CLASS OF '57 NOTES FOR MAR-APR 2001 TECH REVIEW

From Alan M. May

Don Roellke sent Hank Salzhauer an article from Modern Maturity about Sal Pomponi which Hank passed on to me. Sal says, “Just before my 50th birthday I did a mental review of my life. I had an extremely rewarding and satisfying career. I had a wonderful family. I had traveled extensively. I couldn’t find a lot to wish for, but nevertheless I set two goals for myself: I would run a marathon and I would do an expedition climb.” Sal ran the marathon that year. Organizing the climbing expedition took longer. A New Englander, Sal had enjoyed numerous camping trips into the White Mountains of New Hampshire along with his wife and children. On business trips to Tokyo Sal climbed the Japanese Alps. Since his 60th birthday Sal has climbed the highest peaks on five of seven continents including Aconcagua in South America, McKinley in North America, Elbrus in Europe, Vinson Massif in Antarctica and Kilimanjaro in Africa. Sal has one ambition that remains unfulfilled. It is to climb an 8,000-meter (26,240-foot) peak. Only 14 such mountains exist. His attempt to scale one (Everest) failed. But Sal is still climbing.

Five years ago Lou Spradlin wrote to say that he planned to retire in June 1996 after 35 years with GE and would be taking an “adventure trip” around the country in a 1961 MGA British roadster which Lou had been restoring. Last May Lou wrote to say that he had had the 1996 adventure driving 13,000 miles counterclockwise from upstate NY through 28 states in 80 days, primarily on two-lane scenic country roads (only 50 miles on Interstate highways – please see the March/April and July/August 1998 issues of MGA magazine for the full story). The most memorable part was the drive down the Pacific Coast highway from the Canadian border to San Diego – all with the top down. On his trip Lou visited with two classmates from Course XVI days who he hadn’t seen in 40 years, Ray Wehrmeister who lives in Palatine IL and Dick Adams who lives near Ithaca NY. 1n 1999 Lou made his second 13,000-mile trek around the country, this time driving clockwise and this time accompanied part of the way by Sylvia, his wife of over 40 years. Lou has now driven in 47 of the lower 48 states (and we’re confident you’ll get to Arkansas yet!). Lou and Sylvia now have five grandchildren to keep them busy.

Lou Spradlin and his MGA at Devil's Tower in 1996

From Puerto Rico Peter Sinz writes I was “the keeper of the gloves at our sophomore field day and frequent worker at Walker and Pritchett. I stayed in the fire protection design, contracting and consulting for the past 30 years of my active engineering, am still married to Isabel, my girl friend of MIT, with three children and six grandchildren. Am still car crazy – some might remember the ’47 Cadillac and the wrecked brand new 56 Ford at Burton Dorm. Now I go for fast (99 Ford Lightning; 99 STS) and economical (2000 Honda Insight). “

John Crews writes, “We moved to Santa Fe NM six years ago, and we are very pleased that we did. It is a wonderful place to be actively retired and a great place from which to visit the rest of the world. First grandchild, Thomas Espinosa, was born 3/8/00 in Portola Valley CA to my daughter Carol and her husband Chris. We’re reveling in grandparenthood!” John is “blissfully retired” and enjoying photography, skiing, travel, his Rotary Club and church.

Fred Jaggi writes from Cranston RI, “I retired last year from Raytheon Engineers and Constructors as a Project Manager for Chemical Plants and Refineries. I’m getting used to retirement and finding lots to do. I volunteer at the New England Wireless and Steam Museum in East Greenwich RI. Currently, we are bringing back to working order an 1883 Armington and Sims steam engine which drove the first power plant in Hartford CT (four years after Edison created the first central electric power system) and an 1896 twin of an oil engine used by Marconi to drive his generator when he built his pioneer wireless station in Cape Cod in 1902.”

Bob Holton writes that he retired last December after 43 years in engineering operations including seven jobs with ten companies at eight locations coast to coast and Chicago to the Gulf. Bob was with Stauffer Chemical, Henkel, American Synthetic Rubber, W.R. Grace (under E.J. Najjar ’ 56), Grace Sierra and the last seven years with The Scotts Company, most recently as VP Corporate Engineering. Bob & Karen live in Dublin OH, have four married children (three of whom live in Houston) and seven (by the time you read this probably eight) grandchildren. Bob is active in Rotary, Junior Achievement, the YMCA, AIChE and their church. Bob plans to spend more time with his woodworking tools and traveling.

Tom Goldstick writes from Evanston IL that he retired last year after 32 years of teaching at Northwestern University as Professor of Chemical Engineering, Neurobiology and Physiology. Tom and his wife Marcia are now spending more time at their second home on Maui, HI.

Bruce Grover writes from Kohler WI that having been born and raised in New Jersey, upon graduation he returned to New Jersey and worked for Celanese and Nixon Baldwin Chemical from 1957 through 1963. He then worked for GAF Corp until 1970 when he joined Vinyl Plastics Inc., LLC of Wisconsin. Bruce has held a number of positions with VPI and is currently President, CEO and owner of the company. In 1997 company sales exceeded $200 million. Bruce serves as an advisor to several children’s activities including his local Boys and Girls Club, the Boy Scouts of America and the Above & Beyond Children’s Museum. Bruce is an officer or director of numerous corporations and civic groups and is the founder of the Sheboygan Astronomical Society and is the Chairman of WATERS the Wisconsin Aquarium. In 1991 he was named Wisconsin Small Business Person of the Year. Bruce and his wife Carol have three children and three grandchildren. Bruce had open-heart surgery a year ago January. Bruce’s hobbies include collecting rare books on African exploration, computers, economics and golf.

George Moy wrote last spring from Damascus MD that he retired in 1998 as a Regional Director of Comsat International. George’s wife Dottie passed away in 1997 from cancer. George wrote that he is “engaged to a lovely widow Alice King.”

The Institute tells me that David Allen Colling passed away on October 29, 1999. David was retired from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. His wife Jane survives him.

Martin Zombeck designed such a fine website that the Class of 1955 copied it (with permission). Recently, the Class of 1952 asked to do the same. Unfortunately, Martin had to decline the request in order to safeguard our own unique identity. 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 three 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 new e-mail address is: ammay@jump.net