanced delivery topics, including disruptive innovation, building information modeling, integrated project delivery, and the application of data for building design.
Posted 2019-10-01
Business
Donna Perkett (MBA) has joined the Vermont Federal Credit Union as the new chief operating officer with over 30 years of banking experience, most recently as executive vice president of retail banking for Arrow Financial Corp., where she oversaw 225 staff members, 40 branch locations, and was responsible for marketing, business development, and municipal banking. Prior to that, Donna had been senior vice president at Bank of America, where she was responsible for distribution, strategy, and planning for 14 retail bank locations.
Posted 2019-10-01
Grace (Vitagliano) Roth writes: I missed our 30th Reunion this past fall due to being out of the country, as this has been a very extensive travel year for me, with notable trips to Poland; Ukraine; Iceland, Greenland, and Norway; Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay; and Egypt. I’ll be visiting my 100th country next year. Thankfully, as long as I have an internet connection, I can work while on the road. My traveling is enjoyable and has helped my travel agency, ABC World Vacations, grow by my having firsthand knowledge of many of the places I send clients. I’m off to my next adventure, so keep in touch!
Posted 2019-03-10
Peter Emmi was named a partner in the Global Corporate Group of the law firm Reed Smith. He has extensive experience representing clients in diverse industries, including internet technology, health care, medical device, biotech, media, and virtual reality, and is a former engineer and manager at IBM. He earned his J.D. from Pace Law School in 2004.
Posted 2019-03-10
Business
Ken Grey (MBA) has been made the senior vice president of Marshall & Sterling Insurance in their Leeds, N.Y., office. He began his insurance career in 1978 with St. Paul Companies as a commercial lines underwriter. Grey is also an adjunct instructor at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
Micaela Bulich (M.S. EE), former vice president global supply chain for GE Renewable Energy’s $8 billion Onshore Wind business, has been engaged as operative adviser to the investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. Prior to her multiple previous positions within GE, she worked 10 years at DuPont in supply chain and engineering roles. Bulich is the executive co-creator of GE’s Women in Supply Chain effort and is on the advisory board of AWESOME, an organization focused on advancing women in supply chain leadership.
Posted 2019-03-10
Nancy Aronson (CompSci) has been honored as a Rising Star by P.O.W.E.R. (Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized) for her outstanding contributions and achievements in the field of financial services. Aronson has been a technical specialist with the Federal Reserve Bank of NY on and off since 1989 specializing in information technology and software development. She is also the owner of Iggie’s Curiosity Shoppe in Midland Park, N.J., and sells her own art/jewelry on her website www.nekadesigns.net.
Posted 2019-03-10
Science
Flint Lane (CompSci) has been appointed to the board of directors of Bento for Business, a leading provider of financial management solutions for small and midsize businesses. Lane, founder and CEO of NJ-based Billtrust, has been named one of the 25 Most Influential Financial Operations Professionals by the Institute of Financial Operations (IFO) and recognized as the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. He was also named 2017 Technology CEO of the Year by the Greater Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies.
Posted 2019-03-10
Gary Borla, who earned multiple master’s degrees from RPI, recently retired after a 35-year career at Eversource Energy/Northeast Utilities. During his tenure there, he held positions of increasing authority and responsibility in engineering, account management, conservation and load management, and customer and asset management. Since his retirement, he joined his family’s energy business. He has also spent time visiting his paternal family roots in Italy, and planned to visit maternal roots in Ireland during summer 2018.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Mike Peralta (EnvE) has been named executive vice president, Central Sales Operations, for Criteo, S.A., where he will oversee the central sales team to drive forward revenue operations and demand for Criteo’s newly launched products, including Criteo Audience Match and Criteo Customer Acquisition. Prior to this position, Peralta was president and CEO of AudienceScience. Previously he held numerous executive positions in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, including roles as the CRO of MediaMath, COO of Magnetic, CRO of Tumri, and an SVP at AOL and Advertising.com.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Raffi Garabedian (EE) has been named an outside director of Covalent Metrology to assist in its mission to create an enabling and democratizing one-stop-shop for rapid, diverse, high-quality metrology and characterization data and advice. He currently works as chief technology officer of First Solar Inc. and has held that position since May 2012. He joined First Solar in 2008 as director of disruptive technologies and served as its vice president of Advanced Technologies since 2010. Previously, he had founded Touchdown Technologies Inc. and served as its CEO. He worked in the semiconductor and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) industries for over 15 years developing new products ranging from automotive sensors to telecommunications switching systems. He holds 20 issued patents.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
George Pastrana (BME) has been named the new president and chief operating officer for Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. He transitions there after working at ACH Food Companies for six years as the chief marketing officer and vice president of marketing and innovation.
Posted 2018-10-10
Grace Vitagliano Roth writes in to say: "My travels have been more extensive than usual this year, with cruises to the Caribbean, Cuba, and along the Danube River (Germany/Austria/Slovakia/Czech Republic) and land visits to Italy, Southeast Asia (Thailand/Vietnam/Cambodia—including a Mekong River cruise portion) and Spain/Andorra. We live in a wonderfully varied world, and I’m very lucky to not only explore it but also share it with my travel clients!"
Posted 2018-03-15
Michael Bahtiarian has been hired by the acoustical consulting firm Acentech as a principal consultant in the Noise and Vibration Group. He has over 32 years of experience in the design of noise control treatments such as barriers, enclosures, damping, and vibration isolation.
Posted 2018-03-15
Business
Alphonse Lariviere, MBA ’88, has been appointed president of Kaman Corp.’s Distribution Group. He has served in various roles with Kaman since 2004, most recently as senior VP, finance and administration, distribution segment. Prior to his arrival at Kaman, Alphonse served as VP of global shared services at Garlock Sealing Technologies, and VP of finance with Goodrich Pump & Engine Controls.
Posted 2018-03-15
Robert Lopez has been named as a 2017 recipient of the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards’ Presidential Recognition Award for leadership shown within the Member Board Executive community. Executive secretary to the New York State Boards for Architecture and Landscape Architecture within the NYS Education Department’s Office of the Professions, Robert is also a registered architect in New York.
Posted 2018-03-15
Business
Suzanne (Cano) Meeker (B.S., MgmtEng, MBA) reports that she continues to stay in close touch with her Phi Sigma Sigma (Gamma Theta chapter) sisters. In September 2017, eight sisters from seven states rented a house on Lake George for a fantastic girls weekend. The youngest of the group had turned 50, so they wore custom T-shirts that said “50 years, sisters forever,” went apple-picking, enjoyed a wine-tasting, and painted wine glasses. They shared stories and laughs, and made new memories. Between them, they have 17 children, some of whom have graduated college and others who are starting the search process, while some are still in middle school. Experiences on campus brought these women together and their values as sorority sisters have kept them together through the years.
Attending were Stephanie Zane Taylor ’87, Lorraine MacLean Schomber ’88, Tracey Tocher ’85, Suzanne Cano Meeker ’88, Diana Koblanski Crossley ’86, Dawn Hammond Boyle ’87, Teresa Ciccimarra Schuele ’87, and Gwen Bird Bottomley ’87. Posted 2018-03-15
Attending were Stephanie Zane Taylor ’87, Lorraine MacLean Schomber ’88, Tracey Tocher ’85, Suzanne Cano Meeker ’88, Diana Koblanski Crossley ’86, Dawn Hammond Boyle ’87, Teresa Ciccimarra Schuele ’87, and Gwen Bird Bottomley ’87. Posted 2018-03-15
1989
Richard Monda continues to progress in his second career. He has received tenure and has been promoted from instructor to assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York.
Posted 2024-01-17
March Gallagher (née Sadowitz) was re-elected to serve a second term as the Ulster County comptroller. She serves on the board of the Hudson Valley Farm and Food Growth Fund. Prior to serving as comptroller, she served as the president and CEO of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley.
Posted 2023-03-24
James Pond is the new director for the Monroe County Department of Transportation, to which he brings over 20 years of experience. Prior to joining Monroe County, he served with the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps, and spent time in Keflavik, Iceland, and Philadelphia.
Posted 2021-09-29
Martha (Misha) Riveros-Jacobson, a packaging and manufacturing executive with a wealth of international experience, joined PAC Worldwide as vice president of innovation. She will oversee the global company’s business development and research and development teams. PAC is a leader and innovator in the development and manufacturing of customized packaging and contract packaging solutions.
Posted 2021-09-29
Gerald E. Daly was elected to the board of directors for the New England Council, a non-partisan alliance of businesses, academic and health institutions, and public and private organizations. Gerald is regional vice president at UnitedHealthcare.
Posted 2021-09-29
Martin J. Grohman joined the board of directors of Cerahelix, a leader in the development and manufacturing of disruptive ceramic nanofiltration membrane products. Martin is executive director of the Environmental & Energy Technology Council of Maine.
Posted 2021-09-29
Diane M. Flynn has been elected to the board of directors for the Challenger Center for Space Science Education. She is the director of the Beinecke Scholarship Program, which encourages and enables highly motivated students with need from across the United States to pursue opportunities and to be courageous in the selection of a graduate course of study in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
Posted 2021-09-29
Ron Buckmire is vice president for equity, diversity, and inclusion at the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). He is associate dean for curricular affairs and professor of mathematics at Occidental College.
Posted 2021-09-29
Richard Monda won another honorable mention in the Griffith Observatory Science Writing Contest, this time for his article “Chasing the Moon’s Shadow Again: Another Totally Awesome Experience — a Sequel.” This was an account of his trip to observe the August 2017 total eclipse of the sun from a prairie of central Wyoming. After 25 years on the planetarium staff of the Schenectady Museum (now MiSci), 10 as planetarium director, he now teaches physics and astronomy at Hudson Valley Community College, where he makes occasional videos about the current night sky called the HVCC Eyes on the Sky series.
Posted 2021-02-26
Business
Karl Fessenden, M.S. ’89, became president and chief operating officer at MB Aerospace. Previously, he was president and chief executive officer at CHC Helicopter.
Posted 2020-05-20
Engineering
Burns & Levinson welcomed Paul Pysher as one of its partners in its Intellectual Property Group. A highly regarded IP prosecutor, he had been a partner at Choate, Hall & Stewart.
Posted 2020-05-20
Engineering
Martin Reid joined GODIVA Chocolatier as its chief supply chain officer. He had been with The Estée Lauder Companies, where he led supply chain operations in fast-growing businesses across multiple manufacturing locations.
Posted 2020-05-20
Ed Gray was selected by PA Consulting’s ReliabilityOne award program as the Outstanding Contributor to Reliability. This award is widely recognized as one of the electric utility industry's most prestigious honors that recognizes the electric utilities that provide their customers with the highest levels of service reliability. Ed was recognized for his significant impact on electric reliability for PSE&G’s 2.2 million customers in New Jersey and PSEG-LI's 1.1 million customers on Long Island.
Posted 2019-10-01
Mangesh Kale (M.S. ’89) was named managing director of Precision Automation and Robotics India (PARI).
Posted 2019-10-01
Nitin Jain (M.S. ’89, Ph.D. ’91) has been named a fellow at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He is chief technology officer and board member of Anokiwave Inc., a company he founded.
Posted 2019-10-01
Dave Sovie co-authored Reinventing the Product: How to Transform Your Business and Create Value in the Digital Age, which focuses on how digital technologies are transforming traditional products into smart and connected ones. Dave is currently a senior partner at Accenture and has been living in Japan these last several years.
Posted 2019-10-01
Vivian Kuo was named a shareholder in the global law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP in its Washington, D.C., office. She was previously a partner at Winston & Strawn LLP.
Posted 2019-10-01
Naveed Hussain was named the head of Boeing Research & Technology, which is Boeing's advanced central research and development group. In March, he was the speaker at the inaugural RAA alumni lecture series hosted by the Seattle alumni chapter at the Future of Flight Museum in Mukilteo, Wash.
Posted 2019-10-01
Peter Memon was one of the recipients of the 2018 RA A Key Award.
Posted 2019-10-01
Jayson Moy was selected last fall as general manager of Saki Asia Pacific. His responsibilities cover all of Asia excluding Japan, greater China, and Korea for 2D and 3D automated solder paste, optical, and X-ray inspection and measurement systems.
Posted 2019-10-01
Jonathan Berry, M.S. '89, Ph.D. '95, received a special appointment as Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M.
Posted 2019-10-01
Doug Krehbiel checked in from Washington, D.C., where he is the director of data analytics for FrontStream, a company that helps smaller not-for-profits survive and thrive. He is a D.C. actor, public radio host, and voice-over artist. Doug's first playwrighting effort — Silly Delaware — was produced locally last summer, and he is a proud member of the Actors' Equity Association.
Posted 2019-10-01
Carol Driggs, M.S. ’89, was honored as one of five Women Who Light the Community by the Boulder Chamber Business Women’s Leadership Group in September. Carol is strategic staffing manager for the Boulder, Colo., location of Northrop Grumman, and within her position, she leads an initiative to increase Boulder’s STEM within the local schools, universities, and community. She has focused on creating a pipeline of talent into Northrop Grumman and developing that talent. She helped initiate and expand a “College Day” to hire the best students from college/industry engagement events, leveraged CyberPatriot internships, and led teams to establish Cyber/STEM camps for middle and high school students.
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
Gregory Allen (Chem.E.), a member of the Department of Defense, was recently profiled by the Army Chemical Materials Activity group where he works. His interesting background shows how he was able to pursue his dreams and break stereotypes.
Posted 2018-10-10
David McIntyre, M.S. ’89, was one of the 2018 Silver Beaver Award recipients awarded by the Boy Scouts of America. Recipients are recognized for their distinguished and noteworthy service of exceptional character to youth by Scout leaders.
Posted 2018-10-10
Dr. Judy Cezeaux, ’89 Ph.D, was selected as the next dean of the Arkansas Tech University College of Engineering and Applied Science. At the time of her appointment, she was chair of biomedical engineering at Western New England University.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Martin Grohman (Chem.E.) was featured in the March 25 edition of the Portland Herald Press. It’s an interesting read and it’s not the only time he’s been written about—he’s a state representative from Biddeford, Maine. He is the director of sustainability for GAF, one of the country’s biggest roofing companies, and he has championed recycling the asphalt shingles used in roofing jobs into paving materials.
Posted 2018-10-10
At the beginning of 2018, Earle (Rusty) Bascom was appointed to a two-year term as chair of the IEEE Insulated Conductors Committee. The group focuses on the development of IEEE guides and standards relating to underground and submarine power transmission and other types of insulated conductors.
Posted 2018-10-10
Business
Mark Maybury, MBA ’89, was named to the newly created position of chief technology officer at Stanley Black & Decker in November. John joined the organization from the MITRE Corp., where he held a variety of strategic technology leadership roles over 27 years. A former U.S. Air Force officer and chief scientist from 2010 to 2013, John is a member of the Defense Science Board and recently completed service on the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and the Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee.
Posted 2018-03-15
John Olson was named vice president of cloud operations, technical support and security at Guardian Analytics in October. John is responsible for running the company’s cloud operations financial crime platform, which combines fraud detection and anti-money laundering (AML) capabilities, as well as a real-time B2B supplier portal account takeover (ATO) offering.
Posted 2018-03-15
1990
Michael J. Lembo, PE, was elevated to the level of fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). After 35 years of membership in ASCE, he has now joined a select group that accounts for less than 3% of the total Society.
Posted 2023-03-24
Rajeev Arora, an ed tech and enterprise software veteran, is the new chief product officer at Capture Higher Ed. With more than 30 years of experience growing global software companies from concept to industry-leading businesses, Rajeev will oversee product strategy and development at Capture, an enrollment management and marketing firm that has served hundreds of institutions across the country.
Posted 2023-03-24
Michael J. Lembo, P.E., F.ASCE, patent portfolio manager of CertainTeed LLC and an engineer with more than 30 years of active practice in construction engineering and construction materials, was named a fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction. The Malvern, Pennsylvania-based CertainTeed LLC manufactures interior and exterior construction products including, roofing, siding, gypsum board, insulation, and ceilings.
Posted 2021-09-29
George Dib is serving a three-year term on the Power Transmission Representatives Association Board of Directors.
Posted 2021-09-29
Sreenivas Alampalli, Ph.D., P.E., F.SEI, F.ASCE, recently retired director of the Structure Management Bureau of the New York State Department of Transportation, was honored with the ASCE’s Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Award for career achievement in the government category for demonstrated leadership of public sector projects and programs.
Posted 2021-09-29
Betty Chan-Massey has joined KORE Power, a global energy storage provider, as the vice president of strategic development. Betty has worked in the industry for over 10 years, previously at A123 Systems and NEC Energy Solutions serving the renewable energy markets globally. She brings a new level of product integration, customer support, and perspective to the growing business and the team at KORE Power.
Posted 2021-02-26
Business
Carl Christenson (MBA), chairman and CEO of Altra Industrial Motion Corp., has been appointed to the board of directors at IDEX Corp. Altra is a leading designer and producer of electromechanical power transmission motion control products, while IDEX is a family of diverse businesses that supplies products such as BAND-IT side airbag clamps and Hurst Jaws of Life rescue tools.
Posted 2020-05-21
Business
Archana Deskus (MBA) was appointed senior vice president and CIO at Intel. She has served as CIO and senior vice president at Hewlett Packard Enterprise since fall 2017. Prior to HPE, she held CIO positions at Baker Hughes, Ingersoll Rand, Timex Group USA, and Carrier.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Carl Esposito (B.S., EE) has been appointed a senior vice president and president of the E-Systems division of Lear Corp., a leading supplier of automotive seating and electrical/electronic systems. Carl most recently served as president of the Electronic Solutions Business Unit for Honeywell Aerospace.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Amy Villeneuve (M.S., MgmtE), has been appointed to the board of directors at Humatics Corp., a pioneer in the field of microlocation navigation technology serving the autonomous vehicle and industrial automation industries. Amy was most recently a vice president at Amazon and the president and COO of Amazon Robotics (formerly Kiva Systems), providing fulfillment center automation through the use of robots and software.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Jackie Yeaney (B.S., EE) has been appointed executive vice president, marketing, for the analytics platform company Tableau Software. Jackie brings more than 20 years of marketing thought leadership experience to Tableau, including positions at Boston Consulting Group and Delta Air Lines. Jackie was the EVP of strategy and marketing at Red Hat and most recently, the chief marketing officer at Ellucian, an EdTech company for higher education.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Rob Mueller (B.S., Comp. Sys. Eng.) emailed with an update of their travels to Nashville, Colorado, and South Carolina and cute photos of the grandkids dressed up for Halloween. They spend a few months in Florida each winter in order to escape the snow as best as possible.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Rob Sherman writes: As for Dianne and me, we celebrated our son’s graduation from Oklahoma State University with degrees in both aeronautical and mechanical engineering last May, then moved him to Seal Beach, Calif., in July, stopping at every air and space museum that we believe exists between El Paso and San Diego. Adam has since started his career with Boeing in Long Beach, making “the nest” seem just a bit emptier. We moved our daughter to and from Olympia, Wash., for the summer, where she interned with the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. We joined Abigail and her friends for a long, sunny(!) weekend in Seattle to celebrate her 21st birthday before she returned to Pullman and Washington State University.
At the front end of that long weekend, we really enjoyed staying with Bob Beauchamp (B.S., MechE) and his wife, Kim, at their lovely home in Centralia, Wash., checking out their farm and wandering through the nearby farmers market. As if his work at Boeing and around the farm weren’t enough, Bob has gone back to school, completely filling his Saturdays with his graduate course studies.
Posted 2020-05-21
Rob Sherman writes: "As for Dianne and me, over the winter break we took our son, Adam, out to Long Beach, Calif., to begin looking for a place for him to live after graduation from Oklahoma State University this past May. Then the three of us and daughter Abigail spent spring break in Denver, though we were never more than three at any one time owing to the kids having two different break weeks. While on spring break, in the "small world category," Dianne and I spent a lovely day up at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and she and our son visited with his good friend at Colorado School of Mines, both located in Jefferson County, Colo. Next time, we might go look up a certain county manager. Dianne and Abby visited with Bob Beauchamp (B.S. MechE) and his wife, Kim, to prepare Abby for her intern-ship over in Olympia this summer. I also got to see AJ Leale (B.S. MechE) twice — once in Jersey City during my business trip there, then again in Houston during his business trip here. It was great to catch up in person and re-live some of the moments we had captured in pictures (gosh, how young we looked). Should your travels bring you to Houston, look us up. We look forward to catching up in person, and it gives me a great excuse to visit my favorite Houston breweries!"
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Mike Bunker (B.S., MechE) has been with The Boeing Company since he graduated in summer 1990. During his time at Boeing, he's managed programs in Seattle; helped start up their new facility in Charleston, S.C.; and spent the last two years running their factory in Melbourne, Australia. Mike and his wife, Gretchen, just returned to Seattle, where he's settled into the role of vice president of composites, managing the various composite factories around the globe. Mike, whose two sons are both in college in South Carolina, is looking forward to visiting RPI and his FIJI chapter as they approach their 30-year anniversary.
Posted 2019-10-01
Science
Bianca Mancinelli (B.S. Math) and husband Paul (B.S. Phys.) sent in an update to say that by the time their classmates read this, they will have three RPI graduates under their roof, as their daughter Chiara was due to graduate on May 18. Bianca also sent a reminder that this is the same day we graduated, just 29 years later (the key word there being "just"). Chiara will be attending Weill-Cornell in New York City, pursuing her Ph.D. in pharmacology. Bianca and Paul love that she’ll be only 45 minutes away and are already planning lots of lunches! Their son Dante loved his first year at RPI in nuclear engineering and has won a scholarship from the NRC. Dante is minoring in music and physics and continues playing drums in the funk band. Their youngest, Lucia, is a freshman in high school and has her eyes set on Canada for college. This year, Paul will celebrate his fifth year at CIGNA as the chief data and analytics engineering officer, while Bianca continues to use her "...math degree to do local theater and write music (lol!)."
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Ravi Keswani (M.E. MechE) has been appointed president of products and technology for the Freedom Financial Network (FFN), a family of companies that assists consumers with debt settlement, mortgage shopping, and personal loans. Ravi's career has included a variety of leadership positions, including in software engineering and product management, and he was most recently the chief technology officer of Ten-X.com.
