CLASS OF ’57 NOTES FOR JULY-AUGUST 2001 TECH REVIEW

From Alan M. May

Joel Schiffman writes: "Thanks both for the birthday greeting and for the valuable East Parking sticker which I am trying to sell on the black market. Retired in 1995 from a five man orthopaedic surgical practice I helped found in 1968. Went from an 80 hour work week to zero and never looked back even though I had been extremely busy and loved every minute of it to the day I left. Reason for retiring: I had decided 25 years earlier that I would quit before I hit 60 (I was 591/2) because I never wanted to hit the downward slide. In retrospect it was a great decision. I am totally busy, often up until three am before I can get to bed and often, even then, it's only because I know I should quit what I am doing even if I'm not ready.

What am I doing? No, no Jimmy Carter type contributions to humanity. I guess you could say I am busy with "fluff". It's great fun. I don't know how I ever had time for work. It's interesting. But I sold my 34' sailboat we kept on the Chesapeake Bay a week after I retired along with the Flying Scot day sailor we kept on the Potomac River a few minutes away. Just didn't need them anymore to "get away". And after 10 years of sailing the Bay, usually going out for a minimum 4 day cruise once a month from April through November, we had basically "been there...done that". The real hardship was giving up skiing (God lives in Colorado - but definitely not in Kitzbuhel) when Nancy's knee would swell after only one day on the slopes. Switched to scuba for a while after that, but nothing ever really takes the place of the feeling one gets flowing down the mountain on skis. Having gone into medicine, I was usually in ignorant awe of the engineering types who could write in those indecipherable codes with subscripts and superscripts and who understood worm theory. But I really began to get defensive about 1992 when I finally decided that I was not going to let some 8-year-old punk kid make me feel dumber than I am and I got my first computer. Now everyone has one. Why don't 75% of you send them back? My ego needs it. If you want to talk about fluff," personal computer time is really "fluff."

As for convictions, awards and such stuff, I would guess my real accomplishment was voting for Goldwater and McGovern in successive elections. Hell, they didn't even give me a ribbon for having done my two years in the Army in 66-68. But I think that was because of the time I parked in the Commanding Officer's parking spot one time when I was answering an emergency call and he told me (I kid you not), "When are you doctors going to realize that it's what's here (tapping his shoulder insignia) and not what's here (tapping his forehead) that counts" and I laughed at him...but he was serious, or maybe it was...."

Bob Piccus wrote last fall: "Alice and I moved to San Francisco early this year after spending 32 fascinating years in Hong Kong. In fact, of the 43 years since graduation, we have spent just three years working in the U.S. so moving to San Francisco is an interesting exercise in reacquainting ourselves with the U.S. I am semi-retired but still hold my partnership in a boutique consultancy started some ten years ago. I am involved in some exercises helping new economy companies establishing themselves in Asia. The rest of my time is spent in our primary interest of studying and collecting Oriental Art."

Joe Kobus writes from Phoenix where he retired in the 1990s after a long career with Motorola. Hiking and yard work fill Joe's time. Joe is single, but would consider a change.

Last fall I reported that Ed Friedman had received an honorary degree. I should have said Edward A. Friedman from New Jersey because we have two Ed Friedmans in our class. Ed and Arline are traveling a lot these days. Ed and Arline spent New Year's 2000 in Hanoi. Their younger son, Phillip "Kerim", was married to Shashwati Talukdar in New Delhi last November. The young couple had had a traditional Hindu religious wedding ceremony in Hoboken the previous July - complete with an open fire. The New Delhi ceremony was a Jewish one.

Our other Ed Friedman, the one from Massachusetts without the middle initial, wrote a while back that he is retired and putting in a lot of quality grandfather time. Ed referenced the report in these notes that Martha Norman had passed away in 1996 and asked whether anyone knew any details? I don't. Can anyone fill us in? Ed remembered Martha as a fellow Chemistry major and a fun person.

I recently found some correspondence that I had misplaced. Renata Cathou wrote a while ago: "I am back from several weeks in France of hot-air ballooning, wining and dining. Had a marvelous time. Also, I'm now a member of the Circumnavigation Club (requires a complete circuit of the world to qualify). Even further back Ron Enstrom wrote that that he has spent over 35 years at RCA Laboratories/ David Sarnoff Research Center/Sarnoff Corporation, lately as Operations Manager for Advanced Display Systems. Ron says his hobbies are mountain biking, sporting clays shot gunning, and fixing up the house.

Paul Drapkin passed away September 20 2000. After MIT, Paul earned an MS in EE from Stanford and began a forty-year career in electronic engineering. His work focused primarily on telecommunications technology. He was a pioneer in the design of digital systems and communication-related integrated circuits, and he received several patents for his work. In 1979, he started a consulting business in electronic engineering, SAMcom Associates, named after his three children (Stephen, Anne and Michael). Paul relished his family, and was most happy when surrounded by his wife, Nancy, his children and grandchildren.

Gunnar Brondmo of Honefoss Norway passed away in June 2000. Gunnar was Managing Director of A/S Hoyer-Ellefson. Gunnar's son, Hans-Peter, also attended MIT.

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