Class Notes
The 1950s and ’60s featured a Winter Weekend hosted by the junior class, which included all sorts of winter fun.
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