Posted 2019-10-01
Business
Don Davis (B.S. Mgmt), who retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2017, is currently serving as the county manager of Jefferson County, Colo., the "Gateway to the Rocky Mountains." Don became the county manager following a distinguished career in the Marines, during which he rose to the rank of colonel, served in many different locations and commands, and was deployed on numerous occasions.
Posted 2019-10-01
Rob Sherman writes: I write this edition in early November from Pullman, Wash., where I enjoyed another Dad’s Weekend, visiting with our daughter at WSU. We’ve kept in touch with Bob Beauchamp (B.S., Mech.E.), who in turn has been keeping in touch with our son, as he pursues employment with Boeing after graduation from Oklahoma State in May 2019.
Posted 2019-03-10
Craig Pine (B.S. Matls.E.) is living in Hoosick Falls with his wife, Denise, and their two children. Craig is the quality manager for Crystal IS in Green Island, a manufacturer of UVC LEDs founded by former RPI physics professor Leo Schowalter.
Posted 2019-03-10
After working at traditional consulting companies like Deloitte, as well as small consulting companies, Vivek Bhatia founded The Bhatia Group in 2013 to serve small to mid-tier clients in integrating project, product, and process management. He recently wrote a white paper on transitioning to Agile, titled “Overcoming difficulties integrating project and Agile product management.” You can access it through his LinkedIn profile page.
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
Aninda DasGupta (M.S. ECSE) was named senior vice president - international, for global water technology company A. O. Smith Corp. Aninda is responsible for their businesses in Europe, India, Turkey, Vietnam, and Hong Kong, in addition to overseeing export sales and business development throughout Asia Pacific. His long career has included senior positions at OSRAM GmbH and DMC Worldwide.
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
Capt. Paul Spedero Jr. (B.S. Mech.E.) turned over command of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on Aug. 9, 2018. Over the course of his nearly three-year tour, Paul brought Ike out of dry dock and completed a seven-month deployment supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. Paul’s next assignment was executive assistant to Director, Joint Staff.
Posted 2019-03-10
Rob Sherman, who's in Katy, Texas, wrote: "...last December Dianne and I enjoyed a rare touch of winter in the form of 1.5 inches of snow. We followed that up with a spring break trip to Breckenridge, where we decided to hang up the skis and join our son on the snowboard. We enjoyed having both kids home from university at various times this summer. If you find yourself in the Houston area, please be sure to let us know!"
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Rob Mueller (B.S. ECSC), also a “Nifty 50” this year, has been active. After crossing skydiving off his bucket list in 2016, he and wife Sharon had a great time scuba diving during Pirates Week in Grand Cayman last fall. Rob and Sharon spend about one month each winter working remotely from Florida, and are starting to plan a Disney vacation with their three grandkids over Halloween. All that activity and his passion for hockey finally caught up to Rob this spring, when he elected to have hip replacement surgery. Not one to sit still for long, Rob was up and about in no time and dancing again only three weeks after his surgery.
Posted 2018-10-10
Science
Bianca Mancinelli (B.S. Math) shared some fantastic news, saying that their son Dante will attend RPI beginning this fall! Dante joins Bianca, Paul ’90 (B.S., Phys.), and sister Chiara (May, 2019) in what is becoming an RPI family. With their youngest son entering high school this fall, the adoption of two kittens, and Paul’s 50th birthday, 2018 is shaping up to be an amazing year for Bianca.
Posted 2018-10-10
Rob Sherman and Dianne are in Katy, Texas, and were fortunate to have no impact from the torrential rains brought by Hurricane Harvey; like many others across the area, they helped friends and colleagues clean up their flood-damaged homes. Lately, they have enjoyed trips to Amsterdam and Singapore, making it home in time to share in the joy of watching the Houston Astros claim their first World Series victory. Rob adds: "If you find yourself in the Houston area, please be sure to let us know!"
Posted 2018-03-15
Science
Al Gross (B.S., CompSci) wrote in from Miami to say that he and his family made it through Hurricane Irma with about a week of power outages and quite a bit of cleanup, but otherwise came through relatively easily.
Posted 2018-03-15
Engineering
Qamar Wan Noor (B.S., ChemE) was appointed the chief operating officer of the Malaysia Land Public Transport Commission, where she is responsible for transforming the passenger services and commercial goods transportation sectors, including infrastructure, within Malaysia. Qamar joins the commission following a successful career with Shell, where she served in the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Malaysia.
Posted 2018-03-15
Engineering
Willem Van Twembeke (M.E., NuclearEng), has been named CEO of Orazul Energy by its board of directors. Orazul, headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a privately owned, independent power producer serving markets in El Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina. Willem joins Orazul following 25 years with Tractebel and various companies within the ENGIE Group.
Posted 2018-03-15
Science
Richard Taylor (M.S., Ph.D. Chem), professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame, has been named interim director of Notre Dame California, where he is responsible for further developing Notre Dame’s presence on the West Coast. Rich joined Notre Dame’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in 1995 following completion of a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. He helped found what is now the Warren Family Research Center for Drug Discovery and Development, serving as interim director, and maintains an active research program studying natural compounds for their therapeutic potential.
Posted 2018-03-15
Business
Suzanne Rosato (MBA) joined the operations group at G2, which provides telecommunications contract negotiations expertise to enterprise companies globally. Suzanne is widely regarded as an expert in the field of carrier pricing and telecom negotiations.
Posted 2018-03-15
Science
Melville “Mel” Davey III (B.S. & M.S., CompSci) began his update by saying that he was one of the original founders/creators of Ion Torrent Systems Inc., DNA sequencing technology. He later ran the software and bioinformatics groups, developing novel sequencing technology and platforms that enabled targeted cancer gene panels and software for the identification of mutations, rearrangements, and gene fusions. Mel is now working with Jonathan Rothberg ’05 on a new startup, and is always looking for top programming talent with deep learning skill sets and a passion to improve the world to join his team.
Posted 2018-03-15
1991
Jason Hagopian, AIA, started his own architecture and design company, Neuvio Architects, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, specializing in delivering built solutions to complex challenges in a variety of project sectors, including commercial, retail, hospitality, government and neuvio.com.
Posted 2023-03-24
Rafael (Ralph) Pons, is chief manufacturing officer for Trecora Resources, a leading provider of specialty hydrocarbons and specialty waxes. To his role, Rafael brings over 35 years of chemical manufacturing experience at some of the industry’s leading companies.
Posted 2021-09-29
Lisa Salley was appointed to the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia. She has spent her career at GE, Dow, Underwriters Laboratories, and the American Petroleum Institute, and advising advanced stage start-ups.
Posted 2021-09-29
Dave Logan is chairman and vice chairman of the board of directors at Data Link Solutions (DLS). A joint venture between BAE Systems and Collins Aerospace, DLS provides Link 16 terminals and software, and logistics and support services for air, land, and sea-based platforms.
Posted 2021-09-29
Antonio Medina Comas was appointed to the Puerto Rico Oversight Board. He spent 20 years at Merck Sharp & Dohme, advancing to chief financial officer of the firm’s Brazilian operations.
Posted 2021-09-29
Richard Vehlow looks forward to seeing his classmates at Reunion in October. “30 years! I have been at every milestone reunion and can tell you RPI always puts on a great celebration for alumni. Please consider attending! Looking forward to seeing you all.”
Posted 2021-07-16
Engineering
Sabih Khan, M.S. '91, long-time executive at Apple, was promoted to the executive team as senior VP of operations. The operations department is the division spearheading supplier partnerships for green manufacturing.
Posted 2020-05-14
Charles Voss has been promoted to a managing land use planner at Barton & Loguidice, a Northeast and mid-Atlantic regional engineering, planning, environmental, and landscape architecture firm. He is a member of the firm's Sustainable Planning & Design Practice Area.
Posted 2019-10-01
Amy Shiley has been promoted to assistant vice president of National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. She is responsible for the human resources and payroll departments for the regulated subsidiaries in New York and Pennsylvania. Amy, who earned her M.S. in psychology at RPI, joined the company in 1991 as a management trainee.
Posted 2019-03-10
Philip Kahrl writes: “After graduation from RPI, I went on to get an MSME from UC Davis while working on robotic solutions for highway repair for the California Department of Transportation. After UC Davis, I was commissioned in the U.S. Navy and did a tour aboard the USS Rentz (FFG-46) including a deployment that took me all over Southeast Asia. I left the Navy in 1996 and spent many years working as an IT consultant, climbing, skiing, and traveling. I eventually settled down in the Puget Sound region, where I live in a house among the trees with my wife, Andrea, our three children, and several cats. I currently work as a software engineer in the local tech industry, and can be found on LinkedIn.”
Posted 2018-10-10
Business
Darold Londo, MBA ’91, is the new CEO of Lac du Flambeau Business Development Corp. and has 25 years of management and CEO experience. He has a military background, having graduated from West Point prior to attending RPI, and has also attained a JD from the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison, Wis.
Posted 2018-10-10
Joe Lanzisera rejoined Eigen X as principal/owner. In 2012, he co-founded Eigen X, a CRM, analytics, and agile technology company. Previously, Joe was president and CEO of Anexinet.
Posted 2018-10-10
Beth Sienel was appointed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as the new resident inspector for the Nine Mile Point nuclear power plant in Scriba, N.Y. Beth joined the NRC in 1990, and has previously been a reactor engineer in the Division of Reactor Safety and a resident inspector at the Pilgrim, Millstone, Vermont Yankee, and James Fitzpatrick stations.
Posted 2018-10-10
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Rebecca (Whittemore) Kreider writes: “I recently earned my doctorate from New Jersey City University in educational technology leadership. In 1991, I graduated from RPI with a B.S. in science & technology studies and in 2001 from Stevens Institute of Technology with an M.S. in information management. Currently I am working on a makerspace/STEM lab build-out at Mount Olive Middle School in Mount Olive, N.J.” Richard Vehlow adds this about Rebecca: "Funny story is that we discovered through our discussion that we had worked together in an EMAD CAD project sophomore year and I had photo evidence of that in my scrapbook."
Posted 2018-10-10
Richard Vehlow has been pretty busy still working as a senior HVAC engineer at New York State Office of General Services in Albany. He and his wife Jenny are also busy with their two sons, Teddy, born in 2015, and Joshua, born September 2017.
Richard also shared the following story: "...I ran into Charles Havasy last year at my milestone high school reunion in New York City, because his wife, Meredith, was 10 years behind me and in a different milestone class! He sent a photo from his USAF retirement ceremony last year that includes John Marsh ’90, Steve Mare, Melissa Wong ’92, Charles, and Ed Bellem ’89. Charles now works for The MITRE Corp. in McLean, Va., conducting defense-related studies. John is working at the F-35 Program Office, Steve is working for the Northrop Grumman Corp., Melissa is at the Applied Physics Lab, and Ed is at the Defense Intelligence Agency. All live in the greater Washington, D.C., area." Posted 2018-10-10
Richard also shared the following story: "...I ran into Charles Havasy last year at my milestone high school reunion in New York City, because his wife, Meredith, was 10 years behind me and in a different milestone class! He sent a photo from his USAF retirement ceremony last year that includes John Marsh ’90, Steve Mare, Melissa Wong ’92, Charles, and Ed Bellem ’89. Charles now works for The MITRE Corp. in McLean, Va., conducting defense-related studies. John is working at the F-35 Program Office, Steve is working for the Northrop Grumman Corp., Melissa is at the Applied Physics Lab, and Ed is at the Defense Intelligence Agency. All live in the greater Washington, D.C., area." Posted 2018-10-10
Laurence Burke is curator and Pucci Family Foundation Scholar, Aeronautics Department, at the National Air and Space Museum. As curator, he oversees the U.S. Naval Aviation collection of over 30 U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, covering all eras of naval aviation from a pre-WWI Curtiss N-9 trainer to the prototype for the Marine Corps’ Lockheed Martin X-35B. In December, Laurence spoke about Pearl Harbor at the Freedom Museum in Manassas, Va.
Posted 2018-03-15
1992
Matt Conti was elected to the board of directors for the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, the nonprofit responsible for the management and care of The Greenway in Boston. Matt retired as a portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments and is owner of Matt Conti Photography.
Posted 2021-09-29
Jennifer Howland received the Golden Knight Award from Clarkson University. The prestigious alumni award is presented to alumni who have distinguished themselves either by service to Clarkson through alumni association activities or have demonstrated outstanding career achievements, bringing distinction to themselves and the university.
Posted 2021-09-29
Willard T. Lee was appointed executive vice president and chief information and innovation officer for Hanover Insurance Group. Since 2003, he has served in various roles, including chief operating officer of specialty lines, and in 2020, was appointed senior vice president, deputy chief information officer, and member of the senior executive team.
Posted 2021-09-29
Engineering
Karen Ware is associate general counsel and expert in Intellectual Property for BASF. She has been with BASF since 2011 in various roles and currently manages a team of IP lawyers in Research Triangle Park. Karen was admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 2000 and to the North Carolina State Bar in 2002. She earned her J.D. from North Carolina North Central University, an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Rensselaer. She is currently pursuing an LLM in dispute resolution at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law.
Posted 2021-09-29
Michael V. Drexel is senior vice president and chief technology officer for Cantel Medical Corporation, a global company dedicated to delivering innovative infection prevention products and services for patients, caregivers, and other health care providers.
Posted 2021-09-29
Engineering
Brian Romansky has been appointed chief technology officer at Owl Cyber Defense Solutions. He joined the company in 2017 as director of business development, and will now lead the strategic development of advanced technology.
Posted 2020-05-21
Business
Renée Pellegrino joined the board of Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, a nonprofit organization providing services to identify, treat, and support children in abusive situations. ECCAC has provided more than 60,000 services at no cost to over 12,000 children over the last 18 years.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
The Gloversville, N.Y., Leader-Herald newspaper featured Peter Voelker and his award-winning Helderberg Meadworks. Visitors to Esperance, N.Y., should be sure to visit the tasting room. Please have one for those of us too far away to visit!
Posted 2020-05-21
Science
John Trammell has departed the University of Minnesota and been hired as a principal engineer at Target Corporation.
Posted 2020-05-21
Tony Osimo has been appointed director of operations for Quality Beverage's Taunton, Mass., division.
Posted 2019-10-01
Silas Coellner was named principal of Old Rochester Regional Junior High School in Massachusetts. Before entering the field of education, he was a satellite systems engineering team leader for Lockheed Martin.
Posted 2019-10-01
Michael Kennedy is the new chair of the Department of Health Policy, Economics, and Management at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, School of Community and Rural Health. He had served as interim chair, and prior to that as associate professor.
Posted 2019-03-10
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has appointed Michael Hawthorne as the company’s new president and CEO. Since 2012, Hawthorne had been president and CEO of New York Air Brake (NYAB), a sister company of Bendix within the Knorr-Bremse Group.
Posted 2019-03-10
Renato Camacho has been selected as the next president and CEO of the Akron-Canton Airport by its board of trustees. Since 2011, Camacho has served as the chief of planning and engineering for Cleveland’s Department of Port Control, which oversees Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Burke Lakefront Airport, and the Lakefront Harbors.
Posted 2019-03-10
Keith DuPont has been appointed president of performance materials by Coats, a leading industrial thread manufacturer. Keith is responsible for delivering the overall strategy for performance materials, including operational and commercial activities, and meeting sales and organic growth targets, as well as developing talent.
Posted 2018-10-10
Lawrence Jordan, president and co-owner of Wi-Tronix, was featured in a January 2018 article in Crain’s Chicago Business. The article discusses Violet, the Wi-Tronix product being field-tested by seven major U.S. freight lines to improve safety and efficiency.
Posted 2018-10-10
James Petrosky was re-appointed Air Force Technical Application Center Endowed Term Chair for Nuclear Materials. A professor of nuclear engineering and the M.S. curriculum chair in the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Dept. of Engineering Physics, he has expertise in radiation effects on electronic devices, EMP, experimental design, radiation detection, and nuclear weapon effects.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Melissa Wong (B.S. CSE), a systems engineer and cybersecurity expert at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., has been awarded the 2017 Women of Color Award for her accomplishments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related fields.
Posted 2018-03-15
Engineering
Jerry Lenaz (B.S. EE) was added as a professor of practice and program director, Business and Leadership Studies, at the Tulane School of Professional Advancement. Jerry was previously the director of business services at the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program at Delgado Community College in New Orleans.
Posted 2018-03-15
Business
Magued Eldaief (MBA) was appointed to the position of CEO last May at Prescient, which provides design, engineering, manufacturing, and installation solutions for the construction industry.
Posted 2018-03-15
Erin M. Crotty (M.S. Urban&Env), former commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, was hired by CHA Consulting Inc. to serve as vice president, environmental market leader. Erin leads a team of environmental engineers and scientists providing solutions to complex environmental issues, including remediation and regulatory compliance.
Posted 2018-03-15
Architecture
Col. Kimberly Colloton (BArch; B.S.) assumed command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Transatlantic Afghanistan District (TAA), during a change of command ceremony last August at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. She previously served as the commander for both the USACE Albuquerque and Los Angeles Districts and is the TAA’s first female commander.
Posted 2018-03-15
1993
Bob Land is now the president and general manager USA of Berlin Brands Group, the second largest Amazon roll-up company in the world with more than $1.5 billion in private equity funding. They are hiring for more than 100 roles, with special preference going to RPI students and alums.
Posted 2023-03-24
Trevor Nicholas joined Induron Protective Coatings as a senior chemist. He will be responsible for supporting Induron’s portfolio of paint products in the lab, the plant, and the field.
Posted 2021-09-29
Joseph Ritchie is head of diversity and inclusion, and managing director of business development at Tishman Speyer. Previously, he was vice president for development at Brandywine Realty Trust. “I very much look forward to working to take concrete, measurable action to address the historical inequities and structural impediments that have prevented a more diverse industry,” he says.
Posted 2021-09-29
Engineering
Jennifer (Ocif) Love is a teaching professor at Northeastern University in Boston, in the College of Engineering, where she teaches and advises undergraduate and graduate engineering students. She has been a faculty member at Northeastern since 2006. Jen lives in Marshfield, Mass., near the beach with her husband Ricker Love and their two children, Cooper, born in 2006, and Kailyn, born in 2008, where she also volunteers as a STEM K-12 educator. Jen’s website is www.coe.neu.edu/~jlove. Jen is currently working on a doctorate in education at Northeastern.
Posted 2020-05-21
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Keisuke Hoashi is an actor. His recent appearances include Bob’s Burgers, Better Things, The Detour, Marvel’s Runaways, General Hospital, and Hawaii Five-0. He has had commercial bookings for Hershey’s and TD Ameritrade, and has upcoming guest starring roles in two shows on HBO, an animated series on Hulu, two gigantic video games, and a major motion picture from A24 studio!
Posted 2020-05-21
Brad Crews has been announced by CNH Industrial N.V. as the brand president of Case IH, one of the company's global agricultural brands. CNH Industrial N.V. is a global leader in the capital goods sector with established industrial experience, a wide range of products, and a worldwide presence.
Posted 2019-10-01
Derek Noble, AIA, LEED AP, has been named by Shepley Bulfinch as a principal to the firm. Derek contributes more than 25 years of design experience in architectural and interior design, space programming and planning, site design, and construction methodology to his new role at Shepley Bulfinch.
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Todd Shackett was named president of Southern Union State Community College in Alabama. He has two master’s degrees from Rensselaer, one in mechanical engineering and one in management.
Posted 2019-03-10
Michael Picard was named chief financial officer at SWBR, an architectural and design firm based in Rochester, N.Y.
Posted 2019-03-10
Dan Couto is the chief technical officer of Vedanta Biosciences, a Cambridge, Mass., biotech company developing new therapeutics from live gut bacterial “microbiome.”
Posted 2019-03-10
Kevin Hunt, M.S. ’93, Ph.D. ’03, was presented Goldey-Beacom College’s Annual Excellence in Teaching Award. Kevin is assistant professor of English and humanities and chair of the Arts and Sciences Department, and his students say he takes the time to get to know each one of them and finds fun ways to keep them focused. Known for developing new programs, Kevin was an original architect of the college’s academic boot camp program taught each summer for potential students.
Posted 2018-10-10
Mike Cirillo has been named president of myMatrixx, an Express Scripts company, as announced by Express Scripts Holding Co. Mike has more than 25 years of leadership experience in worker’s compensation, claims management, and pharmacy. Most recently, he served as president of Specialty Solutions Rx, where he helped deliver cost-reduction solutions to national accounts and payers by enabling better patient outcomes.
Posted 2018-10-10
Randy Mitchelson, vice president of marketing and sales, joined iPM founders Mark Pace and Albert Arguelles to accept the award, which honors local business and nonprofit organizations, when iPartnerMedia was named Start Up of the Year by the Lee County (Fla.) Economic Development and Horizon Council at the annual Industry Appreciation Awards.
Posted 2018-10-10
Keisuke Hoashi was invited by Dean Mary Simoni of RPI’s School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences to speak at the HASS commencement on May 18, 2018. He has an update of film and TV roles that have been booked recently, and aired in the last year or so: Law & Order True Crime (NBC), StartUp (Crackle Network), Will & Grace (NBC), Adam Ruins Everything (animated series), Most Likely to ... (ABC), Ghosts of Tsushima (Sony Playstation), The Detour (TBS), Big Little Lies (HBO), and Brockmire (IFC), a comedy series starring Hank Azaria.
Posted 2018-10-10
Jason Kinslow joined the HKA Advisory Group as principal. He has more than 20 years of experience leading companies in performance improvement and strategic initiatives in the U.S., Canada, UK, Netherlands, South Africa, India, Australia, and New Zealand, and has managed over 80 energy projects ranging from small engagements to large, multi-year global assignments. Prior to joining HKA, Jason led IBM’s North American Energy and Utilities AMI Group.
Posted 2018-03-15
Col. Robert Lyman has been honored with the 2017 Military Leadership Award from the Association of Defense Communities for excellence in building and sustaining innovative community-military partnerships at Joint Base Charleston and for an active commitment to outreach with local and state stakeholders. Robert, who was the commander of the 628th Air Base Wing and Joint Base Charleston until this past July 6, is now director of communications for Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Posted 2018-03-15
1994
Michael Dinsmore has been promoted to vice president of platform technology at Editas Medicine. In the new role, Michael will oversee the informatics, computational biology, sequencing, and screening teams at the company, which is focused on developing CRISPR-based genomic medicines. Editas Medicine is currently conducting clinical trials for the treatment of sickle cell disease, where his leadership and expertise in these areas will contribute to the advancement of this cutting-edge field.
