CLASS OF ’57 NOTES FOR JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2002 TECH REVIEW

From Alan M. May

As most of you know my current birthday greetings include a “replica” of the “1957-1956” MIT East Campus parking permit as a friendly reminder of life at MIT. Herb Klei writes and asks “where was the above parking sticker when I really needed it in 1956-57?” The answer Herb is that it, together with a similar replica of the West Campus parking permit, were just where they should be in 1956-57: i.e. on the cover of Voo Doo where any Techie with 25 cents and a pair of scissors could help himself to one. It was on the cover of the “Traveler’s Aid Issue.” The Office of the Dean of Students, after sternly reprimanding the whoopgaroos at Voo Doo, promptly established a standing Institute violation: “use of the Voo Doo parking sticker.” We at Voo Doo pointed out to the Dean’s Office that no plagiarism was intended since one could easily tell the original from the replica inasmuch as the years 1956 - 1957 had been reversed to 1957 - 1956 and, for good measure, the school motto had been altered from Mens et Manus to Hamus et Eggus. In those days it seemed easy to tell the original from the replica - unless you were driving past a Tech parking lot guard at 5 mph in which case….

Herb Klei further writes that he remembers having to pay all his parking tickets before he could graduate. Herb is a retired Professor of Chemistry at the University of Connecticut but continues active at the University’s Medical School as a “Patient Instructor” for medical students and also farms potatoes in northern Maine at family potato farms.

Abijah Reed writes “after leaving M.I.T. in '57, I had a number of jobs with engineering companies around the Boston area, until '93. Then, my wife and family moved to Putney, VT, where both she and I had gone to school before college. For the last 5 years, I've been teaching mathematics at the Putney School, and having a great time of it. I'm really enjoying the nature of the work more than I ever did with engineering (who knew?). I continue with my passion for woodwork, which was kindled in my early youth, and which has been flaming since about the time I left M.I.T. I have a spectacular woodworking shop in a separate building a few meters away from my house. It seems to me about as close to Heaven as one can get without actually being there. Best wishes to any and all who may remember me (although my name was John, not Abijah, in those days. I changed it to Abijah in '74).”

Frank Regan writes: “Katherine and I have been married 44 years. I have been working at the Naval Surface Warfare Center for 38 years and plan to retire in about ten years or have a bypass, whichever comes first. We have four children - two boys and (you guessed it) two girls. Started flying about ten years ago. Wrote two books (last one “Dynamics of Atmosphere Reentry”), 40 papers, inveterate letter to editor writer, working on new book from notes of teaching airplane stability/control at local university. Interests include aero-engineering history, civil war history, flying, motorcycling, kyacking and gardening.

T. Jerrell Carter wrote a brief note to say he that he retired in February 2000 from the NRC and is enjoying travel. Tom Roberts wrote from Manchester MI to say that both retirement and serious multiple surgeries have been dictated from an advanced illness. Bob Holton wrote that he is retired as VP Engineering for The Scotts Company. Bob’s 43-year career with 10 companies took him coast-to-coast and Chicago to the Gulf Coast. Bob and Karin are living in the Dublin OH area with visits to 3 married children and 6 grandchildren in Houston and a son with two children in St. Paul.

Al Gollnick wrote that Alice and he had moved into their new log house in Thetford Center VT. Al says that it is “a major change after 27 years in the Finger Lakes Region of Central New York. However, it is the culmination of eight years of dreaming. Both of us are retired - I from Gould Pumps and she from the American Red Cross. So, it is time for a new adventure.

Robert Laurence wrote from Sunderland MA last summer that he was retiring in (last) September from his professorship at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Carol and he were moving to Carol’s hometown, Waterville ME. Bob has become the Rugby coach at Colby College in Waterville but expects to continue his professional research work at the U. of Mass for at least three years.

As I write these notes (October 2001), I believe that our 45th reunion will closely resemble the 40th, that is: it will be held in Cambridge starting with Tech Night at the Pops on Thursday June 6th, 2002, a class dinner the next evening, perhaps a lunch on Saturday and the balance of the weekend an optional get-together at some not too distant resort. Surely you will have heard from the reunion committee by the time these notes appear.

At our superlative Class of 1957 website http://alumweb.mit.edu/classes/1957/ you will find a plethora of information about your classmates including the last four years of these columns---Alan M. May, secretary, 3601 Turtle Creek Blvd., Dallas, TX 75219; (w) tel: 214-521-8533; (h) tel: 214-528-8812; (w) fax: 214-521-8544; my e-mail address is: ammay@jump.net