MIT Class of 1963, Class
Notes for July/Aug 2002 issue of Technology Review
Of all the things I've written about in my two stints as class secretary (1973-1983, 1998 to date) the picture of the freshman basketball team that appeared in the November 2001 Technology Review has generated the most responses. If you haven't seen it, it's in our Class Notes archive on the web at http://alumweb.mit.edu/classes/1963/.
Ralph Cicerone, '65, wrote me about that photo and remembered that as skinny as *David Sikes was, he was incredibly athletic as a basketball and baseball player. David was amused by this, enough to write me an E-letter. He says he's no longer 6'0", 125 lbs. He's now a svelte 185. David reminisced about the freshman baseball team. "*Harold Branson was our ace and led us to a 6 win, 3 loss season, which I think may have been one of the first MIT freshman baseball teams to have a winning season. Harold was from Muskogee, Oklahoma and was one of the funniest and most entertaining friends I ever had. A funny story about Harold – I recall he left school and returned later to graduate with a different class. Early in my senior year I ran into Harold in the main lobby. He grabbed me by the arm and pushed me down the hallway to the Division of Sponsored Research with a statement about seeing this new, gorgeous clerk who worked there. As we arrived at the DSR office window he asked if I had any idea who this young lady was. I had to let him down easy by explaining that I did know her quite well, as she and I had married in June after our junior year. He was quite chagrined to say the least. Other members of that baseball team included *Kent Groninger, Herb Prasse, *Bob Beach, *Pete Svahn, *Phil Schneider, *Larry Demick, *Larry Casey, Jeff Friedberg '64, *Ernie Hernandez, *Henry Nau, *Clark Scheirer, *Lenny Ferrari (who drove an Alfa), and Jimmy Casotis. Our equipment manager was *Malcolm Beaverstock, who we razzed mercilessly, but we admired his tenacity and attention to detail. We had a great freshman year and got Coach Jack Barry promoted to become our varsity coach for the next three years." David is still married to that beautiful ‘fox’ from DSR; they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in June 2002, in the south of France. He splits his time between Colorado Springs, where he is Chairman of the Board of Ramtron International Corporation, and Half Moon Bay in northern California, his eventual retirement locale. He has two grandsons in the L.A. area and a granddaughter nearby who he sees almost daily. Another grandson is due shortly, so the Sikes clan is on 24/7baby watch. "Grandkids are great and the center of our lives, " he writes, "We feel blessed and hope that all of you have enjoyed these years as much as we have. If anyone is in or near the San Francisco area and looking for a golf game, contact me via e-mail: LDSIKES@ramtron.com"
*Dick Males has been working on simulation models of vessel movements in ports, and economic analyses of the impact of storms on coastlines. "After all these years," he reports, "I am getting back to the kinds of things MIT trained me to do, and I am enjoying it, although my programming skills remain mired somewhere in the '60s. But people still seem willing to employ me, and use the programs I write, so that is all to the good." Dick was in NYC last September 25th on business, and on Yom Kippur he walked from 101st St. and Riverside down to as close to ground zero as he could, then across the Brooklyn Bridge, back to Chinatown, and returned by subway. It was a pilgrimage, to see what his old city had become. "The town was much subdued at that time," he writes, "and the odor of fire around lower Manhattan was powerful. But at least by that Saturday night, on the Upper West Side where I was staying (just a few blocks from where I grew up), the restaurants were busy and noisy." Outside of work Dick is keeping busy teaching fencing, and playing accordion with a contradance band. He just started a beginning Chinese class, for no particular purpose other than that he believes that all those restaurants have been keeping secrets from him, writing the best dishes down on the wall, but not letting him know. The Males' completed a major renovation to their house last year, giving Dick's wife Barbara the kitchen she has always deserved. They spend most of their waking time there, and it worked out well beyond their expectations. During the winter Dick dusted off a snowboard he bought a few years ago, and spent some time using it at a local ski area. He tested the intermediate slopes and survived the season with no major injuries. To those who might wish to try snowboarding, Dick heartily recommends taking a lesson first, wearing a helmet and wrist guards, being prepared for a brutal first day, having plenty of ibuprofen handy, and treating yourself to a hot-tub soak at the end of the outing.
Here's an update on the students our Class of 1963 scholarships funded last year. Ryan Klimczak, '04, a chem engineering major, lives in Student House, writes an arts column for "The Tech", and is a member of Hillel's leadership council. He's a volunteer for MIT's Experimental Studies Group, teaching introductory chemistry. Ann Kopyleva, '05, came to MIT from Stuyvesant HS in NYC, where she was the CFO for the ASB, and won the principal's leadership award. She was active in the theater program, and was a member of both the debate and math teams. She plans a career in risk management. Radu Raduta, '05, came to MIT from Romania via a high school in Norway where he won three gold medals in the Physics Olympiad. Radu, who plans to study cognitive science, is an avid rock climber and kayaker. Last summer he worked as a volunteer in a refugee camp in Yugoslavia. The 1963 Phi Delta Theta Scholarship recipient was Dylan Chavez, '04, of Albequerque, NM. Dylan is a mechanical engineering major, and did a UROP project in the Manned Vehicle Laboratory, studying the effect of artificial gravity on future space travelers. The students who receive grants from our class really appreciate these awards; they are fine young men and women. Please continue to be generous in your alumni fund contributions for these scholarships.
It's a year away, but our 40th reunion is fast approaching. Mark your calendars for the first weekend in June 2003. Call your two best friends from our undergraduate days, and make plans for all of you to attend the reunion. Let's have a great turnout. And if any of you have a photo from our undergraduate days, E-mail it to me with a note and a list of who's in the picture. We'll put it on the class Web site, and maybe get it published in TR. Mike Bertin, 22 Gillman St, Irvine, CA 92612. E-mail: MCB1@aol.com. If you want to schmooze, call me at (949) 786-9450.