Posted 2024-01-17
Dr. Elizabeth Hudson has been promoted to a new position as the regional chief of infectious diseases for Kaiser Permanente (KP) Southern California. Throughout the pandemic, she acted as the thought-leader on the direction and decisions KP has made in treatment and management of COVID-19 for all of Southern California.
Posted 2023-03-24
Paul Browning, president and chief executive officer of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) Americas, has been appointed to an expanded role as chief regional officer of the Americas and co-chief regional officer of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Under his leadership, MHPS Americas has expanded into Central and South America.
Posted 2021-09-29
Ram Krishnan is executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO) of Emerson, a global technology and industrial software leader. In his COO role, Ram will oversee global supply chain operations, information technology, and mergers and acquisitions.
Posted 2021-09-29
Cory Smith has chosen to retire after a long career as an electric utility engineer. During his career, he’s seen the internet come to life and the nation’s electric utility industry change from a monopoly to a market-based system. He’s seen computers evolve from mainframes to desktops to laptops to handheld devices. He participated in the development of the nation’s first mandatory reliability requirements for the bulk electric system and was the principal planning engineer for several extremely large projects. “I like to think that my small contribution has made the world a little better.”
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Bob DeRosa was promoted to director, hardware engineering, at SRC Inc. He served in the U.S. Navy for six years and has worked at SRC for 15 years, most recently as senior manager, radio frequency engineering.
Posted 2020-05-14
Greg Longo, M.S. ’94, joined Loureiro Engineering as an associate to the Structural, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Engineering (SMEP) Division. He was previously senior project manager at BL companies.
Posted 2019-10-01
An article in the Washington Business Journal last summer featured the new pier area at The Wharf in Southwest D.C., which was designed by StudioMB, a 12-person D.C. practice co-founded in 2011 by Adam McGraw.
Posted 2019-03-10
Larry Butkovich was named vice president of operations for Precision Roll Grinders in Allentown, Pa. Prior to joining PRG, he worked for Fuji Electric Corp. of America as general manager of its Virginia Assembly Center in Roanoke.
Posted 2019-03-10
Tiffini Eugene Jones, M.S. ’94, a sustainability consultant and doctoral candidate at Prescott College, has been selected to be in a cohort of 80 female scientists participating in a yearlong global leadership building project. “Mother Nature Needs Her Daughters” is the sentiment behind the Homeward Bound 2019 Project. Based in Australia, the HB2019 program culminates in a two-week expedition to Antarctica studying climate change science with scientific innovators and leaders in the field. Tiffini is part of a global collaboration with a goal of having 1,000 women in STEM to inform and shape policy and decision-making in support of climate change issues.
Posted 2018-10-10
Edward Gumina was named president and CEO of Precision Roll Grinders, which specializes in high-tolerance regrinding and repairs for industrial cylinders used in various industries, including textiles, flooring, film, and chocolate.
Posted 2018-10-10
Brian Williams was promoted to partner at Carl Marks Advisors, a corporate restructuring and investment banking firm. His primary focus is in the energy industry. Prior to joining Carl Marks Advisors, Brian was CFO and co-founder of Cretic Energy Services, a provider of completion services to oil and gas producers.
Posted 2018-03-15
Kelly Palmer was named director of marketing and development for the Imaginarium Science Center and the Southwest Florida Museum of History. A former advancement officer at Rensselaer, Kelly most recently was director of development at Boise State Public Radio in Boise, Idaho.
Posted 2018-03-15
1995
Chuck Taylor is the deputy director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP). Also known as Naval Reactors, the NNPP is a joint Department of the Navy and Department of Energy agency responsible for the nuclear reactors that power the U. S. Navy’s aircraft carrier and submarine fleets. Chuck is the senior civilian for the program, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. He was also the recipient of a Presidential Rank Award in 2018 at the Distinguished Executive level. Chuck lives in Maryland with his wife, Shannon, and four children.
Posted 2023-03-24
Gary Lynn, ’95 Ph.D., is a professor at Stevens Institute of Technology. In 2021, he entered a graduate student team from Stevens in the inaugural Global Scaling Challenge hosted by the University of New Mexico that included 17 graduate, undergraduate, and Ph.D. teams from India, Austria, England, and the U.S. He mentored the team through the three-day virtual challenge, creating strategies for three real-world biological companies hoping to expand or otherwise scale up their operations. Gary’s team won three first-place prizes including the grand prize in late April, sharing $20,000 in prize money.
Posted 2023-03-24
Jamie Williams joined CoolSys as chief information and technology officer. CoolSys is the parent of market-leading refrigeration and HVAC companies nationwide. Jamie will be responsible for developing and executing the CoolSys information technology vision and strategy.
Posted 2021-09-29
Sean Petersen joined Wellington Management, one of the world’s largest independent investment management firms, as a senior investor focused on private market sustainable investing. He joins Wellington from AI Fund, an early-stage venture capital fund, where he served as a general partner.
Posted 2021-09-29
Clayton Diamond is executive director and general counsel of the American Pilots’ Association.
Posted 2021-09-29
Tim Spadafore is the senior vice president of consulting services at CGI. Headquartered in Montreal, CGI offers enterprise resource planning solutions.
Posted 2021-09-29
Ken Karklin is chief operations officer at AeroVironment, a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems.
Posted 2021-09-29
Julie Berry, author of children’s and young adult books and winner of several national book awards, purchased The Book Shoppe in Medina, New York, and is reinventing the store as The Author’s Note.
Posted 2021-09-29
I am writing from Djibouti, Africa, where I am deployed for a year as a captain in the U.S. Navy, honored to have been selected by RADM Luscher, Commander Navy Reserve Forces Command, to serve as chief of staff for the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa. — Michael@Vanpoots.com
Posted 2021-02-26
Eric Perardi is lead developer for the new 240,000-square-foot ice hockey sports facility in Cedar Park, Texas, named the Crossover.
Posted 2021-02-26
Todd Koelmel is a cover artist for a monthly issue of Chronogram.
Posted 2021-02-26
Gina Hayduk was appointed to the grant-funded position of government contracting coordinator for the small business development center at Mohawk Valley Community College.
Posted 2021-02-26
Business
Mark George was appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer for Norfolk Southern.
Posted 2020-05-21
Business
John Stone was appointed president of Strategic Construction Solutions.
Posted 2020-05-21
Business
Kevin Merritt was appointed managing director, director of equity research, at Wedbush Securities.
Posted 2020-05-21
Business
James Romano was appointed vice president, corporate risk officer, at The MEMIC Group in Portland, Maine.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Anil Goyal ('95/'96, M.S./Ph.D. DSES) is now the executive vice president of operations at Black Book, where he oversees a team of editors and data scientists.
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Stephen Smith (B.S. EE) has been elected president of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater's board of directors.
Posted 2019-10-01
Bill Johnson will spend the next year as a visiting professor and Fulbright Scholar at the Vienna University of Economics and Business in Vienna, Austria. Drop Bill a line!
Posted 2019-10-01
Michael Van Poots writes: "It was an all-RPI final at the annual Northstrat Inc. ping-pong tournament in Sterling, Va. Joe Tosh (B.S. EE) and Tom Burkat ('92/'93, B.S./M.Eng. EE) put misspent hours of freshman dorm and Union game room time to good use as they climbed the ladder to square off. Defense (and youth) wins championships — Joe reigned victorious in this marathon match. Both are engineers at Northstrat, an employee-owned corporation co-founded by Tom, providing strategic IT solutions to U.S. government agencies in the Washington, D.C., area."
Posted 2019-10-01
Edward Kokoszka was appointed vice president, Global Sales & Marketing, for TRUEAERO Asset Management.
Posted 2019-03-10
Dan Dalessio was appointed to lead the Product Development Engineering Group at Butler Automatic.
Posted 2019-03-10
Mario Zuchovicki was named senior vice president of operations for Long Island-based BJG Electronics Inc.
Posted 2019-03-10
Tom Kirby, who in high school earned all-conference honors three times in basketball and baseball, was elected to the Rockville High Athletic Hall of Fame.
Posted 2019-03-10
Andria Zou was appointed to the role of vice president, business development and sales, at NVXL, a compute acceleration startup. Most recently she was the director of data center sales at Xilinx.
Posted 2019-03-10
John Milne, the Neil and Karen Bonke Associate Professor of Engineering Management at Clarkson University, was elected a fellow of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS).
Posted 2019-03-10
Al Zytowski writes that he is back in school again. He is attending the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School of National Security and Resource Strategy and says it’s fun being back in a learning environment and with some great peers.
Posted 2019-03-10
David Szczesniak was honored in the technical community as a technical fellow at Leidos Inc. for advancements in cyber solutions and innovation.
Posted 2019-03-10
Lt. Col. Joshua Green was the keynote speaker at the Foxboro High School annual Veteran’s Day service.
Posted 2018-10-10
Douglas Hembdt was selected for the Navy Meritorious Service Award at Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport for his exceptional record of process improvement and workforce development
Posted 2018-10-10
Bill Garbati was appointed regional director, business development, of Ameresco’s U.S. East Region Sales Organization.
Posted 2018-10-10
Tim Fiore was appointed chief procurement officer at Ryder Systems Inc.
Posted 2018-10-10
Kaan Aslansan was named managing director with the corporate transformation services practice at the Alvarez & Marsal firm.
Posted 2018-10-10
Victor Avelar wrote a white paper on cost benefits for Micro Data Center Deployments as the director and senior research analyst at Schneider Electric’s Data Center Science Center.
Posted 2018-03-15
Somesh Kasibhatla has joined First Tennessee Bank as senior vice president and director of treasury management products.
Posted 2018-03-15
1996
Bryan Sartin joined eSentire as chief services officer. eSentire is the world’s largest globally managed detection and response (MDR) provider. Bryan is expanding the company’s cyber investigations, digital forensics, and incident response capabilities.
Posted 2021-09-29
Tim Leung is group chief technology officer for Tricor Group, Asia’s leading business expansion specialist with expertise in business, corporations, investments, human resources and payroll, corporate trust and debt services, and strategic business advisories, operating in 21 countries with jurisdictions with over 2,700 associates globally.
Posted 2021-09-29
Richard D. Willett Jr. joined Tailwind Capital, a middle-market private equity firm focused on investments in the technology and business services, industrial services, and health care sectors, as an operating executive. He will focus on the software and technology sectors.
Posted 2021-09-29
Matt Patricia rejoined the New England Patriots, after serving as head coach for the Detroit Lions. Previously, he was defensive coordinator for the Patriots, where he spent 14 seasons.
Posted 2021-09-29
Col. Chris A. Guilmette is commander of the New York Army National Guard’s 53rd Digital Liaison Detachment in Manhattan. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon, and the Maryland National Guard Outstanding Unit Award.
Posted 2021-09-29
Kathleen Kay is chief information officer for Principal Financial Group. She oversees all global technology and digital strategies for the company.
Posted 2021-09-29
Rich Gunther is vice president of sales for Pure Wafer, the largest United States-based supplier of virgin silicon wafers, wafer reclaim services, and specialty thin film deposition products.
Posted 2021-09-29
Scott Gill is president and chief executive officer of Trinity3 Technology, a portfolio company of Rotunda Capital Partners and a provider of student computing solutions, warranty services, and enterprise products for the K-12 education market.
Posted 2021-09-29
I am the marketing director for Ecolab’s North American health care business, where we provide infection prevention solutions (disinfectants, hand sanitizer, barrier drapes, hygiene monitoring programs, etc.) to hospitals. It’s been an interesting opportunity to apply the skills acquired at RPI as we’ve been working through unprecedented demand for our products. A bright spot has been reconnecting with people through a weekly Zoom call that a group of Lambda Chi Alpha brothers are hosting. It’s interesting how we went 20+ years with mostly sporadic contact and now, because of the pandemic, are connecting weekly. — Hank Carbone ’96; hcar-bone@hotmail.com
Posted 2021-02-26
Andy Livadariu joined Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. as managing director with the firm’s Global Technology Investment Banking Group. Previously, Andy was with Piper Jaffray, covering application software and leading the human capital management practice.
Posted 2021-02-26
Emily Peyser joined Polsinelli in a leadership role for its new Seattle-based intellectual property team. Emily’s practice focuses on strategic planning, procurement of U.S. and foreign patents, opinions, enforcement, and licensing.
Posted 2021-02-26
Matt Patricia, former head coach of the NFL’s Detroit Lions, was recognized with induction into the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School’s “Wall of Distinction.”
Posted 2021-02-26
Matt Zaist has been appointed as an independent trustee of American Homes 4 Rent, a provider of high-quality single-family rental homes. Matt was president and chief executive officer, and a board member, of William Lyon Homes from 2016 until the company was acquired by Taylor Morrison.
Posted 2021-02-26
Kathleen Kay, previously CIO for Pacific Gas & Electric, is now CIO at Principal Financial Group in Des Moines, Iowa. In her new role, she is responsible for Principal’s global technology and digital strategies.
Posted 2021-02-26
Science
Congratulations to Sean Trask, a 2019 inductee into the Rockville High School Hall of Fame. Sean was recognized for his high school cross country and baseball careers. At RPI, Sean was a pitcher for the Engineers and helped the team to an unbeaten season our senior year and a first-ever NCAA Division III tournament spot.
Posted 2020-05-21
Science
Classmate Susan (Costa) Galvin and her family have been living in Las Vegas, Nev., since her husband (Steve Galvin) retired from the Air Force after 22 years of service. Both she and her husband are medical doctors. Susan was named chief medical officer (CMO) of Hope Christian Health Center, a faith-based clinic for the uninsured in North Las Vegas. They have three kids, ages 15, 14, and 12, and get the entire family involved in cosplay attending comic and sci-fi conventions. They were even featured on Buzzfeed last year after San Diego Comic-Con! Very impressive!
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Hank Carbone writes: I made the trek back to Troy in September over Reunion Weekend for a Lambda Chi Alpha super reunion that brought together over 140 brothers from the early ’50s through the late 2010s. The memories came flooding back as a few brothers and I took a casual stroll from the Commons down to the Union (the McNeil Room now has a Panera???), through the Quad, over to and down the CII/JCC wind tunnel, and to the VCC/library area to check out the new- to-us EMPAC building. Quite a bit of new construction on campus since we all graduated, but it was still “Good old RPI.”
Attending the super reunion from the Class of ’96 were Jamie Burts, Rex Wang, Neil Kindlon, Steve Lee, Dave Carlson, Mike Nifontoff, and Ron Lewkiewicz. It was a great weekend catching up and reconnecting with everyone. I can’t wait for the next one! And speaking of reunions, our 25th Reunion is in just two years! Keep your late September/early October weekends in 2021 free so you can attend. Hope to see you all there.
Posted 2020-05-21
Hank Carbone was promoted to marketing director for Ecolab's North American Healthcare business in February, and now has marketing responsibility for Ecolab's entire portfolio of cleaning, disinfecting, draping, and temperature management solutions used in hospitals around the country. Hank says: "It’s been exciting taking on the new, broader role helping guide the business unit in our mission to help our hospital partners deliver cleaner, safer, and healthier facilities for their patients, staff, and visitors."
Posted 2019-10-01
Reid Anthony was named CEO of Citizens Advocates, a provider of developmental disability, mental health, and substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
Posted 2019-10-01
Tim Dominick was recognized as the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) Engineer of the Year for 2019. The award recognizes an individual contribution in the application of scientific and mathematical principles leading to a significant technical accomplishment. Tim is currently a senior principal aeronautical engineer with the Advanced Technology Group at Northrop Grumman.
Posted 2019-10-01
Kobie Boykins is a featured speaker in the National Geographic Live series. Kobie talks about his experiences working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and his work on the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. You can search online for the video via National Geographic's video website.
Posted 2019-10-01
Jonna Gerken has been recognized as a member of the 2019 class of Influential Women in Manufacturing. Founded in late 2017 by Putman Media editors Erin Hallstrom, Alexis Gajewski, and Christine LaFave Grace, Influential Women in Manufacturing seeks to recognize women who are effecting change in manufacturing and industrial production and engaging the next generation of manufacturing leaders.
Posted 2019-10-01
Michael Lorello started a YouTube channel (look up "par64guy"), mainly focusing on DIY projects and repairs geared toward helping people solve problems, save some money, prevent costly repairs, or just learn about the technology in their homes. His younger daughter, who has taken an interest in technology through her school's "Hour of Code," has participated in a few of his videos. One of Michael's favorite videos is when he gave a talk to his daughter's sixth grade class on careers in engineering, complete with props, in which the kids asked great questions. If you have an opportunity, check out his channel.
Posted 2019-10-01
Hank Carbone writes: Jonna Gerken made a trip to Minneapolis for WE18, the annual conference for the Society of Women Engineers. Jonna is the immediate past president for SWE. Fortunately for me, she was able to break away from the conference for an evening and we were able to catch up over dinner and drinks. It’s been an exciting run as president and now as past president. Back in August, Jonna was able to participate in the ringing of the NASDAQ opening bell with fellow SWE directors and members. Jonna is currently the manager for program chief manufacturing engineers with Pratt & Whitney.
Posted 2019-03-10
Emil Avram has been promoted to vice president-innovation for Dominion Energy. Previously, Emil was the director of engineering services in the Gas Infrastructure Group.
Posted 2019-03-10
Don Seibert was appointed executive vice president of applied analytics for Valen Analytics, an Insurity company. Prior to joining Valen, Don was the VP service line leader for underwriting at Genpact.
Posted 2019-03-10
Jon Espeland has designed and brought to market the Eastern Highlands Pack, a minimalist design horizontal hydration backpack. The pack has separate compartments for dry storage as well as a two-liter water reservoir. The pack weighs only eight ounces, making it ideal for day hiking, trail running, and mountain biking. For more information, check out https://ridgebackpack.com/.
Posted 2019-03-10
Tim DeGregory was inducted into the Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame. Tim played 102 games for the Engineers scoring 1,252 points (2nd in school history at the time, currently 5th overall), pulling down 272 rebounds, 117 assists, 98 steals, and nine blocked shots during his career. Congratulations, Tim!
Posted 2019-03-10
David Gierga was elected a fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and presented with the award at their annual meeting held in Nashville in July. David is a medical physicist in Massachusetts General Hospital’s Department of Radiation Oncology as well as an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. Congratulations, David!
Posted 2019-03-10
Hank Carbone sent in this update: "Steve Lee came out to visit over the last weekend of February and join me for his first-ever American Birkebeiner ski race. The point-to-point ski race travels over the hills of northwest Wisconsin for 50 winding kilometers, all the way from Cable to Hayward. There are almost 1,400 meters of total climb in the race, so it’s a major accomplishment."
"Proving that you can find RPI just about anywhere, Steve was wearing an RPI cycling jacket while we did a little recovery skiing the day after the race when a complete stranger skied up to us to let us know he graduated from RPI in the early ’90s and was now working as an engineer in Milwaukee. It was a great weekend of skiing and catching up, capped off with a get-together with fellow Twin Cities-based brothers Piet Hansel ’91 and Mark Schlichenmeyer at a Saint Paul’s Flat Earth Brewing Co." Posted 2018-10-10
"Proving that you can find RPI just about anywhere, Steve was wearing an RPI cycling jacket while we did a little recovery skiing the day after the race when a complete stranger skied up to us to let us know he graduated from RPI in the early ’90s and was now working as an engineer in Milwaukee. It was a great weekend of skiing and catching up, capped off with a get-together with fellow Twin Cities-based brothers Piet Hansel ’91 and Mark Schlichenmeyer at a Saint Paul’s Flat Earth Brewing Co." Posted 2018-10-10
Michael Wojcik has moved from Logan, Utah, to Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M., to support the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate as a systems engineer. Mike confirms that the food in New Mexico is satisfyingly more spicy.
Posted 2018-10-10
Rick Short was named corporate associate vice president and senior director of marketing communications for Indium. In this role, Rick is responsible for ensuring that all programs and initiatives align with Indium’s corporate branding and culture.
Posted 2018-03-15
1997
Ganesh Vedantham has been named senior vice president, technical development, at Bio-Marin Pharmaceutica lnc. Previously, he spent more than two decades at Amgen/Immunex in increasingly senior roles across the organization.
Posted 2023-03-24
Christine Ann Miller is president and chief executive officer of Melinta Therapeutics, a commercial-stage company focused on the development and commercialization of novel antibiotics. Christine, a global pharmaceutical veteran, has more than 20 years of experience in the life sciences.
Posted 2021-09-29
Miya Gray joined Apervita, a technology leader in health care collaboration for payers, providers, and other stakeholders, as senior vice president of customer service. She has more than 20 years’ experience in the health care ecosystem.
Posted 2021-09-29
Marc Douglas Eigner is chief commercial officer at H1, a global platform for the health care ecosystem. He has more than 20 years’ senior leadership experience within the life sciences and technology industries. Most notably, he is the cofounder of Polaris and is known as one of the founding fathers of pharmaceutical commercial compliance technology.
Posted 2021-09-29
Anne Wilkinson is chief human resources officer at Chelsea Groton Bank.
Posted 2021-09-29
Dr. Gordon Chiu, Ph.D., is chief science officer for Hemptown. He is leading the cannabinoid research team and is responsible for filing IP patents, specifically in the areas of water-solubility, bioavailability, and peptide sequencing. He has more than 15 years of combined domestic and international experience in the biomedical, chemical, cosmetic, medical, and technology industries.
Posted 2021-09-29
Rakesh Chopra has been making waves at Cisco as a Cisco fellow. Fellow alum Eric Friedrich (’06) reported that Rakesh’s work on Silicon One is groundbreaking for the speeds it can transfer data at and also for the new lines of business it is opening for Cisco.
Posted 2021-02-26
Glenn Weinstein, who received his M.S. in ’97, just joined Twilio as their chief customer officer.
Posted 2021-02-26
Stacey Hills, one of our MBAs in the Class of 1997 and a Ph.D. from 2004, was just appointed assistant professor of business at Columbia-Greene Community College.
Posted 2021-02-26
Bob Hepburn just set records in weightlifting; his day job is a materials scientist for Fujimi, but he fits in time to build strength and set records for his age group in Portland. In case you’re wondering if you can compete with him, only if you can squat more than 195 kg, bench more than 127.5 kg, and deadlift more than 220 kg.
