This
being my last column of my term (I write this in May, just before
our
50th Reunion where a new Class Secretary will be elected) I want
to thank
you for allowing me the privilege of serving a term or so. My
goal was to
inform and amuse without offending and to mention as many classmates
as
possible (441 in five-plus years). I hope the goals were met to
some degree.
Now on with the"swan song."
Bill Culver called from Washington, DC a week or so ago to learn
the
details of the Mohonk Mountain House portion of the Reunion. I
did not have
the details handy, so he asked how to contact Mal Green,
Reunion Co-Chair.
I gave him the number. A few minutes later he called to say that
the number
he called turned out to be a massage parlor. When he read back
the number he
had dialed it was one integer away from the correct number in
the last
numeral. Such is the life of a Class secretary.
I called John Yerger
in Pittsburgh, PA. He retired from Alcoa in 1993 and
keeps busy, among other activities, as a Site Supervisor for the
Habitat for
Humanity. For recreation he plays tennis and has even won a tournament
or
two at his club. John and his wife travelled to England several
times while
his son lived there. The son had been born in Wales when John
was assigned
there for Alcoa.
Some of you from Course IV
may remember Assistant Professor of Architecture
Ralph Rapson who taught during our undergraduate years. Fred
Sadri e-mailed
from North Carolina that Professor Rapson's beloved wife, Mary,
died on May
5th from cancer complications. Mary, as you probably remember,
was Secretary
to the Dean of the Architecture Department at the same time. Fred
wrote,
"Our class was lucky to have known both of them. Ralph and
family are well
as can be under the circumstances of course."
The rest of my news is also
sad news. On April Hal Weber of San Diego, CA
died of a heart attack. Nate Cook spoke to Hal's son who
said Hal's wife
Betty is doing okay. Hal attended every Reunion and planned to
attend the
50th. Here is what he wrote for the Reunion Book:
"I was born in Burkhardtsdorf,
Saxony, Germany on October 16, 1924. It was
fortunate that my family emigrated to the United States in 1926.
We have
benefited so much from being citizens of the U.S. I lived in the
Milwaukee
area until the military called me for service from July 1943 to
January 1946
in the U.S. Army, 267th Antiaircraft Ordnance Maintenance Co.
in Australia,
New Guinea and the Philippines.
"In September of 1946
I entered MIT and in 1947 I selected Mechanical
Engineering as a major. Betty Heiden became my wife in June 1948,
and we
lived in Westgate West with many other married veterans. After
receiving my
SB and SM in 1951, I worked for DuPont one year at the Argonne
National Lab.
After several strikes help construction of the so called "Hydrogen
Bomb "
plant in South Carolina we returned to MIT where I was instructor
of
Mechanical Engineering working for Professors Joseph Keenan and
Joseph Kaye.
"In 1955 I received
my ScD degree from MIT and went to work for Shell
Development Co. in Oakland, CA. In 1957 I joined General Electric's
Aircraft
Gas Turbine Division in Danville CA, followed by the GE Space
Sciences Lab
in King of Prussia (Philadelphia), PA. Bob Mann recommended
me for a
position (Manager Papermaking) at Scott Paper for whom he was
consulting.
During my years at GE, I was teaching part-time at UC Berkeley
and later at
the Pennsylvania State University. I was offered a position at
Pennsylvania
State University as Assistant Dean of the Graduate School, Director
of the
King of Prussia Graduate and Continuing Education Center and Professor
of
Mechanical Engineering. I retired in 1984 and am Professor Emeritus
at The
Pennsylvania State University.
"I have had a book published,
Shock Wave Engine Design, by John Wiley, 1994
and was co-inventor of the Shock Wave Engine and co-founder of
General Power
Corp. I have two additional patents and many refereed publications.
"Currently I am semi-retired,
doing part-time consulting in the areas of
engine development, aerodynamics and fluid dynamics and heat transfer.
"With regard to other
activities I have been very active in the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), having served on many
national
committees, including the Board of Professional Development. Over
the years
I was presented with the ASME Dedicated Service Award and other
awards. Some
of these are membership in: Tau Beta Pi, Pi Tau Sigma, Sigma Xi,
American
Men of Science, Who's Who in the East, International Hall of Fame
--
Philadelphia Bicentennial 1976.
"Many community activities
called and I was active in many of them from
Little League Baseball to Treasurer of the Valley Forge Mountain
Association, Swim Club and Tennis Club. I have been Commander
of the Main
Line (Philadelphia suburbs) and San Diego Power Squadrons, which
teach safe
boating and co-operative charting among other things.
"Since leaving MIT,
I never met and employment job that I did not like.
Thanks go to MIT for an excellent foundation for my career. Also
many thanks
go to MIT for not changing acceptance dates for freshman admissions
in 1946.
Having returned from the South Pacific and immediately honorably
discharged
from the US Army in January 1946, I had not given much thought
to which
universities I should apply. So I immediately sent letter requesting
admission applications.
"With so many returning
veterans many schools had accepted new applicants
early in 1946 and were filled by February. Consequently, MIT was
the only
university to whom I had written that even answered my letter
and sent an
application for admission. None of the other universities I had
written
answered my letter. Needless to say I was ecstatic when MIT granted
me
admission for the fall semester of 1946.
"Betty and I attended
every fifth year reunion since graduation and have
enjoyed everyone, especially the camaraderie with classmates.
God willing we
will be at the 50th reunion in June 2000.
"I feel that my MIT
education has contributed greatly to the enjoyment of
the life our family has led. Betty had I are looking forward to
our 50th MIT
reunion and many more to come."
Herb Ridgeway got a call from the daughter of Ed Hayes saying
that Ed had
passed away. Apparently he had been failing for some time. Phil
Byrne sent
me the obituary of Grover Korman of Cheshire, CT. Grover
died April 12. He
retired in 1983 after a career with Anaconda and Arco. David
Sigourney of
Longboat Key, FL died July 1, 1999. Donald Appel of Hilton
Head Island, SC
has died but I do not know when.
Here is some good news. Joe
D'Annunzio has agreed to serve as your new
Class Secretary. Send him notes of your activities regularly.
And that is my
final answer.
Robert A. Snedeker, Secretary,
Seven Mashie Way
North Reading, MA 01864
Tel: (978) 664-1738
E-Mail:
<BobatMIT@alum.MIT.EDU>
Joseph D. D'Annunzio, Secretary
16 Treeview Circle
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Tel. (O) 732-574-1244
(H) 908-322-1785
Fax(O) 732-574-1244
Fax(H) 908-490-0127