March 2009 Class Notes

We begin with an important message from Class President Mel Gardner:

Classmates:
Following is the paragraph concerning student financial aid taken from MIT President Susan Hockfield's February 19th letter to the MIT community about the current state of affairs at the Institute.

"Financial aid and tuition: By this point in a typical year, 10-20 student families would have asked us to reconsider their financial aid standing because of a lost job or other change in circumstances. This year, we have already approved more than 40 such requests, and we can expect that the downturn's impact on MIT families will grow. As we have stated before, we will retain our commitment to need-blind admission and need-based undergraduate financial aid. Taking into account increased need, particularly among middle-income families, and decreased Institute revenues, MIT's budget for next year includes a substantial increase for financial aid and only a modest increase in tuition."

Given the increased need for financial aid particularly among middle class families, we hope that our classmates will respond positively and consider designating their forthcoming gifts to the Class of 1950 Student Aid Fund. Although we recognize that financially this is a difficult time for many of us, the need of MIT's student body for financial aid also is greater than ever. Each of us can help meet that need by digging deep and making a special effort to contribute to our class fund which provides needed support for legacy students.

Mel Gardner

Searle B. Rees

We have received word that Dr Searle B. Rees died May 17, 2004, in Longview, TX. We unfortunately have no further information at this time.

Francis Lee writes:

From: Francis F. Lee fflee@MIT.EDU
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 9:55 AM
To: tomkeane@alum.mit.edu
Subject: Update

Dear Tom:

Just a brief note to let you know that I am moving to San Mateo, CA to be near to my daughter Elizabeth.

I will be living at The Stratford in center city San Mateo. It is a small senior living facility.

Next year will be our 60th class graduation anniversary. Hope to be there and meet as many of our classmates as possible.

Sincerely,

Francis F. Lee, '50 VI

Stan Martin writes about a very interesting trip:

To our Classmates:

Beverley Paragliding

My wife, Beverley, and I have just returned from one of the most interesting MIT Alumni Travel Program trips we've been on, " New Zealand: The Last Frontier". From the start in Queenstown, where we arrived a few days early to do such fun things as paragliding, to the last day in Auckland, it exceeded our every expectation. The ship, Clipper Odyssey, which we had taken on a prior MIT trip, is small and ideally suited for expedition- type trips. It even has an elevator, a necessity for us.
New Zealand we found to be a rugged, beautiful, and sparsely settled country of warm, friendly people. We made frequent shore excursions to view wildlife in national parks and to visit many towns, including the capital, Wellington. Contributing to our enjoyment were the three lecturers, all Kiwis, who sailed with us. Frazer Harbutt, from Emory University, was familiar with much of the cultural background and history of New Zealand; Michael Deaker, who lives in Dunedin and serves in the local parliament, was familiar with political issues, including foreign policy, and the recent efforts to resolve the claims of the indigenous Maori peoples; and Ron Prinn from MIT who gave three fascinating lectures based on his work as director of the MIT Center for Global Climate Change.

Of particular interest in Wellington, which is built directly over a major geological fault, is the unique foundation added to the original parliament building to isolate it from earth movement. Our tour included a visit to the basement to see the large isolators (alternate layers of metal and an elastomer) connecting the building to an entirely new foundation. Upon completing the new foundation supported by the isolators, the original foundation was cut away. The next earthquake in the region is overdue so we may have an early test of the isolated foundation's effectiveness. In geological time, this means sometime in the next 10,000 years.

Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron

We extended our trip by flying over to Sydney, Australia, for four days of playing tourist. We thought that after travelling all the way to New Zealand, we had to visit Australia. And we are very glad we did. Sydney harbor is magnificent with an excellent ferry service to take you just about anywhere in the Sydney environs. Our last day was story book. As members of the Annapolis Yacht Club, we enjoy reciprocal privileges at many other clubs around the world, including the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, as they are called over there. We went there for a fabulous lunch on their deck overlooking the harbor where Wednesday afternoon races were underway. The weather was perfect-it is summer there- the food was outstanding, and the members of the squadron could not have been more hospitable.

That evening, our last before flying home, we went to the famous Sydney Opera House to see a magnificent production of Madame Butterfly. We were not disappointed. The building itself is an architectural masterpiece.

Sydney Opera House

All in all, it was a magical trip that we would highly recommend to anyone who has a bit of adventure in their soul and a desire to see something off the beaten track.

One last comment. An enjoyable aspect of the MIT Alumni Travel trips is the opportunity to associate with alumni active in many diverse fields. One of our fellow travelers is working under NASA contract to develop a small global simulator of the atmospheric conditions on Mars, including the periodic temperature extremes. When it is operating, the plan is to introduce micro-organisms to see if they can survive. On the subject of Mars, he said the betting by his associates is that there is a 50-50 chance that man will walk on Mars by the year 2050-and he will speak Chinese! While you and I do not have to worry about that, think what it implies for the U.S. and our grandchildren.

Cheers!!    Stan Martin

A story in the February 2009 Tech Connection reports that "if the active companies founded by MIT graduates formed an independent nation, their revenues would make that nation at least the 17th-largest economy in the world". Wow! It leads us to wonder how big an impact Class of 1950 entrepreneurs have made!

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