Posted 2021-02-26
Stephen Trowbridge was promoted to EVP and CFO of AngioDynamics in Latham, after serving as interim CFO since October.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Kristen Fitzpatrick writes: I had a chance to catch up with Josh Haacker while I was in LA for work. He and his wife, Jessica, have two kids, ages 9 and 11, and he just launched his own business, Muldrow Partners. Here’s what they do, from LinkedIn: “We partner with entrepreneurial companies and developers striving to implement water, clean energy, and climate solutions. The firm seeks to identify and manage attractive investment opportunities on behalf of environmentally conscious investors, and support growth-stage companies with capital planning, transaction, and commercial support.” Best of luck, Josh!
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Sara Schiveley was awarded the Alumni Key Award by the RPI Alumni Association.
Posted 2020-05-21
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Kord Jablonski has been named business director of deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Mass.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Marc Eigner has been named CEO of Anju Software in Phoenix, Ariz.
Posted 2020-05-21
Architecture
Peter Rader was promoted by JLL to regional education practice lead for the firm’s Project and Development Services group.
Posted 2020-05-21
Science
Kathleen Moriarty was named as one of the top 100 females taking up the battle against cybercrime.
Posted 2020-05-21
Kristen Fitzpatrick writes: "My husband, Brian, and I enjoyed catching up with Marsha (Aaron) and her husband, Ken Cordio, Dawn (Arthur) and Greg Guarriello, Alicia (Sopko) and Taric Kabir, and Neha (Shah) Biggs at the annual Camp Kessem Magic Ball in Boston. If any fellow RPI alums want to join us next year and raise money for a fabulous cause, let me know!"
Posted 2019-10-01
Eric Kaled recently joined SPX Corp. as president of the Genfare business. Previous to this position, Eric was an SVP at Crane & Co.
Posted 2019-10-01
Kristen Fitzpatrick writes: "I was able to catch up with a few RPIers at a fundraiser in April, too. Neha Biggs was in town from Chicago to support Camp Kesem’s Magic Ball in Boston (she’s on the national board), where they raise funds to support the operations of Camp Kesem, an organization that supports children through and beyond their parent’s cancer via awesome summer camps run by the most enthusiastic undergrads you’ll ever meet. Alicia (Sopko) Kabir is Camp Kesem’s COO and she and Taric are also on the Boston board of the organization."
"My husband, Brian Fitzpatrick, and I were there to support them, along with fellow Class of ’97 classmate Jason Federspiel. Jason is director of technology at AMAG Pharmaceuticals; he and his wife, Rebecca, have two kids, Elly and Tad, and are neighbors to Kyle and Pamela Hollasch up in New Hampshire." Posted 2018-10-10
"My husband, Brian Fitzpatrick, and I were there to support them, along with fellow Class of ’97 classmate Jason Federspiel. Jason is director of technology at AMAG Pharmaceuticals; he and his wife, Rebecca, have two kids, Elly and Tad, and are neighbors to Kyle and Pamela Hollasch up in New Hampshire." Posted 2018-10-10
Scott McNeal has been appointed vice president of information technology for Terex Aerial Work Platforms (AWP), the business unit of Terex Corp. that includes the Genie brand. In this role, he is responsible for all Terex AWP IT tactical planning and operational execution, making IT a strategic asset to drive improved customer experiences through faster innovation and improved business processes. He will also drive the transformation of IT into an enterprise-enabling function. He is based in Redmond, Wash.
Posted 2018-10-10
Mary (Rooney) LaChance and George Norman ’87, each running as first-time candidates for the Glastonbury Town Council, were both elected on November 7. They look forward to working together to serve the great town of Glastonbury, Connecticut.
Posted 2018-03-15
Business
Mike Morrissey was appointed president and COO of Stewart EFI, one of the largest suppliers of small precision metal stampings in the world. Its capabilities include deep draw, progressive, slide-forming, wire forms, machining, and automated secondary assemblies, as well as metal plating and finishing.
Posted 2018-03-15
Kristen Fitzpatrick wrote in to say: "I hope everyone who was able to make it to Reunion had a lovely time—one of these years that weekend won’t compete with all the kids’ soccer games, and Brian and I will actually get to attend."
Posted 2018-03-15
1998
Elyse Santic was presented with the National Hispanic Business Group Corporate Leadership Award at their 36th Annual Gala Awards & Scholarship Presentation at Cipriani Wall Street.
Posted 2024-01-17
Henry Wong is “stoked” to discover that the U.S. Patent Trademark Office has issued his fourth patent — Stylus and Position CalculationMethod (Patent Number 11,119,589) — from his invention disclosure at Wacom.
Posted 2023-03-24
Victor Larson has been promoted to chief technical officer for VirnetX Holding Corporation, an Internet security software and technology company. He is a co-inventor of the VirnetX technologies.
Posted 2023-03-24
Rohan Kelkar has been named executive vice-president of Schneider Electric’s Power Products global business Schneider Electric. Rohan will drive the division’s electrical distribution transformation business and develop innovative solutions, delivering more connected, and circular products to the market.
Posted 2023-03-24
Kevin W. Martin is chief executive officer of Cadence Aerospace’s Engines Systems Segment. Cadence is a provider of highly complex aerospace components and assemblies to commercial and defense customers. He also continues in his position as Cadence’s chief information officer.
Posted 2021-09-29
Suvrat Joshi is chief product officer at logistics software-as-a-service platform FarEye. He has more than 20 years of experience in product leadership roles at Yahoo!, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and Dropbox.
Posted 2021-09-29
Eileen Cavanaugh has joined Franklin Energy and AM Conservation Group, a leading demand-side management firm in the utility industry, as chief financial officer. Prior to her new role, she had a 30-year career at GE, most recently as chief financial officer of global operations.
Posted 2021-09-29
Tracy Mack-Askew has been appointed chief engineer of chassis and vocational engineering for Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA). She will lead the development of solutions for DTNA customers in diesel powertrain technologies and support the transition to electrical propulsion solutions in chassis and vocational products. She has over 20 years’ automotive manufacturing experience and joined DTNA in 2014 as the vice president of engineering at Thomas Built Buses. She also has been named to the Columbia Banking System board of directors, and was recently elected to the RAA Board of Trustees.
Posted 2021-09-29
Mark Vertucci has joined Fuss & O’Neill as a new owner. Mark leads the Traffic Department in the company’s Manchester, Conn., headquarters, which hosts one of the largest traffic and transportation consultant groups in Connecticut. As an owner, Mark will help shape the future and direction of the New England firm. Mark started his career as an intern with the firm in 1997. He is a registered professional engineer in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York. Mark also holds the certification of Professional Traffic Operations Engineer.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Liz (Dunn) Hanson has been promoted to Air Force colonel. Her two sons, Michael and Andrew, and her daughter Catherine pinned on her new rank during a ceremony at the Pentagon. Liz previously served as commander of the 517th Airlift Squadron of the 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. As a pilot, she has logged over 3,300 flight hours, including 578 hours of combat time in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
First Horizon National Corp. recently appointed Patrick Kelly senior vice president, chief digital banking officer, on its digital banking and marketing leadership team.
Posted 2020-05-21
Science
Dr. Michelle Barhaghi has joined the Premier Women’s team at Delta County Memorial Hospital. Michelle is an obstetrician and gynecologist and is double certified in integrative medicine. After attending medical school at Mount Sinai Medical School in New York, and completing her residency in Washington, D.C., Michelle worked in New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria, and Los Angeles.
Posted 2020-05-21
Christie Arlotta writes, "I've never dropped a line for an update in the alumni magazine before, but figured today would be a great day to fix that." She left engineering in 2013 to run Karma Cat + Zen Dog Rescue Society, the animal rescue organization that she started in 2010. Christie says, "We are based out of Milltown, N.J., and we are celebrating the one-year anniversary of opening our very own cat-only adoption center on Main Street. We just recently adopted out our 1,300th animal!" See more on Christie's website.
Posted 2019-10-01
Elyse (Johnson) Santic joined Google in June. She is working in New York as a real estate project executive on the real estate and workplace services team.
Posted 2019-10-01
Wil LaBar is helping to create technology jobs in Lafayette, La., as a vice president at CGI. With 100 job openings for software developers right now, Wil says the company's rapid growth will reach 800 employees by 2024.
Posted 2019-10-01
Kevin W. Martin has been appointed chief information officer by Cadence Aerospace. Most recently, Kevin was associate director of military engines business development at Pratt & Whitney.
Posted 2019-10-01
Laura (Ferran) Rose writes about parent advocacy and green living and is the founder of the Vibrational Awareness Center of Rockland County.
Posted 2019-03-10
Jeff Snopkowski was recently promoted to director of production engineering at Rochester Precision Optics, where he has been since 2015.
Posted 2019-03-10
In 1997, Ajit Prabhu co-founded QuEST Global, an engineering services company, which has since grown to a $600 million business employing 10,000 engineers in 13 countries. Currently located in Singapore, Ajit plans to relocate to Bengaluru, India, in 2020 to be closer to what he describes as a “core region” for his company from a leadership development standpoint.
Posted 2019-03-10
After spending 11 years as dean of the Business School for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Ana G. Mendez University System in Puerto Rico, Maritza Espina has been named dean of the College of Business at St. Ambrose University.
Posted 2019-03-10
Allegra da Silva joined the engineering and construction firm Brown and Caldwell as regional water reuse leader. She was previously water reuse practice leader, Rocky Mountain region, for Stantec. She earned her B.S. in chemical engineering at Rensselaer, and M.S. and Ph.D. in environmental engineering at Yale.
Posted 2018-10-10
Pinky Weitzman has had an unusual career path for a computer science major. In October, she was named chief digital officer at the American Civil Liberties Union, but she is also a rock violist who has performed with such artists as Belle and Sebastian, Moby, and the acclaimed indie band The Magnetic Fields. Pinky actually spent much of the past year on tour with The Magnetic Fields, including a trip to Melbourne in October to make a guest appearance with Taylor Mac. Pinky is also the former Iowa digital director for Bernie 2016, and the campaign’s national digital director called her “one of the greatest digital minds on the campaign” and “easily the most beloved.”
Posted 2018-03-15
Lt. Col. Joanna Rentes was appointed commander of the 325th Medical Support Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., where she oversees seven flights managed by highly trained airmen and Team Tyndall members. Through her career, she has had ten assignments, from Alabama to Alaska.
Posted 2018-03-15
CDR Daniel Cochran, USN, following his service as commanding officer of the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), reported to NATO’s Joint Air Power Competency Centre in Germany. During his career, he has accumulated over 3,200 flight hours in 32 aircraft and 760 carrier arrested landings.
Posted 2018-03-15
1999
Sarah Boswell, Ph.D. ’03, has joined Ginkgo Bioworks: The Organism Company, whose mission is to “make biology easier to engineer.” Sarah spent 10 years as a staff scientist at Harvard Medical School.
Posted 2023-03-24
Abhinav A. Shukla, Ph.D., has been appointed chief technical officer of Shattuck Labs Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of bifunctional fusion proteins as a new class of biologic medicine for the treatment of patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Posted 2021-09-30
Troy Damboise is first vice president and general auditor of Liberty Bank. He joins Liberty after 14 years at ING, where he was vice president and division auditor director.
Posted 2021-09-30
Business
Scott Maybee was named president of NextGear Capital. He was most recently general manager for Manheim Northstar Minnesota, and before that, spent 10 years with Nissan North America and Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Kevin O’Shea joined Amastan Technologies as chief commercial officer. The company develops plasma technology for materials production used in additive manufacturing, battery, and other industrial markets.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Rebecca (Webber) Gaudiosi, an engineer-turned-diplomat, just published a book, Negotiating at the United Nations (Routledge, 2019), based on her experience negotiating in multilateral organizations. More information on the book is available via the Negotiation Resolution website.
Posted 2019-10-01
Sekou Bermiss, associate professor of management at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, was named to the list of Top 50 Undergraduate Business Professors by Poets & Quants for Undergrads. He has been at Texas McCombs since 2009, where he was elected to the Faculty Honor Roll. His research centers on how value is socially constructed in organizational settings.
Posted 2019-03-10
Nava Cretu-Kessel and her husband, Barnet, welcomed their third child, Joel “Joey” Reuven, on December 24. Their other kids are 6 years and 4 years old, and they live in Newton, Mass. Nava recently celebrated her five-year anniversary with TripAdvisor, where she oversees business intelligence for TripAdvisor Flights and SeatGuru. She was really looking forward to being on the RPI campus in early May for an advisory board meeting of RPI’s M.S. in Business Analytics program.
Posted 2018-10-10
Lt. Col. Mike Loftus took command of the 2nd Engineer Battalion, Fort Bliss, last June, and serves as commander of 580 employees providing engineering, network and communications, intelligence, and logistical support for an Armored Brigade Combat Team. Mike most recently served as professor of military science and led the ROTC program at the University of Rhode Island.
Posted 2018-03-15
Daniel Schultz and his wife, Natasha Lisitsa, are the creative force behind Waterlily Pond, a floral art and event design studio based in San Francisco, California, that has been recognized internationally for larger-than-life floral installations, original style, and innovative use of materials.
They recently won first prize (60,000 Euro) in the international flower festival, FLORA, held in Cordoba, Spain. Their creation, Duende, was inspired by the whirl of a flamenco dancer’s skirt, and crafted on-site over four days from 500 spirals of perforated aluminum, hand-tied together to create a self-supporting structure for flowers.
In 2016, they took Gold and Best in Show awards at the Singapore Garden Festival, for Stretching Time, a massive cantilevered structure of wooden dowels spanning 16 feet between walls and supporting a lush display of fresh flowers.
“We design modern sculptures which juxtapose industrial materials and vibrant fresh florals,” says Schultz. “My passion is for conceptual design and engineering of beautiful, dynamic structures. Natasha’s excellence in floral design and exciting color combinations make us a great team.”
Schultz is the son of the late William Weightman Walker Professor of Chemistry Arthur G. Schultz, and he grew up within the Rensselaer community. During his studies at the School of Architecture, he cultivated a love for fabrication in Sid Fleisher’s woodshop, which later developed into a career in furniture design. He attributes his design skills to a rigorous, critical program, his many inspiring professors, and opportunities to study abroad.
“During the recent competition in Spain, while I was constructing our piece in an ancient space in an ancient city, I was reminded not only of my semester in Rome, Italy, but also of my senior thesis, in which I used perforated metal as the primary material,” says Schultz.
Waterlily Pond has designed flowers and décor for over 1,000 weddings and events, performed numerous live demonstrations, and created large-scale works of floral art for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the de Young Museum, and other cultural institutions worldwide. Posted 2018-03-15
They recently won first prize (60,000 Euro) in the international flower festival, FLORA, held in Cordoba, Spain. Their creation, Duende, was inspired by the whirl of a flamenco dancer’s skirt, and crafted on-site over four days from 500 spirals of perforated aluminum, hand-tied together to create a self-supporting structure for flowers.
In 2016, they took Gold and Best in Show awards at the Singapore Garden Festival, for Stretching Time, a massive cantilevered structure of wooden dowels spanning 16 feet between walls and supporting a lush display of fresh flowers.
“We design modern sculptures which juxtapose industrial materials and vibrant fresh florals,” says Schultz. “My passion is for conceptual design and engineering of beautiful, dynamic structures. Natasha’s excellence in floral design and exciting color combinations make us a great team.”
Schultz is the son of the late William Weightman Walker Professor of Chemistry Arthur G. Schultz, and he grew up within the Rensselaer community. During his studies at the School of Architecture, he cultivated a love for fabrication in Sid Fleisher’s woodshop, which later developed into a career in furniture design. He attributes his design skills to a rigorous, critical program, his many inspiring professors, and opportunities to study abroad.
“During the recent competition in Spain, while I was constructing our piece in an ancient space in an ancient city, I was reminded not only of my semester in Rome, Italy, but also of my senior thesis, in which I used perforated metal as the primary material,” says Schultz.
Waterlily Pond has designed flowers and décor for over 1,000 weddings and events, performed numerous live demonstrations, and created large-scale works of floral art for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the de Young Museum, and other cultural institutions worldwide. Posted 2018-03-15
Daniel Schultz ’99 and his wife, Natasha Lisitsa, are the creative force behind Waterlily Pond, a floral art and event design studio based in San Francisco, California, that has been recognized internationally for larger-than-life floral installations, original style, and innovative use of materials.
They recently won first prize (60,000 Euro) in the international flower festival, FLORA, held in Cordoba, Spain. Their creation, Duende, was inspired by the whirl of a flamenco dancer’s skirt, and crafted on-site over four days from 500 spirals of perforated aluminum, hand-tied together to create a self-supporting structure for flowers.
In 2016, they took Gold and Best in Show awards at the Singapore Garden Festival, for Stretching Time, a massive cantilevered structure of wooden dowels spanning 16 feet between walls and supporting a lush display of fresh flowers.
“We design modern sculptures which juxtapose industrial materials and vibrant fresh florals,” says Schultz. “My passion is for conceptual design and engineering of beautiful, dynamic structures. Natasha’s excellence in floral design and exciting color combinations make us a great team.”
Schultz is the son of the late William Weightman Walker Professor of Chemistry Arthur G. Schultz, and he grew up within the Rensselaer community. During his studies at the School of Architecture, he cultivated a love for fabrication in Sid Fleisher’s woodshop, which later developed into a career in furniture design. He attributes his design skills to a rigorous, critical program, his many inspiring professors, and opportunities to study abroad.
“During the recent competition in Spain, while I was constructing our piece in an ancient space in an ancient city, I was reminded not only of my semester in Rome, Italy, but also of my senior thesis, in which I used perforated metal as the primary material,” says Schultz.
Waterlily Pond has designed flowers and décor for over 1,000 weddings and events, performed numerous live demonstrations, and created large-scale works of floral art for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the de Young Museum, and other cultural institutions worldwide. Posted 2018-03-15
2000
Stephen Testa has joined Solidification Products International as the quality assurance, safety, and compliance manager for the Northford, Connecticut, facility.
Posted 2021-09-30
Sagar C. Kurada has been named chief financial officer of Eos Energy Storage, a manufacturer of safe, low-cost, and long-duration zinc battery storage systems.
Posted 2021-09-30
Ryan North Miller has been elevated to partner in the Intellectual Property department at Fox Rothschild LLP, in its Philadelphia office.
Posted 2021-09-30
Business
Mike O’Malley was interviewed for a profile in the Albany Business Review in December. He is vice president of sales and marketing at DeCrescente Distributing Co. He started his career at Gallo Wine Co., then moved to Coors, before joining DeCrescente. The biggest change in the industry, he says, is the amount of data that is available, which helps target sales based on statistics of who is buying what, where, and how often.
Posted 2020-05-21
Steven Caley has earned a doctorate in education from the University of Southern California. He is the elementary school principal at the American School of Kuwait, overseeing 70 teaching staff and 1,000 students.
Posted 2019-10-01
Justin Alford ’00 and Michael Brandimarte ’00, M.S. ’02
Congratulations to Nina Lynch who, with Rich and Winter, welcomed Chapel James to the world on Sept. 12, 2018!
Posted 2019-03-10
Congratulations to Lisa (Pietropaoli) Krug, who has authored a children’s book, The Snowmobile Named Little Vroom, with her sister, Laura A. Reinisch. She is also growing her new business, Snowmobaby, which designs snowmobile apparel and accessories for kids to share a love of snowmobiling with the next generation of riders.
Posted 2019-03-10
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Jen Bacon was appointed dean of the College of the Arts and Humanities at West Chester University last spring. She has been at WCU since receiving her Ph.D. in communication and rhetoric from RPI in 2000.
Posted 2019-03-10
Engineering
Thanks to Justin Gullotta for his work in the community and on the environment. He was elected to the board of the Upper Valley Land Trust, which works on conservation in the Connecticut River watershed. He is also an engineer at Hypertherm in Hanover, N.H., where he designs industrial products and has been named an inventor on three U.S. patents.
Posted 2019-03-10
Rob Cortiglia also has some big news: “Birch Construction Group (www.Birch-CG. com) was open for business on June 1st in New York and we hit the ground running! We are a full-service construction management and consulting firm specializing in projects that are in the $10M (+/-) range. I really would love to network with RPI grads in the NYC market!”
Posted 2019-03-10
Sharon Berger joined Gannett Fleming Engineers and Architects as vice president and project executive of the Construction Services Business Line, where she will be leveraging her knowledge of rail, infrastructure, and vertical markets to grow the firm’s construction offerings.
Posted 2019-03-10
Chris Latreille was promoted to principal in the Finger Lakes office of Ryan Biggs Clark Davis Engineering & Surveying. He is currently designing the clinical lab addition on Bailey Road for the University of Rochester.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Jeffrey Langer joined the law firm Stites & Harbison, PLLC, as a partner in the Intellectual Property & Technology Service Group. He was previously managing partner for an IP boutique firm in its Alexandria, Va., and China offices, and is proficient in Mandarin Chinese. Jeff, who also spent four years in Switzerland with Philip Morris International as in-house senior council, earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering at Rensselaer.
Posted 2018-10-10
Tom Hartman was selected by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as the new senior resident inspector at the Point Beach nuclear power plant last June. The two-unit power facility is located in Two Rivers, northwest of Manitowoc, Wis.
Posted 2018-03-15
Suzanne Delaney founded the business Leaders of Future Technology (LOFT), in Nashua, N.H., in March 2016, to provide after-school, summer camp, and vacation-week programs in which children can learn and have fun with programming and engineering. She was a finalist for a Rising Star Award, nominated by a professor in her MBA program at Rivier University, who called LOFT “a for-profit business with a nonprofit impact making our community better.”
Posted 2018-03-15
Heather Ward is a scratchboard artist who has exhibited her work nationally and abroad, and has been named a finalist in several major international art competitions. In scratchboard art, black India ink is scratched off white clay board using sharp knives and abrasive tools to create dramatic black and white images. Heather creates highly realistic depictions of wildlife, both local and exotic, and her recent solo exhibit, A World of Birds, in Los Alamos, N.M., will be traveling to additional venues.
Posted 2018-03-15
2001
Brian Boswell became a CFP right at the onset of the pandemic and has navigated the Boswell triplets through middle school while starting his own financial planning practice.
Posted 2023-03-24
Angela Copeland has been appointed vice president of marketing for Recruiter.com Group Inc., a sector leader in on-demand recruiting solutions. Angela joins Recruiter.com from NEA Member Benefits, where she was the head of product and digital marketing.
Posted 2023-03-24
Eric Keipper has joined Electric Last Mile Inc.’s global leadership team as executive director of vehicle integration. He brings in-depth experience from his career at General Motors, Chrysler/FCA, Karma Automotive, and most recently, Pratt Miller Engineering.
Posted 2023-03-24
Muthla Al-Sayer, a respected technology leader, has been appointed to the board of directors for Solar Integrated Roofing Corporation, an integrated single-source solar power and roofing systems installation company. She has over 20 years of experience guiding business strategy and creating purpose-built technology solutions.
Posted 2021-09-30
Brian R. Galovich has been appointed senior vice president and chief information officer for industrial gas company Air Products in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
Posted 2021-09-30
Cynthia Pussinen has been appointed chief technical officer at Spark Therapeutics, a fully integrated commercial gene therapy company dedicated to challenging the inevitability of genetic disease. She has more than 25 years of experience in the biopharma industry, leading teams in manufacturing, quality, supply chain, formulation development, and process sciences.
Posted 2021-09-30
Photo Credit: Jihaad Muhammad
Engineering
Cmdr. Eric Reeves took command of Training Squadron (VT) 86 at a change-of-command ceremony at NAS Pensacola, which trains naval flight officers, in November. He has accumulated more than 2,300 flight hours and 400 arrested landings in the S-3 Viking, EA-6B Prowler, and EA-18G Growler.
Posted 2020-05-21
Science
Adam Goode, a site reliability engineer at Google, was appointed to the Fox Chapel Area school board, in Pittsburgh.
Posted 2020-05-21
Scott Smith founded COBRA Firing Systems in 2009. The company builds fireworks systems that support small, backyard barbecue fireworks shows and local theater shows, as well as large-scale pyromusicals, and pyrotechnics for arena-sized concerts, weddings, and sporting events, etc.
Posted 2019-10-01
Travis McCune, a Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport engineer and former head of Undersea Warfare Mission Engineering, was accepted into the Department of Defense Senior Leader Development Program, a highly competitive program that develops senior civilian leaders to excel in joint, interagency, and multinational environments.
Posted 2019-03-10
Bill Fioravanti has been named director of economic development for Orange County, N.Y. He served most recently as the Orange County Partnership’s director of business attraction and is a former associate executive director of the YMCA of Middletown, and executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Orange and Sullivan Counties.
Posted 2018-10-10
William Chu recently joined Acentech, a Boston-based acoustics consulting firm, as a senior consultant. His expertise ranges from acoustics design and 3-D modeling and simulations, to HVAC noise and vibration control analyses and documentation of LEED acoustical requirements.
Posted 2018-03-15
Roy Richardson joined the Water/Wastewater Group at Barton & Loguidice as a managing engineer. He has worked on a variety of projects involving drinking water distribution systems, including pipe installation, rehabilitation, and replacement, as well as booster pump stations, pressure reducing systems, chemical systems, and storage tanks.
Posted 2018-03-15
2002
Michael Choe has retired from the U.S. Navy after a 20-year career as a pilot. He is now a first officer on the 737 for United Airlines and resides in Northern Virginia with his wife and two children.
Posted 2024-01-17
Lt. Col. John Riker took command of the 442nd Civil Engineer Squadron November 7, 2021 in a ceremony held on Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. Prior to joining the 442nd Civil Engineer Squadron, John served in the Colorado Air National Guard as chief of the readiness division, 240th Civil Engineer Flight, Buckley AFB, Colorado.
Posted 2023-03-24
Mehul Doshi has been named chief product and technology officer at ACT. He will lead development and execution of the organization’s product and technology roadmap, working with other members of ACT’s senior leadership team to launch new supports and bring innovative technology to market so that ACT can continuously improve the services it provides to students.
Posted 2023-03-24
Bob Lyons, currently the CEO of Alert Logic, made the list of the 10 Coolest SIEM (Security Information, and Event Management) CEOs of 2019.
Posted 2021-02-26
Matthew Filippelli has become the principal engineer and offshore services lead for Natural Power, an independent service provider that works on green energy projects.
Posted 2021-02-26
Maureen Long, Yale University professor of geology and geophysics, has been studying the seismic structure beneath the U.S. for a number of years. She is part of a team of researchers investigating seismic activity under New England, where researchers have identified a heated rock bulge more than 100 miles below the surface! She and her colleagues published their findings in the scientific journal Geology.
Posted 2021-02-26
Robert LaBella became Identiv’s A&E business development manager, where he will head their new Architects, Consultants, and Engineers in Security (ACES) program. Identiv is a global provider of physical security and secure identification.
Posted 2021-02-26
Robert Doyle became the new president and CEO of The Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants.
Posted 2021-02-26
Bassam Tarazi has a great TED Talk to share called “10,000 Miles of Planned Grit.” In this talk, he takes you on a 10,000-mile adventure from London to Mongolia with insights gained through the process and power of “planned grit.” He’s an author, entrepreneur, speaker, and strategist. Learn more at www.bassam.com.
Posted 2021-02-26
Chris Cole and other preservation specialists continued their efforts in the restoration of a historic grist mill in Roslyn, N.Y., by raising it 8 feet so a new foundation could be poured. This mill is one of the few surviving examples of Dutch wood-framed industrial architecture in the U.S. Chris is the construction manager for Cole Engineering and Construction, a Vermont company specializing in historic preservation that is managing the project.
Posted 2021-02-26
Byung-In Kim, professor of Pohang University of Science and Technology’s Department of Industrial and Management Engineering (in Korea), was named a fellow of the Asia-Pacific Industrial Engineering and Management Systems. He was the only scholar chosen for this prestigious honor in 2019 for his contributions to academia.
Posted 2021-02-26
Eranga Jayewardene was appointed to the Board of Directors for National Savings Bank in March. After RPI, he obtained a M.S. electrical engineering from Stanford University and was the first Sri Lankan to be awarded the Bill and Melinda Gates Fellowship. He is also a published author and has presented at the International Society for Optical Engineering’s annual symposiums.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Melissa Coppola (aka Observa) released her first full-length hip hop album called Beaten Path and toured throughout the country during the fall to promote the album.
Posted 2020-05-21
Gregory Fischer was elected a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors. Senior members are active faculty members who have demonstrated success with patents, licensing, and commercialization. "They have produced technologies that have brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society." He is currently professor of mechanical engineering and robotics engineering at WPI, director of WPI's Automation and Interventional Medicine Robotics Research Laboratory, and director of WPI's Practice-Point Research and Development facility for medical cyberphysical systems. His work revolves around designing innovative medical, surgical, and assistive robotic systems. He is currently working on developing an MRI-compatible robotic system to treat metastatic brain tumors.
Posted 2019-10-01
G. Nagesh Rao was selected earlier this year by his peers at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the White House to receive a Gears of Government Award for his leadership, work, and results over the last six years of public service. His accomplishments around co-creating the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, reinvigorating the SBIR/STTR Program (America's Seed Fund) across the federal government, and reimagining the digital footprint and services at SBA were among many reasons cited for Nagesh's receipt of this prestigious honor.
Posted 2019-10-01
Nathan Reinard, PE, was one of eight Gannett Fleming employees to be named senior associate of the firm last year. In order to do this, Nathan had to demonstrate mastery in his field, understand client needs, and deliver innovative solutions. He is a lead industrial engineer, project manager, and assistant manager of the Transit & Rail Global Business Line's Maintenance Facilities Group.
Posted 2019-10-01
Erik Kohler, owner of Kohler Builders LLC, was named among the "40 under 40" in the 2019 Albany Business Review.
Posted 2019-10-01
Mike Choe and his wife, Amanda, welcomed their second child, Evangeline, on January 23. Mike was also promoted to the rank of commander in the U.S. Navy. He is currently in San Antonio, Texas, where he is working at the Joint Information Operations Warfare Center as the deputy branch chief for special operations.
Posted 2019-10-01
Chris Lopinto sold his business ExpertFlyer.com to Red Ventures in October 2018. He stayed on as VP of product to help build their travel business.
Posted 2019-10-01
Niharika Mateti represented Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at the AnitaB.org’s 2018 Grace Hopper Celebration in Houston. She is a technical lead working at HPE for the last eight years developing infrastructure management software solutions, as part of the Defined & Cloud Group.
Posted 2019-03-10
Jennifer Keyes was selected as NASA Langley Research Center’s Executive Officer (XO) in April. In this role, she serves the deputy center director and associate center director in the implementation of centerwide and institutional strategies. Jennifer writes: “Also new for Dennis ’03 and me is that in the fall of 2017 we purchased an oceanfront condo in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., on the Outer Banks. It is available for rent and if you are ever looking for a place to escape."
Posted 2018-10-10
Price-Mars Delly co-founded, with his brother Laurent, the feedback platform Ideacoil. “We envisioned this platform as a tool to help businesses learn about their pitfalls and opportunities through a rewards-based community. Since developing a beta product, we have received a few accolades from sources such as Entrepreneur.com 360, and have worked with several local business partners to test the application,” he says. “I highly credit Rensselaer for allowing me to do what I do today as an entrepreneur.”
Posted 2018-03-15
Engineering
Eric Baron, M.E. ’02, was elevated to partner at Cantor Colburn LLP, one of the nation’s leading intellectual property law firms. His patent practice focuses on electrical and mechanical arts for a broad array of aerospace and industrial technologies.
Posted 2018-03-15
2003
Jennifer Warren-Dyment, Esq., was appointed to assistant town manager of Oxford, Massachusetts. She has spent much of her career in public service.
Posted 2023-03-24
Kristin Bauer has joined TCGplayer, a technology platform for the collectibles industry and operator of the largest online marketplace for trading card games, as chief supply chain officer. In this newly created role, Kristen will be responsible for advancing TCGplayer’s end-to-end supply chain strategy, including overseeing its fulfillment center operations in Syracuse, New York.
Posted 2023-03-24
John Andonie, an Iraq war veteran, has been promoted to major general and selected to serve as the deputy director, second in command, of the Army National Guard, which consists of 50 states and three territories plus the District of Columbia. He has been serving as director of joint staff for the New York National Guard.
Posted 2021-09-30
Sebastien Katch is chief operating officer for truck bed covers for Truck Hero, a provider of truck and Jeep accessories. He will oversee all truck bed cover manufacturing operations and will be responsible for the development and implementation of the organization’s global supply chain and procurement functions and Truck Hero’s distribution network and logistics.
Posted 2021-09-30
Science
Dr. Sumbul Desai, VP of health for Apple Inc., helped design the advanced heart monitoring, ECG, and fall detection feature of the Apple Watch Series 4. This feature was designed to revolutionize the health industry, by collecting your personal health data so that your doctor can spend more time consulting with you about a treatment plan. Dr. Desai is also a clinical associate professor at Stanford Medical.
Posted 2020-05-21
Ed DerGurahian writes: Paul Zapustas emailed me to say that he has started a new career. After hanging up his Wall Street suit and tie, Paul moved to Boston where he is now the CFO and business director of R3Bilt, an interval training workout focused on anti-aging. Paul and his colleagues hope the company will become the “Amazon of fitness” at some point. Way to go, Paul!
Posted 2020-05-21
Business
Xinfeng Wang was recognized by the RAA with the Alumni Key Award during Reunion & Homecoming weekend. Congratulations!
Posted 2020-05-21
Science
Avanindra Joshi was recognized by the RAA with the Alumni Key Award during Reunion & Homecoming weekend.
Posted 2020-05-21
John Andonie, a decorated Iraq War veteran, was promoted to brigadier general and was named New York National Guard Director of Joint Staff, responsible for coordinating joint Army and Air National Guard operations. He lives in Clifton Park, N.Y.
Posted 2019-10-01
Nancy (Scirocco) Nesbitt joined United Personnel as vice president of business development for the Connecticut region.
Posted 2019-03-10
Eric Palomaki was appointed vice president of operations at Core Molding Technologies in September.
Posted 2019-03-10
Maureen Masiulis, a program manager in tactical solutions at Ball Aerospace, received the 2018 Society of Women Engineers Emerging Leader Award.
Posted 2019-03-10
Allison Shannon, senior associate at SWBR, received the 2018 Rochester chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute Starlight Award. A project manager in SWBR’s education studio, she manages projects for K-12 districts in New York.
Posted 2018-10-10
Ed DerGurahian and his wife, Melissa, welcomed a daughter, Giovanna Marie, on September 30. She was 7 pounds, 10 ounces, and 20 inches long. Ed reports that Giovanna already enjoys listening to Engineer hockey games with daddy and can’t wait to attend her first game!
Posted 2018-03-15
2004
Last Energy’s 20 MWe micro power plant.
Megan Prucnal was selected as an associate technical fellow with The Boeing Company. As a structural analyst, her areas of focus are optimization and additive manufacturing. Her husband, Rich Davis ’04, is a production engineering manager with Boeing. They have two sons, 8 and 11, and reside near Philadelphia.
Posted 2024-01-17
Katie Karaffa reports that Amanda Camadine and Neeraj Joshi had a son named Nolan Atlas Joshi on March 26. They are both in love with him and overjoyed.
Posted 2024-01-17
Jennifer (Ganesh) Davda has been named Loeb & Loeb law firm’s first chief diversity officer. Based in the Los Angeles office, Jennifer will work closely with firm leadership to continue to build upon the firm’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Posted 2023-03-24
Sherwin Gandhi — who co-founded Jeeves, a company that brings together global finance and technology for businesses and initially raised $131 million from investors — has raised another $57 million for the business.
Posted 2023-03-24
Lt. Col. Michael Hastings is the commander of the New York Army National Guard’s 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion. The battalion, headquartered in Yonkers, New York, has elements in Orangeburg and Peekskill. He leads soldiers who specialize in handling satellite communications for military units over vast areas of operation.
Posted 2021-09-30
Ben Barr is the new head coach for the University of Maine men’s hockey team, becoming the fifth head coach in program history. Ben most recently served as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for UMass. At Rensselaer, he earned 64 points (25g/39a) in 140 career games. He was the team MVP in 2002-03 and served as captain during his senior season in 2003-04.
Posted 2021-09-30
Michael House has been appointed vice president of business development for Siemens Government Technologies. He brings more than 25 years of technical, program, and business development experience, most recently leading AECOM’s Energy Consulting Services Business in the Americas.
Posted 2021-09-30
Benjamin Wolfe, P.E., joined CPL, a full-service design firm that has served public and private sector clients for more than 45 years in Albany, New York. In his new role, Benjamin will serve as senior highway engineer, responsible for planning and over-seeing design plans for new and rehabilitated transportation systems.
Posted 2021-09-30
Wafa Batayneh is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST). She is currently on sabbatical leave at Iowa State University, working for her promotion to become a full professor. During her integrated experience, she has had several research projects, prototypes, awards, a U.S. patent, and publications in these areas, where she is an author and coauthor of more than 30 journals and conferences publications.
Posted 2021-02-26
Mary Beth Cooley was named program chief engineer at Pratt & Whitney. In 2019, she got the ASME Distinguished Engineer of the Year award and the George Mead Medal.
Posted 2021-02-26
Congrats to David Parker for his appointment as the chief operating officer for Cleverciti Systems, where he will leverage his more than 15 years of experience in the technology business to help position the smart parking company into new markets and manage sustained growth.
Posted 2020-05-21
Business
The President’s Commission on White House Fellows selected Jermon Bafaty, M.S. ’04, into the 2019-2020 class of White House Fellows, where he will be given the opportunity to engage in public service for one year with the Department of Energy.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Shawn Newman has volunteered to support Rensselaer by serving as the class correspondent. Shawn is active-duty Navy and is currently stationed in the Norfolk, Va., area. If you have updates to share such as a promotion, earning a new degree, a new addition to the family, meeting a life goal, or anything significant in your life, please submit your updates to Shawn at RPI.Class04.Alum@gmail.com.
Posted 2020-05-21
Richard Off has been promoted to senior staff architect at Hoffmann Architects. His projects have included rehabilitation of Countee Cullen Library in Harlem, and historic façade restoration and roof replacement at First Presbyterian Church in Greenwich Village.
Posted 2019-10-01
Heather Gozdiskowski was named assistant project manager at Grand Canyon Development Partners, a Las Vegas-based construction and real estate development and construction management company. A registered architect, Heather previously worked in project management with Shawmut Design and Construction, executing multimillion-dollar projects in the hospitality industry.
Posted 2018-10-10
Matthew House, M.S. ’04, was appointed vice president of homeland security and national security at eGlobalTech, an IT solutions, cybersecurity, and management consulting firm in Arlington, Va.
Posted 2018-10-10
Architecture
Richard Off was promoted to project coordinator at Hoffmann Architects, where he has provided architectural support for projects at New York City’s historic First Presbyterian Church, Washington Irving and Countee Cullen Libraries, and the 1385 Broadway “Bridal Building.” He earned his bachelor of architecture degree at Rensselaer, and a master of architecture and urban design at Columbia.
Posted 2018-10-10
Science
Nathan Cook (Comp.Sci.) recently received his MD degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., and has relocated to Mt. Lebanon, Pa., for his pathology residency at the Pittsburgh Medical Center with an intended focus on genomics. Between RPI and medical school, Nathan worked for IBM doing software performance testing, completed a post-baccalaureate pre-med program at Harvard University, worked in a neuroscience lab at Yale University, and was a credited contributor to a number of published research papers.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
Jeff Alvarez (B.S., ME) and his wife founded Naya Health, which has developed a smart breast pump. A recent article in Bloomberg covered their struggle fundraising for a women’s product in the male-dominated VC community. They also launched a crowdfunding campaign around their second product, a smart baby bottle. Jeff says he has used the knowledge and know-how he gained at RPI every day since graduation: “RPI gave me a strong technical foundation that helped me build what I believe has been a successful business.”
Posted 2018-03-15
Ethan Dobson was named senior vice president of growth and marketing by B12, an early stage human-assisted AI company. He most recently served on the executive team at SinglePlatform, a division of Constant Contact. B12’s first product uses human-assisted AI to build and design websites in a completely new way.
Posted 2018-03-15
Tina Williams, M.S. ’04, is founder of TCecure, a Maryland-based cybersecurity company. She was recently named the University System of Maryland’s cybersecurity academic innovation officer for the new Federally Funded Research & Development Center.
Posted 2018-03-15
2005
Heather Wyld, a project engineer at CHA Consulting, has been selected as an Engineering News-Record Top Young Professional in the New York/New Jersey region.
Posted 2023-03-24
Christian Scott has been selected by Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials in Atlanta as the agency’s new resident inspector at the McGuire Nuclear Station in Huntersville, North Carolina.
Posted 2023-03-24
Bryan Knight has joined Zus Health as a technologist. He currently resides outside Boston with his wife and daughter.
Posted 2023-03-24
Allison (White) Sharp has started a new position as associate director, quality assurance, at Regeneron.
Posted 2023-03-24
Vicky Garcia is now a team lead at NASA, working on the newest launch vehicle, Artemis I. She’s been with NASA for 14 years. Her 6-year-old son is the light of her life and keeps her on her toes.
Posted 2023-03-24
Sam and Sonya (Mazumdar) Sengupta had a son named Zayn (pronounced Zane, like Billy Zane) Sengupta. This big boy clocked in at 9 pounds, 7 ounces on 2/2/22! Although it’s already been an eventful ride into parenthood, they are happy and excited that he’s finally here.
Posted 2023-03-24
Eun Joo You worked in IT security for about eight years and then got her master’s degree in social work to become a psychotherapist.
Posted 2023-03-24
Eric Kretschmar celebrated 15 years of employment at ISO New England last June.
Posted 2021-09-30
Jessica Parenteau is celebrating three years at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Posted 2021-09-30
Frank P. Bottone is working at SilverSky.
Posted 2021-09-30
Anthony Martuscello owns WestFax Brewing, a brewery located in Lakewood, Colorado.
Posted 2021-09-30
Joey Faust started a new position as chief digital officer at One Republic.
Posted 2021-09-30
Regina Primm started a new position as director of New York Health Primary Care at New York Cancer and Blood Specialists.
Posted 2021-09-30
Brian Kolins entered his fifth year of running his adult education business.
Posted 2021-09-30
Venkata R. Vedula was named to the advisory board of ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence. He is the executive director of additive manufacturing at Raytheon Technologies, where he leads the Additive Manufacturing Process Capability Center.
Posted 2021-09-30
Jamie Kay joined the faculty of the Maplewood School to teach film and photography.
Posted 2021-09-30
Elizabeth (Niro) Myers married Jon Myers on April 20, 2019. Three family members in attendance are also RPI alumni, including Jonathan’s father, Stephen Myers ’75, and cousin, Connor Young ’15, and Elizabeth’s brother, Rich Niro ’98. Elizabeth and Jon reside in Boston, where she is director of research and evaluation for WGBH Education and he is a product manager for Avid Technology.
Posted 2021-07-16
Hilary Lahn Albro has been barely maintaining her sanity at home this past year with her husband and two kids, Owen (7) and Mara (5), while closing out her 10th year at Deloitte Consulting LLP, where she most recently supported the IRS’s COVID-19 relief efforts.
Posted 2021-07-16
Sonya Mazumdar Sengupta lives in Falls Church, Virginia.
Posted 2021-07-15
Daniel and Holly Ann Quinn's “baby” is 6. They love this kid. He has the biggest heart, is smart and kind... and has lots of energy. They have 2 boys, 6 and 4 1/2.
Posted 2021-07-15
David Fannon was awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor at Northeastern University in Boston, where he studies and teaches about the science and design of buildings.
Posted 2021-02-26
IT & Web Science
Chris Searles and his wife welcomed Bryson Christopher into this world last May. Son Max is a wonderful and enthusiastic big brother.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Jason Gertler plays on the hockey team Fire and Ice. They play during the year locally. They went to Lake Placid for a tournament and won Bronze. They just started going to this tournament as of last year.
Posted 2020-05-21
Business
Jonathan and Kellie Bullis Eck celebrated their 10-year anniversary. They have two little girls in their family.
Posted 2020-05-21
Science
Larissa (Wudmaska) Wolf celebrated her 10th wedding anniversary (last July) to fellow alumnus Adam Wolf.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Zaheera Abdul Ghani was part of Team Bey, which completed the Viper Challenge @ Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Malaysia.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Our classmate Joshua Khoury took a disastrous spill that resulted in a hospital stay as the bleeding on his brain was monitored. He is in recovery and almost back to 100%. A glorious miracle for his wife, Abigail, and four children!
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Daniel Quinn is a staff materials and process engineer at Sikorsky, where he has worked for 11 years.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Katie Karaffa writes: Our updated FB link is: http://facebook.com/groups/RPI2005.
Posted 2020-05-21
M. Hafiz Yusof works for a Kuala Lumpur-based IT company, The eCEOs, that specializes in digital project management where they advocate the use of technology with industry best practices to assist and deliver projects successfully.
Posted 2019-10-01
Scott and Kelly (Weaver) Loudis own Greenbriar Construction Services in Colonie, N.Y. Contact them on Facebook to see how you can partner on your next project!
Posted 2019-10-01
Carl Harding lives in Avon, Conn., and is an operation executive director for Collins Aerospace. He celebrates nine years with his wife, Vinay, and two children, Avani (6 years) and Ashaun (2 years).
Posted 2019-10-01
Alissa Wilkinson wrote in November that she had a long, good day of voting at Lincoln Center in her second year as a member of the New York Film Critics circle, the oldest critics’ group in the country and a collection of her "most formidable colleagues." She also sent a note saying that in her work as a film critic and journalist, she had the opportunity to interview filmmaker Penny Lane, who earned her MFA at RPI in 2005. The article, “What the director of Hail Satan? learned from making a documentary on the Satanic Temple,” was published in Vox on April 16.
Posted 2019-10-01
Jennifer Kovacs is working for Unilever in New York, N.Y. She completed a Spartan, AND has also traveled to Austria and Paris.
Posted 2019-10-01
Katie Karaffa writes: I have created a Facebook page to keep in touch as well. It is located here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/219666488863492/. My goal is to get all 853 of our classmates on it. We are currently @ 254. There are many of you out there that I would love to hear from!
Posted 2019-03-10
In an effort to raise $50,000 for cancer research, Kiel Weston was preparing to trek to Everest Base Camp with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Over the course of October 26 to November 8, 2018, Kiel planned to join patients and caretakers in Nepal as part of a team raising over 250k. For more info, go to https://endurance.themmrf.org/2018EverestBaseCamp/Kiel.
Posted 2019-03-10
Congratulations to Nick and Jessica (Chiappone) Parenteau on the birth of Caleb Nicholas on January 6!
Posted 2019-03-10
Congratulations to Michael Comer and Maria (Milcetic) Comer ’06, who welcomed their second child, Michael Edward, on Aug. 6, 2018. Their daughter, Cassandra Marie, loves her little brother!
Posted 2019-03-10
Alyssa Kent joined the board of the Tiny Miracles Foundation in January. She is co-chair of the NICU Family Advisory Council at Yale and was formerly the chair of the CT March of Dimes Family Teams. Named CT AIA Emerging Architect of the year in 2016, Alyssa lives in Fairfield, Conn., with her husband, Heath, and three children.
Posted 2018-10-10
Maj. Alexander Turner was inducted into the Chelmsford High School Alumni Association Hall of Fame. A U.S. Air Force major, he served tours of duty in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. While deployed during Operation Odyssey Dawn in 2011, he flew what is believed to be the longest Viper combat mission on record at 13-1/2 hours. Alexander spent two years as lead solo pilot with the elite Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron.
Posted 2018-10-10
Jonah Brown, a U.S. Air Force major, has flown F-15 jets since 2007 and served two three-year tours at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, as well as a solo six-month mission in 2013. In June he made a low-level flyover in an F-15 fighter jet in his hometown, of Catskill, N.Y., on his way to attend an air show in Niagara Falls. Jonah told the online newspaper HudsonValley 360 that the flyover was dedicated to all those who serve in the military and who inspired him to follow in their footsteps.
Posted 2018-10-10
Jason Melo joined Reading Cooperative Bank as information security analyst last summer. Previously the IT manager at GenArts Inc. and an IT administrator at Everyscape Inc., Jason earned his J.D. from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
Posted 2018-03-15
Shannon Hitchcock has stepped down as class correspondent for the Class of ’05. Please contact the Alumni magazine if you would like to volunteer to serve as class correspondent.
Posted 2018-03-15
2006
Rian Bahran, Ph.D., currently serves as assistant director for nuclear technology and strategy in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), leading policy development and providing advice to the president and the executive office of the president on issues related to nuclear energy, security, and emerging technology. OSTP is led by a Senate-confirmed director, who also serves as assistant to the president for science and technology, a member of the President’s Cabinet. Dr. Bahran recently served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as a senior science and policy adviser. For his exemplary performance during his time at the Pentagon, he received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. He began his career at Los Alamos as a postdoc in the X Computational Physics Division, and went on to become a program manager and R&D Scientist in the Nuclear Engineering Division, where he was a recipient of the prestigious “Most Promising Asian Engineer of the Year” for leading the development of transformative nuclear technology solutions.
Posted 2024-01-17
Gregory Moyer was promoted to senior technical director, distinguished engineer for software engineering at Nationwide, a provider of property and casualty insurance and financial services.
Posted 2023-03-24
Krista Manna, founder and owner of KR Architecture & Interiors, an Abington, Massachusetts-
based architectural firm, has been selected as a 2021 “40 Under 40” award winner by Cape & Plymouth Business. The awards spotlight the region’s top young business leaders who excel in their industry and show dynamic leadership. Posted 2023-03-24
based architectural firm, has been selected as a 2021 “40 Under 40” award winner by Cape & Plymouth Business. The awards spotlight the region’s top young business leaders who excel in their industry and show dynamic leadership. Posted 2023-03-24
Xufeng Sun, Ph.D., has been promoted to vice president of formulation and technology transfer at Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing. He is responsible for managing a team of process engineers, and overseeing and developing filling and formulation protocols, batch records, and studies at the company.
Posted 2023-03-24
Matthew Fickett, AIA, CPHC, LEED veteran architect, has been named director of SGA’s fast-growing science and technology group. SGA is a Boston and New York City-based national award-winning architecture, interior design, planning, branded environments, and virtual design and construction practice. Matthew has worked in laboratory design since 2006, and is coming to SGA from his position at EYP as senior lab planner and senior associate. He has designed laboratories for high-profile institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, Vanderbilt University, University of New Mexico, Fermilab, Columbia University, MIT Lincoln Lab, and Skolkovo University.
Posted 2021-09-30
Engineering
Joe DeBellis was promoted to director of sales, Houston, at Service Wire Co. He has more than 10 years of industry experience, starting in plant engineering, moving to applications engineer, and then into various sales roles focusing on the utility market.
Posted 2020-05-21
Pete Curley and Garret Heaton '07, who founded HipChat in 2010, have a new venture. They recently announced the launch of Swoot, a podcast app that stands out from other podcast apps with its social networking elements and recommendation feature, which allows users to suggest podcasts to friends. The company, founded in 2016, has raised more than $4 million in seed funding.
Posted 2019-10-01
Himani Kamineni received an Alumni Key Award from the Rensselaer Alumni Association. The Alumni Key was created in 1965 to recognize long-term and increasing levels of service in support of the advancement of Rensselaer (such as chapters, classes, fundraising, and special events), by either alumni or friends.
Posted 2019-03-10
Business
Lina Dureza, who earned an M.S. in management at Rensselaer, became the administrator at Hughes Health & Rehabilitation in West Hartford, Conn. She was previously Hughes’ director of nursing.
Posted 2018-10-10
Steven Burgess joined Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill., as assistant professor of philosophy. Steven, who was previously a teaching fellow at St. Norbert College, earned his Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of South Florida.
Posted 2018-03-15
2007
Aaron Henshaw founded Bison Trails and sold the company to Coinbase in February 2021. Joe Lallouz was Aaron’s cofounder.
Posted 2021-09-30
Brian Chase recently joined FanDuel as director of engineering after spending the last two years at MLB, also as director of engineering. He earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Rensselaer and an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business, and resides in Long Island City, New York.
Posted 2021-09-30
Yun Jing associate professor of acoustics and biomedical engineering at Penn State, researches sound in several domains. He investigates engineered acoustic functional materials and biomedical ultrasound. The applications of his work span from minimizing office noise to reducing the vibration of vehicles to scanning the brain.
Posted 2021-09-30
Ishita Surendra Manjrekar received the distinguished “Young Member Award for Professional Achievement,” the top honor by the American Concrete Institute.
Posted 2021-09-30
Engineering
The Colorado School of Mines welcomed Nikki Farnsworth as assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering in the fall. Her research centers on the development of novel biomaterials to investigate cellular interactions with their environment and develop therapies for life-threatening diseases.
Posted 2020-05-21
Destany Eagles was featured in a S.C. newspaper in May. She is a teacher and girls basketball coach at Carolina Forest High School, and she plays professionally in the minor leagues.
Posted 2019-10-01
Isobel Ojalvo was named assistant professor of physics at Princeton. Her research focuses on high-energy particle physics.
Posted 2019-10-01
Jamel Mosely, vice president of marketing for the agency Collectiveffort and creative director of Mel eMedia, was named to the Albany Business Review 40 Under 40 in March.
Posted 2019-10-01
Garret Heaton and Pete Curley '06, who founded HipChat in 2010, have a new venture. They recently announced the launch of Swoot, a podcast app that stands out from other podcast apps with its social networking elements and recommendation feature, which allows users to suggest podcasts to friends. The company, founded in 2016, has raised more than $4 million in seed funding.
Posted 2019-10-01
Rich Palmer’s company, Gravyty, which makes AI-enabled tools for frontline fundraisers at nonprofits and higher education institutions, was on the floor of the Nasdaq Nov. 27 to ring the opening bell for Giving Tuesday. Gravyty was invited to ring the bell in acknowledgment of the company’s Pledge 1% partnership. Rich serves as co-founder and CTO at Gravyty.
Posted 2019-03-10
Business
Jesus “Laz” Montano, MBA ’07, was named head of enterprise information risk management (EIRM) and chief information security officer at MassMutual. He has nearly 30 years of technology and cybersecurity experience.
Posted 2018-10-10
2008
David F. Tamaroff, a longtime advocate for content creators, is leading the legal team at intellectual property protection firm American Films Inc. He was formerly the company’s outside counsel at Florida-based Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Posted 2023-03-24
James Patsalides is a visiting professor of marketing at Mitchell College. He will teach management, focusing on how to use a combination of data analytics and human interaction to help managers make better decisions. He brings more than 20 years of management experience and more than 10 years of teaching experience in higher education, including eight years as associate professor at Albertus Magnus College.
Posted 2023-03-24
Robert J. Murphy Jr., AICP, has been promoted to senior project community planner at the Albany offices of Barton & Loguidice, a Northeast regional engineering, planning, environmental, and landscape architecture firm. He is a member of the firm’s sustainable planning and design practice area.
Posted 2021-09-30
Andrew Lord was named head coach of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, a professional ice hockey team in the South Division of the ECHL’s Eastern Conference.
Posted 2021-09-30
Caitrin (Donnelly) Facini and her husband, Adrian, had their son, Sebastian, in 2019. He is their second child to their oldest daughter, Louisa, who is absolutely hilarious and keeps the family on their toes. Congratulations to you and your beautiful family, Caitrin!
Posted 2021-09-30
Nicholas Suhr was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the New York Army National Guard. Nicholas, a 2002 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and a veteran of the Iraq War, currently serves as deputy personnel officer for the New York Army National Guard. He is a full-time National Guard officer.
Posted 2021-09-30
Abigail Nelson Koppes received the 2020 Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award from the national Biomedical Engineering Society. This award is offered to a sole scientific investigator to stimulate his or her research career in biomedical engineering. She is assistant professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern University and principal investigator for a research team in the university’s Advanced Biomaterials for Neuroengineering Laboratory.
Posted 2021-09-30
Carly Strife cofounded BarkBox in 2012. Her company has been following a similar high-growth strategy as Chewy and is projected to grow revenue 91% over the next two years. BarkBox is also coming to market via a SPAC and will trade on the NYSE under the ticket BARK via Northern Star Acquisition Corporation.
Posted 2021-09-30
Caitrin (Donnelly) Facini and her husband, Adrian, had their son, Sebastian, in 2019. He is their second child to their oldest daughter, Louisa, who is absolutely hilarious and keeps the family on their toes. Congratulations to you and your beautiful family, Caitrin!
Posted 2021-07-15
Please like our Facebook page at facebook.com/RPIClassOf2008 and follow our daily stories on Instagram. Rest in peace, Dr. Knowles. — trent@alum.rpi.edu
Posted 2021-02-26
Abigail Koppes received the 2020 Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award from the national Biomedical Engineering Society. Koppes is an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern University. She is also the principal investigator for a research team of graduate and undergraduate students in the university’s Advanced Biomaterials for Neuroengineering Laboratory.
Posted 2021-02-26
Michael Collard has joined national architecture, engineering, and planning firm Bergmann. Previously, Michael worked at ENVISION Architects as an architectural designer and associate. Michael currently resides in Troy, New York.
Posted 2021-02-26
Ryan Hawthorne has been appointed assistant vice president of electric engineering and operations for Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation. Ryan oversees engineering functions and field operations of the electric system for all of Central Hudson, and will provide oversight on the utility’s annual capital budget of more than $200 million.
Posted 2021-02-26
Bill Atkins ’08 is co-creator of the popular iPhone/iPad app Stylebook, which lets users manage their wardrobe virtually. The app, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in October, has been covered by such publications as The New York Times, Wired, and Vogue, and is consistently in the top five paid apps in the Lifestyle category of Apple’s App Store.
Posted 2020-06-18
Science
After six years leading the Cardiff Devils, Jake Morissette has retired, announcing that he will not be returning to the Elite Ice Hockey League for this season. Morissette holds the title of most successful captain in the Devils’ history, leading the only Welsh team in the EIHL to back-to-back league titles in 2017 and 2018, along with a Challenge Cup win in 2017 and the team’s second straight playoff championship. Congrats on a fantastic career, Jake!
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Unilux has recruited Rostislav “Russell” Lembersky to integrate advances in machine learning to improve system speed and accuracy. Lembersky will bring significant experience with software and algorithm development, along with a rich technological and operational background to the team.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Gary Russinko, PE, has been promoted to principal at kW Mission Critical Engineering. Gary is a power strategist and lead engineer on some of the largest and most complex data center projects being built today. kW Mission Critical Engineering is a 140-person firm located in Troy, with offices and projects across the U.S.
Posted 2020-05-21
Business
Trent Gillaspie writes: Make sure to like our Facebook page at facebook.com/RPIClassOf2008, and connect with us on TikTok. Just kidding!
Posted 2020-05-21
Laura Wontrop Klauser, who is manager of the Cadillac Racing program, was recently interviewed by Autoweek. Laura is in charge of the Cadillac DPi-V.R customer race car program, and ensures that all of GM's IMSA prototype teams have what they need on the OEM side to have a successful race. The interview is great publicity for something which Laura is so passionate about!
Posted 2019-10-01
Karen Clark, P.E., has been promoted to an associate at Barton & Loguidice in Albany, where she is a member of the firm's Water/Wastewater Practice Area. Karen earned her B.S. from Clarkson and her M.S. and MBA degrees from RPI.
Posted 2019-10-01
Trent Gillaspie writes: Wedding bells are in the air! On June 29, 2018, James Rajotte married his husband, Brian Wheeler. Alumni Michael McGrattan, Katherine (Gifford), and Kamron Fazel ’07 joined in the wedding party festivities. Amanda (DeLaurentis) and Alex Brownell, Elizabeth Kelley, Kevin Canada, John Bensetler, and Meredith Streeter were also at the wedding. We wish you all the best, James and Brian!
Posted 2019-03-10
Trent Gillaspie reminds the Class of 2008: "Please keep your updates coming and make sure to like our Facebook page, follow us on Snapchat, and join us in our weekly class reunion using your VR headset."
Posted 2018-10-10
Kelly Barbera, former Rensselaer women’s ice hockey captain, married Darius Feili in the beautiful mountains of Canmore, Alberta on July 3. In attendance were former women’s ice hockey players Brooke (Thompson) Warren, who served as matron of honor, Ellen McNamara, who served as maid of honor, Sarah (Daniel) Danielsmith ’07, and Melissa Boik ’09. Blake Huovie was also in attendance to help celebrate with his former roommates. Trent Gillaspie sends these sentiments: "Congratulations, Kelly! Great to see RPI friendships that last a lifetime."
Posted 2018-10-10
Caitrin (Donnelly) Facini and her husband, Adrian, celebrated the birth of their daughter, Louisa, in February. Trent Gillaspie writes: "Congratulations to you and your family, and welcome to parenthood, Caitrin!"
Posted 2018-10-10
Colin Sweet married his lovely wife, Elissa, in August, and also bought a house over the summer, where they currently live in Westerly, R.I.
Posted 2018-03-15
Capt. Craig Poulin, an instructor in the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Civil Engineer School, was named Air University’s Company Grade Officer of the Year for 2016. Capt. Poulin directs courses, instructs lessons, and provides consulting on electrical engineering and construction management topics. His areas of expertise include facility electrical systems, electrical distribution, power generation, energy management, and construction safety. He was also named the Civil Engineer School’s Instructor of the Year by his peers.
Posted 2018-03-15
Eric Dahl was awarded Young Engineer of the Year by the Rockland County Chapter of the New York Society of Professional Engineers. Eric, who joined Geiger Engineers in Suffern as a design engineer after receiving his bachelor’s and M.S. degrees from RPI, has worked on the design of sports and recreation facilities throughout the U.S., including the retractable roof at the USTA Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Posted 2018-03-15
2009
Matthew Connelly, who received a BS in biomedical engineering, attended SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse after RPI, where he obtained his Medical Doctorate. He completed his residency at Indiana University School of Medicine and now is an emergency room doctor in the Community Health Network in Fishers, Indiana. He is the medical director of the Community Health-South hospital in Fishers.
Posted 2023-03-24
Kevin Avery is head coach for the Greenwich Country Day School varsity football program. He played wide receiver at Rensselaer and earned Liberty League academic honors as well as the National Football Foundation’s Hampshire Scholar Athlete Award. After graduating cum laude, he began a teaching career through Teach for America.
Posted 2021-09-30
Joseph Henits and Lindsey Garrett were married on Jan. 18, 2020. Joe earned his B.S. in aeronautical and mechanical engineering and Lindsey earned her B.S. and M.S. in applied mathematics. They live and work in Melbourne, Fla., where Joe is a senior loads engineer at Northrop Grumman and Lindsey is a senior project engineer at L3Harris.
Posted 2021-02-26
Science
Dr. Shaina (Feldman) Bruce was the lead author on an original article published in the September 2019 edition of Obstetrics & Gynecology (the “Green Journal”). Her article was titled “Disparities Among Cervical Cancer Patients Receiving Brachytherapy.” This is the second time she’s been published as the lead author — her previous article was published in Gynecologic Oncology in June 2018.
Posted 2020-05-21
Science
Lydea Irwin was named Young Professional of the Month by the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce last fall. A staff attorney with the New Hampshire Bureau of Securities Regulation, Lydea earned her bachelor’s in biology at RPI, and her MBA and law degrees at UNH.
Posted 2019-10-01
Tyler Cinelli joined Williams Financial LLC as a financial planner and retirement plan specialist. He works out of offices in Albany and Bennington, Vt.
Posted 2019-10-01
Morgan Shaw joined the architecture firm Sullivan + Associates Architects, located in Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, last fall.
Posted 2019-10-01
Eric Leibenguth has returned to the architecture, engineering, and planning firm CPL as associate architect, responsible for client management, as well as project delivery from design through construction for a variety of higher education, municipal, and parks and recreation projects. He was a five-year intern with the firm throughout his college years at RPI. He is located in Raleigh, N.C.
Posted 2019-03-10
Kendra Krueger founded 4Love + Science, a workshop and educational program designed to arm students with the tools gleaned from science, sustainability, social justice, and art to develop new modes of thinking and existing in a complex world. Trained in facilitation, permaculture, anti-oppression, and mindfulness meditation, Kendra facilitates trainings, workshops, and research and learning programs that cover a wide variety of disciplines. She was featured recently in a publication by Lenovo, because the ThinkPad has been an integral tool in her work.
Posted 2018-10-10
Daniel Hashim was appointed acting chief scientific officer and member of the advisory board of the Vivakor Inc. subsidiary VivaVentures Energy Group in October. He received his Ph.D. in materials science and nano engineering from Rice University and has 1,000 citations credited to his published work. In 2014, Daniel was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science & Health Care list.
Posted 2018-03-15
2010
Sally Vincent married software developer Alex Palash in 2021. Sally is a senior threat research engineer at LogRhythm and gives frequent security talks/trainings for SANS, RSA, and Ultimate Windows Security.
Posted 2023-03-24
Jenna Evans has been named a partner in Pardi Partnership Architects PC. She joined the company in 2011 as an intern. Her experience ranges from institutional and commercial office design to retail and multi-family housing, as well as residential.
Posted 2023-03-24
Christopher James Morrison joined Adverum Biotechnologies, a clinical-stage gene therapy company targeting unmet medical needs in ocular and rare diseases, as vice president for process development.
Posted 2021-09-30
Rev. Gary Morello judged the sports category of Darien Art Center’s 2020 Smartphone Photo Contest. Gary spent his time at RPI playing football and is currently part of the Darien Football coaching staff, a certified indoor cycling instructor, and field ambassador for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Posted 2021-02-26
Richard Off has recently been promoted to project architect at Hoffmann Architects. He joined the firm in 2016 as a project representative and has worked on various projects, with his most notable contributions being the restoration of the First Presbyterian Church in New York City.
Posted 2021-02-26
After 10 years at GE Aviation, I left my job there and relocated to Virginia to be closer to family and friends. I have also switched industries and am working at a biotech fund focused on early-stage innovation and company formation. The Rensselaer Alumni Association has launched RAA Connect, an online platform similar to LinkedIn, open to RPI alumni only. It has networking and mentoring capabilities, affinity groups, and much more! Check it out at RAAConnect.com. — Meghan Lenihan Moulder ’10; lenihm@alum.rpi.edu
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
After eight-plus years as lead radio voice for the Mets Double-A team in Binghamton, N.Y., Tim Heiman has transitioned to working full time in mechanical engineering. Going out on a high note, he was named 2018 Minor League Broadcaster of the Year by Ballpark Digest.
Posted 2020-05-21
Justin Hoin recently joined the CPL architecture team located in Albany, N.Y.
Posted 2019-10-01
Corey Stall and Hannah Delisle Stall, who were RPI sweethearts, welcomed their first child, Nathan Harold Stall, on Feb. 27, 2019. They currently reside in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts; Hannah is the quality manager at Crane Currency — the company that makes U.S. currency paper — and Corey is a senior associate at Schellman & Co., assessing information security systems.
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Leveraging her engineering degree from RPI, Hayley Moynihan took to the streets of Brooklyn, purchased a 100-year-old brownstone, and spent the last three years fully renovating it! Check out her blog where she documents all of her trials and tribulations that came with the reno.
Posted 2019-03-10
Brent Biederman left the engineering corporate world to revive a long abandoned farm on Chamberlain Highway in Connecticut—Rooster Rise Farm. The farm had its first open house last summer and we wish Brent the best of luck in his first year of operation!
Posted 2019-03-10
Congratulations to Tim Heiman, who was named Minor League Broadcaster of the Year by Ballpark Digest. Tim has been broadcasting for the Binghamton Mets since 2011 and is considered by many to be one of the top play-by-play broadcasters in professional baseball!
Posted 2019-03-10
Christopher Smith, now an Army Captain, was selected as the commander for Bravo Company, 522nd Military Intelligence Battalion in Wiesbaden, Germany. His company is responsible for providing all-source intelligence support to United States Army Africa. Before his selection, he was deployed in support of France’s Task Force Barkhane to counter violent extremist organizations in the Sahel region of Africa.
Posted 2018-10-10
Meghan Lenihan writes: "Over the past 12 months, I got married to Chris Moulder, we moved to Dubai for my job, and recently moved back to Cincinnati—lots of fun adventures around the world! While in Dubai, my husband and I hosted the first alumni event in Dubai with President Jackson. It was a wonderful gathering overlooking the Burj Al Arab with about 15 alumni and parents of current students."
Posted 2018-10-10
2011
Arpit Bakshi, MBA, is a science fiction writer whose second book was published this year by one of the largest trade publishers in India, Rupa Publications. The book is doing exceptionally well in its niche genre and getting highlighted in print and online media.
Posted 2023-03-24
Erin Morelli married Brian Vazquez on Feb. 29, 2020, in Boston. Erin is currently employed as software development engineer for the Alexa Speech team at Amazon.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Zijie Yan, Ph.D. ’11, assistant professor, chemical and biomolecular engineering, at Clarkson, was awarded the John W. Graham Jr. Faculty Research Award. He is an expert on laser-induced self-assembly of nanoparticles.
Posted 2020-05-21
Jonathan Leung received the New England - Upstate New York Regional Distinguished Young AFCEAN Award from the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) at the Association's international conference this year.
Posted 2019-10-01
Chase Polacek was among those inducted into Rensselaer's Athletics Hall of Fame in April. A hockey forward who was known not only for his stick moves and goals but his extreme professionalism and commitment to the school, Chase was a three-time MVP and two-time Hobey Baker Award finalist.
Posted 2019-10-01
Jennifer Bach was among those inducted into Rensselaer's Athletics Hall of Fame in April. A designated player and pitcher who was also noted for her extreme professionalism and commitment to the school, Jennifer established many of the school's softball records, including career marks for home runs, hits, and runs batted in.
Posted 2019-10-01
Mike Spitz and his wife, Carrie '13, welcomed a beautiful girl earlier this year. As a former Archie, Carrie is familiar with the lack of sleep, but Mike will have a lot to learn for the next few years.
Posted 2019-10-01
Ryan Kemper and his wife, Sarah, tied the knot Memorial Day Weekend at Chelsea Piers in New York City.
Posted 2019-10-01
Michael Zwack writes: "As for me, after a time in the air and on the road in the private consulting sector, I am back working in the health care sector for an insurance company upstate."
Posted 2019-10-01
Patrick Harris Jr. was featured by WMHT in their Five Questions radio series. Patrick is president of the creative agency Collectiveffort, which has a goal of telling 1,000 stories of the work and people of the Capital Region within the next two years.
Posted 2019-10-01
Janelle Farkas joined the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center as an industrial engineer.
Posted 2019-10-01
Jose Lebron ’11 and Sheilla Torres ’11
Alex Parker traded snowstorms for sandstorms and relocated to the Phoenix, Ariz., area where he continues to work in the semiconductor industry. Haris Khan also made a career move and is now a software engineer at ASICS Runkeeper in Boston.
Posted 2019-03-10
The Renewables Consulting Group hired AJ Negrelli as a project manager at their New York office. AJ previously worked for Siemens Energy and received his master’s degree at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) after graduating in 2011.
Posted 2019-03-10
Daniel Siedsma, who has been at Indium since graduation as a chemical process engineer, recently earned his certification as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
Posted 2019-03-10
If you’re looking for a video game that is both fun to play as well as thought-provoking, pick up “Donut County,” created by Ben Esposito at Annapurna Interactive. Available on PlayStation 4, iOS and PC, its theme is loosely based on the rapid gentrification in Los Angeles and greater Southern California.
Posted 2019-03-10
Johannes Kutten completed the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He graduated with his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in May 2018. This past summer he started an anesthesia residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Mass.
Posted 2019-03-10
Michael Zwack reminds all of his 2011 classmates: "If you have any notes you’d like me to share, please remember to send them—we’re far along in that post-graduation period of 'newly management,' 'newly married,' and 'newly parents,' and many of us would like to hear what you’ve been up to!"
Posted 2018-10-10
Derek Foster was profiled in May as part of the Albany Business Review’s 40 Under 40 class. He is president and CEO of Daigle Cleaning Systems Inc. and is looking to grow the business through franchising.
Posted 2018-10-10
Andrew Cook hosted a webinar in April on “Threat Hunting Versus Compromise Assessments: What’s the Difference?” to help IT and information security professionals better understand and address the fact that malicious hackers and cybercriminals are always refining their techniques to avoid security tools and controls. Currently a manager at Delta Risk, a cybersecurity consulting firm, Andrew was a prior active duty Air Force Officer, and spearheaded cybersecurity teams that discovered and countered advanced persistent threats to critical national assets.
Posted 2018-10-10
Darcie Cook became the new science content developer for the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science this past spring. After graduating from RPI, Darcie received her Ph.D. in immunology from Emory University and was a historic collections associate at the CDC Museum.
Posted 2018-10-10
Jeanne Rice was announced in February as having joined the Albany office of the New York engineering firm Barton & Loguidice as a project engineer in the firm's Facilities Group. In her previous role, Jeanne worked as a structural design engineer on residential, commercial, and utility structures.
Posted 2018-10-10
JP Trasatti got engaged to Steven Sankel last December 2 on the top of Buck Mountain in Lake George, N.Y. JP and Steven currently both work in the Albany area, and they recently moved into a brand-new home in Saratoga County.
Posted 2018-10-10
Joanie Stupik was interviewed by the Hartford Courant this past fall as part of Mercy High School’s alumni spotlight in her incredible job at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. As an engineer, Joanie was part of the JPL team that shepherded the final stages of NASA’s 20-year Cassini program as the spacecraft entered into Saturn’s atmosphere at 77,000 mph. After graduating RPI, Joanie completed graduate studies at the University of Illinois before heading to southern California.
Posted 2018-03-15
Daniel Olimpio, previously a vice president at Sterling National Bank, moved into a new role within the private client office of Signature Bank in Westchester County, N.Y.
Posted 2018-03-15
Kristin Diotte was appointed director of development for the City of Schenectady. She was previously a project manager and architectural designer with Re4orm Architecture and founded Operation Railbridge, a studio that focuses on re-imagining underutilized public spaces.
Posted 2018-03-15
Michael Zwack sends the following message to his classmates: "If you’ve not heard of the RPI crowdfunding program WeR Gold, I encourage you to learn more. Student clubs and organizations use it as a way to help raise money for needed projects, and it is a way for alumni like you and me to find areas you’d want to support. Last year I helped support updates to the Clubhouse Pub in the Rensselaer Union, and I plan to help this year’s projects like a new vehicle for RPI Ambulance. Look for more information through the alumni website."
Posted 2018-03-15
2012
Leila Viera is marketing and digital communications manager at MJ Insurance, one of the largest privately held insurance agencies in America.
Posted 2021-09-30
Eric J. Angulo has been named a 2020 Engineering Leader Under 40 by Plant Engineering. He is a project manager and automation engineer for Plus Groups in Cincinnati.
Posted 2021-09-30
Like our Facebook page, RPI Class of 2012, and follow us on Twitter, @rpiclass2012. — sobkor@alum.rpi.edu
Posted 2021-02-26
Megan Koharik (Reile) welcomed her daughter and future RPI alum, Cora, to the world on March 25, 2020!
Posted 2021-02-26
Washington State University Tri-Cities Clinical Assistant Professor of Fine Art Sena Clara Creston presented her piece titled “Willow of the Waste” at a recent WSU faculty and staff exhibit on campus. The piece is an electronic interactive art piece that conveys a statement about the environmental impact of plastic.
Posted 2021-02-26
Architecture
Congratulations to Leora Radetsky, who recently joined the staff of the DesignLights Consortium as a senior lighting scientist. Previously, she worked as a research scientist for Rensselaer’s Lighting Research Center.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Jason Griffith is currently serving as the mission event sequencing lead for the Artemis I mission, which is part of NASA’s effort to return astronauts to the moon by the year 2024. He earned his B.S. in aerospace engineering from RPI in 2012 and went on to complete an M.E. in space operations from the University of Colorado in 2016.
Posted 2020-05-21
Science
A graduate of the joint RPI/Albany Medical College B.S./M.D. program, Jay Agarwal, M.D., recently joined the roster of ENT and Allergy Associates, LLP, in Hackensack, N.J.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
After eight years in the Navy, including time serving as a nuclear operator on the USS Alaska, Jason Nattress headed to RPI and earned his B.S. in nuclear engineering as part of the Class of 2012. He is now serving as an Alvin M. Weinberg Fellow at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Rob Sobkowich writes: Stay connected on Facebook, RPI Class of 2012, and on Twitter, @rpiclass2012.
Posted 2020-05-21
Alex Papageorgis was recently named by Ethic Inc., a tech-driven asset management platform for wealth advisers and institutional investors, as the company's new head of quantitative investments. Alex, who joins Ethic from Goldman Sachs, most recently serving as a vice president with the firm, graduated from Rensselaer with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics.
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Tyler Hutchinson, an industrial and management engineering graduate from Rensselaer, recently joined Indium Corp. as a product specialist after spending several years in the oil and gas industry as a field engineer for Schlumberger.
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Justin Adibi, who earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from RPI, will be earning his doctorate in osteopathic medicine and is completing a general surgery residency at the ROWAN Health Network in Southern New Jersey.
Posted 2019-10-01
Colleen Costello ’12, co-founder and CEO of Vital Vio, was selected by Goldman Sachs as one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs of 2018 at the Builders + Innovators Summit in October. Vital Vio is a pioneer in continuous disinfection technology.
Posted 2019-03-15
Rob Sobkowich writes: To stay connected with the Class of 2012, like our Facebook page, RPI Class of 2012, and follow us on Twitter, @rpiclass2012.
Posted 2019-03-10
Andrea Maret received an Alumni Key Award at the 2018 RAA Awards. Congratulations to both Michele and Andrea!
Posted 2019-03-10
Michele Bustamante recently won a one-year Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship. Her work as a postdoc for the MIT Materials Systems Laboratory involves the creation of models of supply and demand important to high-tech industries.
Posted 2019-03-10
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Combining her passion for both the environment and golf, Delphine Tseng recently made a presentation about the British Open for Golf Channel International. A major at Rensselaer in sustainability studies, Tseng helped explain to viewers how the Carnoustie golf course in Scotland earned a certification from the Golf Environmental Association for helping to create habitats for animals such as rabbits and deer.
Posted 2019-03-10
Congratulations to Steven Taylor, who recently earned his Ph.D. in nuclear physics from the University at Tennessee.
Posted 2019-03-10
Rob Sobkowich sends this reminder to all of his classmates: "Please continue to share your professional and personal updates. To stay connected with the Class of 2012, like our Facebook page, RPI Class of 2012, and follow us on Twitter."
Posted 2018-10-10
Nick Krutz was recently awarded the Young Engineer Award from the aviation division at General Electric, in recognition for his expertise in the area of materials process modeling. He is currently working toward his Ph.D. at Ohio State University.
Posted 2018-10-10
Megan (Reile) Koharik was married on July 8, 2017, to RJ Koharik; their wedding was held in Buffalo, N.Y.
Posted 2018-03-15
Rob Sobkowich writes: "Thank you to everyone who attended our Five-Year Reunion at The Ruck in Troy and contributed to our class gift, which is helping to support students unable to otherwise afford a Rensselaer education!"
Posted 2018-03-15
2013
Allan La Grenade-Finch has accepted a position — after eight rewarding years serving students across D.C. with City Year — with Springboard Collaborative, a national education nonprofit that partners with parents to close the literacy gap between home and school. Allan serves as their Northeast executive director.
Posted 2023-03-24
One honorary classmate was laid to rest after more than 30 years of public service, and I encourage all of us to return to the words that U.S. Representative John D. Lewis H’13 offered at our Commencement in May 2013. He recalled a storm shaking his aunt’s shotgun house and advised us: “the wind may blow, the thunder may roll, and the lightning may flash, and the rain may beat on our old house... Call it the American house. Call it the world house. We all live in the same house. Maybe, just maybe, our forefathers and our foremothers all came to this great land in different ships, but we’re all in the same boat now. We’re one people. We’re one family. We’re one house. Stay with the house. Walk with the wind.” —stephenpnock@gmail.com
Posted 2021-02-26
Stephen Nock writes: With sincere gratitude to many of you who sent comments in our RPI Class of 2013 Facebook group, I’m overjoyed to give updates from throughout the world. We’ll follow the sun from east to west.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Daniel Gold moved to Japan and courageously immersed himself in the study of the Japanese language and culture.
Posted 2020-05-21
Science
After completing a master’s degree in plant and soil science last year, Deb Kraft recently explored the Balkans on a six-week bike tour. Deb powered herself through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, and Greece.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Wedding season came in full swing. Lin Duan married Tyler Hassenpflug. Lin also completed her MBA in 2019 and returned to Wayfair in a full-time management role.
Posted 2020-05-21
Architecture
Rebecca Exley married Kevin Zaylor, with many other classmates as guests and in the wedding party.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Also in semi-reunion fashion, fellow alumni joined Jon Sevilla’s wedding celebration: Wilson Wong, Allie Ahn, Staci Liu, Rose Coyle, Jeremy Coyle, Patrick Rabbitt, Ben Krieger, and Kevin Ung, as well as non-2013 guests: Orrin Amsden ’16, Kelly Owens ’08, and Sara Epperson ’09.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Connecticut’s Women of Innovation program recognized Maranda Wong as a finalist for the Inspiring STEM Equitability Award.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Carlie Newcomb enthusiastically relocated back to Massachusetts and started at Boston Scientific in Cambridge.
Posted 2020-05-21
Science
Dr. Amy Valera earned a Ph.D. in biology and a position as a scientist at Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
Mary Arntzen (Ciufo) earned her professional engineering license in April. She works at a civil engineering firm near Boston.
Posted 2020-05-21
Engineering
In Seattle, Corey Marshall piloted a regional lecture series for local alumni chapters to feature diverse career stories. Seattle also won the 2019 Rising Star Chapter Award.
Posted 2020-05-21
Business
In Portland, Ore., Kyle Maggy started an above-average air freshener venture, called Nose Patrol.
Posted 2020-05-21
Elena Krupin took a new job last fall as a project lead with Datorama, a Salesforce Company, in New York. This past spring, Elena became engaged to Tyler Hargis, a former classmate; the two were introduced by Jason Byer on Freshman Hill!
Posted 2019-10-01
Ashley Devine took a new job as a project manager at CapTech Consulting in Richmond, Va.
Posted 2019-10-01
Ben Lewis is pursuing an MBA focused on Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies at Babson College, and was scheduled to complete in August 2019.
Posted 2019-10-01
Molly Brunelle and Weston Currey were married in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in June.
Posted 2019-10-01
Weston Currey and Molly Brunelle were married in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in June.
Posted 2019-10-01
Alison Blair Reid has returned to the books and has added fabric bolts to her library! She studies fashion marketing at Parsons School of Design in the city; upon graduation, she intends to return to her hometown of Baltimore and open her own boutique.
Posted 2019-09-24
Sam Germano married Chua Quach, and they live in Las Vegas, where Sam is a software engineer at Switch.
Posted 2019-09-23
Stephen Nock writes: Also from the overseas newsroom, Michele Lynch earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at University College London. Her research examines protein adsorption onto tightly fitting mesoporous silica and the effects of nano-confinement on the catalytic activity of these proteins. Her micro-measurements deserve our macro-congratulations.
Posted 2019-03-10
Stephen Nock writes: I also caught up with Lucas Lappe on a stop through Berlin. Lucas develops, sources, and builds products for clients of his design and engineering firm, based in Hong Kong and New York City.
Posted 2019-03-10
In Palo Alto, Chris Almodovar is finishing his Ph.D. at Stanford. Chris will join his wife, Kate Manz-Almodovar, in Providence, R.I., where she studies energy science and engineering at Brown University.
Posted 2019-03-10
After completing his master’s at Princeton University and working the virtual reality scene in New York, Tyler Hopf designs products at Facebook in the Bay Area. Tyler married Isaac Chaput in late summer 2018—cheers to that!
Posted 2019-03-10
Stephen Nock writes: After a quick SCUBA trip with Gaetano Licata ’15, I also met up with Dan Powell, who currently works on special projects at Amazon.
Posted 2019-03-10
Stephen Nock writes: Carolyn Carlstrom hosted me on a stop in Seattle, Wash., in August. Carolyn assesses environmental sites at Landau Associates.
Posted 2019-03-10
Stephen Nock writes: Rebecca Nordhauser is a software developer at Microsoft.
Posted 2019-03-10
Stephen Nock writes: In nearby Boulder, Tucker Farrell started studying for his master’s in aerospace engineering.
Posted 2019-03-10
Stephen Nock writes: Chantel Columna joined fellow alumni Tamir Danon and Ayana Coker in opening Novel Strand Brewing Co. in Denver, Colo.
Posted 2019-03-10
Amanda Lambros is now engaged to Alexander Robinson. Amanda is a reliability engineer for Schick, and her fiancé is a brewing supervisor at Two Roads Brewing Co.
Posted 2019-03-10
Alexandra Halvordson was appointed program manager of the Connecticut Undersea Supply Chain Consortium.
Posted 2019-03-10
Stephen Nock writes: Ready for a quick coast-to-coast update? Get in the car, and let’s go, Red. I heard updates about “local” classmates who attended Reunion & Homecoming Weekend: Matt Shiroma has stayed in the Capital District, where he works as an engineer at Applied Materials. Time to tune in: former a cappella guru and student club aficionado Howie Lien now works in student affairs at Juilliard. Courtney Nicholas celebrated her fifth year at Regeneron. Hats off to that! Speaking of milestones, at R&HC 2018 the Office of Alumni Relations recognized Corey Marshall’s significant contributions with its Director’s Award—thanks for your commitment, Corey.
Posted 2019-03-10
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Lindsay Poirier, who attended a research conference in Berlin earlier this year, has defended her thesis and earned her Ph.D. in science and technology studies from Rensselaer. Lindsay has accepted a tenure-track faculty position at the University of California at Davis.
Posted 2018-10-10
Christina Provenza has graduated from West Virginia University School of Medicine and is now in her residency for general surgery at the University of Connecticut. Classmate Stephen Nock writes: “We’re thankful for her and for our many classmates who tirelessly pursue careers that prioritize health care."
Posted 2018-10-10
Elizabeth Wroe followed up her undergrad and grad work in slopes, dams, foundations, soil, and sub-surface investigations by earning a geotechnical engineering position with Gomez and Sullivan Engineers in Utica.
Posted 2018-10-10
Hannah Narcross and Tyler Campbell were married in Montreal. The freshman sweethearts, who met while painting a fence during freshman orientation, today live in Atlanta, where Tyler develops software and Hannah is pursuing her Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Georgia Tech.
Posted 2018-10-10
Nicole Christenson will be marrying Jeffrey Lowery this August, with former classmate Mary Ciufo Arntzen serving as one of Nicole's bridesmaids.
Posted 2018-10-10
Mary Ciufo isn't on Facebook anymore, because she’s Mary Arntzen now! Mary and Eric Arntzen ’14 met on campus, started dating in 2013, and married in April 2017. Trading places with one of her own bridesmaids, Mary will be in the wedding of Nicole Christenson when Nicole marries Jeffrey Lowery this August.
Posted 2018-10-10
Alyssa Ancin announces that she and Brad Shelofsky ’12 were engaged on August 31.
Posted 2018-03-15
Engineering
Kevin Zaylor proposed to Rebecca Exley in August, and they will be married on their seventh anniversary on Aug. 31, 2019. In the meantime, Kevin and Rebecca work in their respective fields of chemical engineering and architecture.
Posted 2018-03-15
Christopher Rittendale married Anastasia Redding ’12, ’13G last May in Cornwall, N.Y. The pair, who met and dated as students and then reunited online, honeymooned in Alaska, and now reside in the Hudson Valley, where Christopher works for the Department of Transportation as a civil engineer. Anastasia is a data analyst for USAI Lighting.
Posted 2018-03-15
Engineering
Sarah Mailhiot got her bachelor's from RPI and continued on to Montana State University, where, through innovative research in applications of MRI technology, she became MSU’s first female doctoral graduate in mechanical engineering. Following this outstanding achievement, she has a postdoctoral research fellowship in Sweden. “Grattis,” as the Swedes say!
Posted 2018-03-15
Stephen Nock relocated across The Pond to Berlin, Germany last fall, maintaining his job developing product documentation and training resources with Formlabs.
Posted 2018-03-15
2014
Emily Mastropiero joined firm ownership and was subsequently promoted to partner at Square Feet Studio. Established in 2001, SFS is an architecture, planning, and design firm based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Posted 2024-01-17
Tanya Bruno joined CPL, a full-service architectural design firm in Albany, New York, as a senior drafter. She is responsible for creating, updating, and overseeing architectural plans for a variety of project types. Prior to joining CPL, she served as a designer at 3tarchitects.
Posted 2021-09-30
Engineering
Christina Pacifico, production engineering associate manager at Tesla Inc., and president of Women in Tesla, in Reno, Nev., was honored by the Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada for her leadership in STEM.
Posted 2020-05-22
Architecture
Brenna Weisslender was hired as an intern architect at Gawron Turgeon Architects in Scarborough, Maine.
Posted 2020-05-22
Jeffrey Liebowitz joined The Chazen Companies' Hudson Valley office in Poughkeepsie as an assistant project engineer.
Posted 2019-10-01
David Vorick and Luke Champine are the founders of Siacoin, which was featured in an issue of Cryptoline News in May. David and Luke started Siacoin, which provides a decentralized cloud storage facility that facilitates payments using blockchain technology, during the HackMIT hackathon in 2013.
Posted 2019-10-01
Elizabeth Plowman joined Phillips Lytle LLP as an associate in the firm’s Buffalo office. She earned her J.D. from William & Mary Law School and practices in the area of commercial litigation.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
The growth of the wire industry is being driven by wireless applications, and recent Rensselaer graduates are helping lead the way at the Pawcatuck, Connecticut, company Cable Components Group (CCG), which develops components and compounds for the wire & cable and optical fiber industries.
What’s wireless is the short distance between the nearest wireless access point and your smartphone or laptop. But the wire leading to the wireless access point must have outstanding dielectric properties and the ability to handle intense heat.
CCG has developed compounds and components that can be used safely in high-temperature applications in everything from optical fiber to high-temperature filtration systems and are especially suited for evolving Power over Ethernet (PoE) and Power over LAN applications.
Pictured, from left, are David Connor ’16, quality engineer, who majored in chemical engineering; Dan Messmer ’14, sales engineer, who earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering and an MBA; and Charles Glew ’15, technical services sales engineer, who earned his B.S. in chemical engineering and M.S. in technology commercialization. Posted 2018-03-15
What’s wireless is the short distance between the nearest wireless access point and your smartphone or laptop. But the wire leading to the wireless access point must have outstanding dielectric properties and the ability to handle intense heat.
CCG has developed compounds and components that can be used safely in high-temperature applications in everything from optical fiber to high-temperature filtration systems and are especially suited for evolving Power over Ethernet (PoE) and Power over LAN applications.
Pictured, from left, are David Connor ’16, quality engineer, who majored in chemical engineering; Dan Messmer ’14, sales engineer, who earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering and an MBA; and Charles Glew ’15, technical services sales engineer, who earned his B.S. in chemical engineering and M.S. in technology commercialization. Posted 2018-03-15
Architecture
Anthony Policastro deserves a tip of the cap for becoming a registered architect in November.
Posted 2018-03-15
Matt McGivern and Joe Eilert ’15 made some noise in the world of virtual reality when their new venture, Spark VR, opened in Vernon last May. Spark houses four VR bays where players can immerse themselves in 15 different games. Wearing elaborate headsets, players can fight zombies, swim with fish, or defend a castle, among other games.
Posted 2018-03-15
Brian Wilczewski not only started a Ninja Warrior gym (Movement Lab) in NJ, but also advanced to the L.A. finals of American Ninja Warrior back in July.
Posted 2018-03-15
Thomas Thayer writes: "For you Red Sox fans out there, make sure you keep an eye on the CLNS Radio website for articles from 2014’s very own Lars Gjesteby."
Posted 2018-03-15
Sarah Williams and Matthew Monaco get a big congrats for getting married on October 15, 2017.
Posted 2018-03-15
2015
Sarah Spellane wrote about the loss of a classmate. “In September 2020, we lost Colton Fisher. He was an active participant of the Rensselaer community, most notably as a member of the Union Executive Board and 2015 alumni class treasurer. Colton’s love of space, flying, and nature was exhibited in many areas of his life — from earning a B.S. in aeronautical and mechanical engineering, as well as a M.Eng. in systems engineering and technology management, to obtaining his pilot’s license before the age of 25, to subsequently working full-time with Lockheed Martin as a project engineer. Colton’s works with Lockheed Martin are orbiting our planet today. His lasting impact on his friends, family, community, and Rensselaer is certainly felt.” Erin Amarello also recounts numerous, beautiful memories of her friendship with Colton, of how he could light up a room with his laugh, even at 2 a.m., editing and re-editing Executive Board procedures. When she thinks of Colton, she remembers a friend who was never afraid to try new things, always up for an adventure and meeting new people. Most importantly, Erin remembers Colton as someone with a fierce resolve to live life and love others. May we all remember Colton as we embark on our own lives.
Posted 2021-09-30
Curtis Leonard joined the Tulsa Oilers, the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, as a defenseman. Curtis compiled 43 points (9G, 34A) in 151 games with the Engineers.
Posted 2021-09-30
Sujoy Sikdar is an associate professor of computer science at Binghamton University’s Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science.
Posted 2021-09-30
Benjamin Richardson successfully defended his Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder, in December 2020. He recently accepted a research scientist position at Memphis Meats in Berkeley, California.
Posted 2021-09-30
Charles Carletta is product manager at FreshAddress, a leader in email marketing database services.
Posted 2021-09-30
Engineering
Sarah Spellane writes: Happy five-year anniversary, Class of 2015! Can you believe it’s been five years since we walked across the stage? I hope everyone is doing well and that the past few years have brought you happiness, health, and success. We will be gathering to celebrate our milestone anniversary at Reunion & Homecoming, so be on the lookout for more details in the coming months.
This summer, two couples will each celebrate a first wedding anniversary! In June 2019, Katelyn Rauth (Arch.) married Tyler King ’14. In July 2019, Beth Greenberg (Conte) and fellow classmate Mike Greenberg were married. Congratulations!
Posted 2020-05-22
Engineering
In October 2018, Terrance McGovern left his full-time job and started his journey to explore the world. So far, he has visited Central America, South America, and Europe! Follow along on Instagram, @nomadic terrance.
Posted 2020-05-22
Business
During the summer of 2019, the U.S. Hockey League announced Luke Curadi as the director of player personnel. He “will be responsible for supervision and execution of USHL combines as well as USHL Development series Youth Tournaments.”
Posted 2020-05-22
Karl Appel is lead developer for Mobius Labs. He is developing a product the size of a smartphone that could limit wasted water. Called FirstDrops, the device is designed for use in hotels and college dorms, where it would be attached to sinks and toilets and collect data on water use to determine where and when problems occur.
Posted 2019-10-01
Andre Lussier was promoted to the position of associate sales representative in the Lumirror Polyester Film Division of Toray Plastics. He joined Toray in 2016 as a process engineer. Prior to joining Toray, he was a product engineer at Worthen Industries.
Posted 2019-03-10
Jocilyn Rudisill was presented with the 2017 Rising Star Award by the FAA’s Next Gen office, a nationwide program to modernize the national air transportation system.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
The growth of the wire industry is being driven by wireless applications, and recent Rensselaer graduates are helping lead the way at the Pawcatuck, Connecticut, company Cable Components Group (CCG), which develops components and compounds for the wire & cable and optical fiber industries.
What’s wireless is the short distance between the nearest wireless access point and your smartphone or laptop. But the wire leading to the wireless access point must have outstanding dielectric properties and the ability to handle intense heat.
CCG has developed compounds and components that can be used safely in high-temperature applications in everything from optical fiber to high-temperature filtration systems and are especially suited for evolving Power over Ethernet (PoE) and Power over LAN applications.
Pictured, from left, are David Connor ’16, quality engineer, who majored in chemical engineering; Dan Messmer ’14, sales engineer, who earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering and an MBA; and Charles Glew ’15, technical services sales engineer, who earned his B.S. in chemical engineering and M.S. in technology commercialization. Posted 2018-03-15
What’s wireless is the short distance between the nearest wireless access point and your smartphone or laptop. But the wire leading to the wireless access point must have outstanding dielectric properties and the ability to handle intense heat.
CCG has developed compounds and components that can be used safely in high-temperature applications in everything from optical fiber to high-temperature filtration systems and are especially suited for evolving Power over Ethernet (PoE) and Power over LAN applications.
Pictured, from left, are David Connor ’16, quality engineer, who majored in chemical engineering; Dan Messmer ’14, sales engineer, who earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering and an MBA; and Charles Glew ’15, technical services sales engineer, who earned his B.S. in chemical engineering and M.S. in technology commercialization. Posted 2018-03-15
Matt McGivern '14 and Joe Eilert ’15 made some noise in the world of virtual reality when their new venture, Spark VR, opened in Vernon last May. Spark houses four VR bays where players can immerse themselves in 15 different games. Wearing elaborate headsets, players can fight zombies, swim with fish, or defend a castle, among other games.
Posted 2018-03-15
2016
Rebecca Bruno is an architectural designer at Mosaic Associates in Troy. She is a key member of the architectural team responsible for the district’s multiphase, multimillion-dollar capital project to renovate all schools in the district. She says she is honored the first major project she’s been involved in at Mosaic is at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. Her work includes schematic design and programming, development of design concepts and technical solutions, and coordinating with consultants.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Daryian Rhysing’s company, United Aircraft Technologies, was one of four startups awarded up to $50K through the MassChallenge accelerator program. His company had finished first in the Berkshire Mfg. Innovation Challenge.
Posted 2020-05-22
Maggie Murphy writes: The class would like to congratulate Daryian Rhysing, a veteran of the U.S Army and an expert in their aviation maintenance division, invented a new clamp device for Black Hawk helicopters during his undergraduate years at RPI. Since graduating, Daryian has built his own business, called United Aircraft Technologies, alongside his co-founder and wife Evaguel. Their prototype clamp aims to help save airplane manufacturers millions in fuel and workers comp claims.
Posted 2019-10-01
Congratulations, also, to Antonio D’Elia on his recent promotion to engineer II at CHA consulting, a construction management firm in Albany.
Posted 2019-03-10
Congratulations to our class’s newest engagement, Kelly Dearborn (class VP and fellow alumni official) and Chris Higley! Best wishes to the happy couple.
Posted 2019-03-10
The Leszczynskis decided as a family to launch K4 Machining, a new precision parts manufacturer in Waterbury, Connecticut, with the goal of fostering manufacturing in the state by engaging young professionals in the business. Parents Lou and Anna Leszczynski, who each had 30-plus years of experience in manufacturing, were looking for a new challenge that would get millennials excited about the field.
To begin, they needed look no further than their dinner table. All four of their children are involved, including three with Rensselaer ties: Michael Leszczynski ’16 earned his B.S. in industrial and systems engineering at Rensselaer and master’s at Cornell; Monica Leszczynski ’17 earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering and is completing her MBA at Rensselaer; and Jonnie Leszczynski ’21 is currently a mechanical engineering student. Joey, still in high school, also plans to join the company.
K4 Machining specializes in precision machining of metals and plastics utilizing CNC (computer numerical control) milling, turning, and mill/turn multitasking capabilities to produce simple and complex parts by developing innovative manufacturing solutions. Posted 2018-10-10
To begin, they needed look no further than their dinner table. All four of their children are involved, including three with Rensselaer ties: Michael Leszczynski ’16 earned his B.S. in industrial and systems engineering at Rensselaer and master’s at Cornell; Monica Leszczynski ’17 earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering and is completing her MBA at Rensselaer; and Jonnie Leszczynski ’21 is currently a mechanical engineering student. Joey, still in high school, also plans to join the company.
K4 Machining specializes in precision machining of metals and plastics utilizing CNC (computer numerical control) milling, turning, and mill/turn multitasking capabilities to produce simple and complex parts by developing innovative manufacturing solutions. Posted 2018-10-10
Soraya Fouladi won a $75,000 award from the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge for her company, Jara, which provides emergency education to impoverished and disaster-affected communities worldwide. The handheld Jara Unit can be used anywhere, without requiring access to infrastructure.
Posted 2018-10-10
Gelfuso, who earned dual bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and design, innovation, and society, is a project development engineer at Ford’s headquarters working on electric vehicles and Ford’s Wireless Power Transfer project, which can charge electric vehicles wirelessly.
As part of the application process, Gelfuso made a short video submission to the final round of applications. The video pays tribute to the late Rensselaer professor Burt Swersey, who, Gelfuso said, “helped me discover my love of using design for social good by teaching me to ask not just why, but why not?” Posted 2018-10-10
Science
Alexa Gruschow was announced as the National Women’s Hockey League’s Most Valuable Player in March. Alexa, who studied biology at Rensselaer before going on to play for the newly developed NWHL, led in scoring this season with 22 points on nine goals, 13 assists, with 1.38 points per game. She plays for the Metropolitan Riveters, so if you’re ever in the Tri-State area, be sure to go out and cheer her on....and don’t forget to pick up one of her jerseys, too!
Posted 2018-10-10
Joshua Thomas was appointed to Barton & Loguidice (B&L) Environmental Group as an engineer. Joshua previously worked as a project manager at Casella Waste Systems.
Posted 2018-10-10
Engineering
The growth of the wire industry is being driven by wireless applications, and recent Rensselaer graduates are helping lead the way at the Pawcatuck, Connecticut, company Cable Components Group (CCG), which develops components and compounds for the wire & cable and optical fiber industries.
What’s wireless is the short distance between the nearest wireless access point and your smartphone or laptop. But the wire leading to the wireless access point must have outstanding dielectric properties and the ability to handle intense heat.
CCG has developed compounds and components that can be used safely in high-temperature applications in everything from optical fiber to high-temperature filtration systems and are especially suited for evolving Power over Ethernet (PoE) and Power over LAN applications.
Pictured, from left, are David Connor ’16, quality engineer, who majored in chemical engineering; Dan Messmer ’14, sales engineer, who earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering and an MBA; and Charles Glew ’15, technical services sales engineer, who earned his B.S. in chemical engineering and M.S. in technology commercialization. Posted 2018-03-15
What’s wireless is the short distance between the nearest wireless access point and your smartphone or laptop. But the wire leading to the wireless access point must have outstanding dielectric properties and the ability to handle intense heat.
CCG has developed compounds and components that can be used safely in high-temperature applications in everything from optical fiber to high-temperature filtration systems and are especially suited for evolving Power over Ethernet (PoE) and Power over LAN applications.
Pictured, from left, are David Connor ’16, quality engineer, who majored in chemical engineering; Dan Messmer ’14, sales engineer, who earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering and an MBA; and Charles Glew ’15, technical services sales engineer, who earned his B.S. in chemical engineering and M.S. in technology commercialization. Posted 2018-03-15
Andrew Pla will marry his fianceé Stephanie Carter this upcoming fall. The two met while Andrew took a semester at RPI’s exchange school, University of New South Wales, Australia.
Posted 2018-03-15
Kevin Shin and John Goh have opened their new K-Plate Korean BBQ restaurant at 75 4th Street in downtown Troy. Starting from a humble food cart in December 2015, these classmates grew to later join Troy Kitchen until the final unveil of their restaurant this past October. Classmate Maggie Murphy writes: "Congratulations to the speedy success of these foodie entrepreneurs.....be sure to stop by and check out their amazing BBQ!"
Posted 2018-03-15
Tyler King has received some newfound recognition! As a design lead for IBM Z Cognitive Analytics, Tyler wanted to make an impact at her work, so she brought together 1,500 of her closest co-workers through the help of the unexpected: Post-it notes. Tyler used the notes to post words of encouragement and compliment on the door of every employee, and her positive message was heard throughout the company so much that she was recognized with an IBM Eminence & Excellence Award, and became the first IBM #NewWays2Work Star.
Posted 2018-03-15
John Goh and Kevin Shin have opened their new K-Plate Korean BBQ restaurant at 75 4th Street in downtown Troy. Starting from a humble food cart in December 2015, these classmates grew to later join Troy Kitchen until the final unveil of their restaurant this past October. Classmate Maggie Murphy writes: "Congratulations to the speedy success of these foodie entrepreneurs.....be sure to stop by and check out their amazing BBQ!"
Posted 2018-03-15
Engineering
Dr. Santosh Gupta, who graduated with a Ph.D. in ECSE from Rensselaer and served as a postdoctoral research associate here, has been appointed assistant professor of computer science at Missouri University of Science and Technology, where he will continue his research in smart buildings, internet-of-things architecture, cyber-physical systems, and tech entrepreneurship.
Posted 2018-03-15
2017
Science
Dillon Bodnar published his second volume of poetry, Harmonic Emotion: A Resonating Assembly of Reflections, in 2019.
Posted 2020-05-22
Engineering
Lillian Kolehmainen joined Hyman Hayes Associates (HHA) in February as a design engineer. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering at RPI and is a registered engineer in Training (E.I.T.) and is OSHA certified.
Posted 2020-05-22
Jonathan Gottwald was named associate director of education and harm reduction at Lambda Chi Alpha International Headquarters. He previously served the fraternity as an educational leadership consultant.
Posted 2019-10-01
Engineering
Evan Wilson joined The Lighting Practice in Philadelphia as a lighting designer. He started his career working for small theater and dance companies, then transitioned to architecture. He earned his master’s degree in lighting at Rensselaer.
Posted 2019-03-10
Alexandra Russo was hired as a project engineer at Schneider Engineering in Ronkonkoma, N.Y.
Posted 2019-03-10
Averi Chan, who started at the Chazen Companies as an intern in summer 2016, was recently named an assistant project engineer in the Land Development Group.
Posted 2018-10-10
From left, Joey, Monica, Jonnie, Michael, Lou, and Anna Leszczynski, and Mark Thibodeau.
Aaron Barker has joined architecture+ as an architectural designer. He has worked at the firm since 2014 as a student intern.
Posted 2018-03-25
Sasha Rozynova has been hired by the acoustical consulting firm Acentech as a consultant for the firm’s Acoustics Group. Sasha, who specializes in the design of performing arts centers, first became interested in the field of acoustics when she noticed how different auditoriums influenced the quality of musical performances.
Posted 2018-03-25
Lauren Stenroos was hired as a design engineer by Ryan Biggs/Clark Davis Engineering & Surveying. In that role, Lauren will provide engineering support for existing building renovations and historic preservation and masonry and concrete restoration projects.
Posted 2018-03-15
2018
2018
Engineering
Kathryn Mix joined CHA’s Mechanical Group as an assistant engineer providing support on projects requiring state-of-the-art mechanical systems.
Posted 2020-05-22
Business
Marisa Raspa, who played on RPI’s women’s ice hockey team, joined the roster of the Boston Pride pro women’s hockey team last fall for the 2019-20 season.
Posted 2020-05-22
Business
Whitney Renn, who played on RPI’s women’s ice hockey team, joined the roster of the Boston Pride pro women’s hockey team last fall for the 2019-20 season.
Posted 2020-05-22
Engineering
Samuel Goldenberg, an aeronautical engineering graduate, received his second lieutenant commission with the Army National Guard. He'll be relocating to serve as a combat engineer with the Texas Army National Guard's 111th Engineer Battalion, and will start his career with Lockheed Martin as a project engineer.
Posted 2019-10-01
Architecture
Master of Architecture graduate Christina Biasiucci joined JMZ Architects and Planners.
Posted 2019-09-12
Ph.D. graduate Majeed Simaan was hired as an assistant professor at Stevens Institute of Technology
Posted 2019-03-10
Architecture
Master of Architecture graduate Cayla Walter has recently joined the firm architecture+
Posted 2019-03-10
2019
Kristen Anderson has become a registered architect in the State of New York after passing the six Architect Registration Exams and documenting 5,000+ experience hours. In recognition of her licensure, the firm she has been with since graduating (Hoffmann Architects + Engineers, NYC office) has promoted her to staff architect.
Posted 2024-01-17
Lila Sferlazza has been promoted to associate at Pickard Chilton, an award-winning architecture studio. Sferlazza is currently a key designer for a 1.25 million-gross-square-foot corporate mass timber campus in California. Recently, she was a designer for 325 Main, Google Cambridge’s next-generation headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Posted 2024-01-17
Alexandra Fearn is a racecar driver competing weekly in the Limited Late Model (and sometimes Late Model) classes at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford, Connecticut. She is the winningest female in the track’s long and storied history. In 2021, she was the #1 ranked driver across all divisions and won the Limited Late Model class championship. When she is not racing, she is attending law school and hopes to practice IP law after graduation.
Posted 2023-03-24
Prasanna Date, Ph.D. ’19, a research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in the “Healthcare and Science” category. His work seeks to enable faster and more effective data analysis in scientific and consumer applications such as high-energy physics and self-driving cars.
Posted 2023-03-24
Kent Rapp is a Ph.D. student at Johns Hopkins University. This spring, he was awarded an NSF Fellowship to further fund his research.
Posted 2021-09-30
Ice hockey player Jacob Hayhurst ’19 has signed a contract with the ECHL’s Worcester Railers for the 2020-21 season.
Posted 2021-02-26
Engineering
Christopher Hourigan has joined CHA Consulting as an assistant engineer providing geotechnical engineering assistance.
Posted 2020-05-22
Architecture
Emily Freeman joined CUBE 3 as a project coordinator.
Posted 2020-05-22
Science
Congratulations to Lovisa Selander, who joined the Boston Pride hockey team this year, and in March was named NWHL Goaltender of the Year.
Posted 2020-05-22
2020
Sapna Raghavan was crowned Miss Connecticut 2021 at the Cabaret Theater at Mohegan Sun Casino in April. She plans to be an advocate for women in business everywhere and a role model for women who need to report sexual harassment in the workplace.
Posted 2021-09-30
Erick Zecha is the Keene Swamp Bats’ head assistant coach. He will also handle all pitching coach duties for the team. Erick was a two-year member of the Swamp Bats, including the 2019 championship team for which he played a key role in defeating the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks. He pitched for four years at Rensselaer.
Posted 2021-09-30
Margaret Graves has joined SV Design in Chatham, New York, as an architectural designer on the North Shore residential team.
Posted 2021-02-26
