MIT Class of 1963 Class Notes
September 2003
MIT Class of 1963, Class Notes for September 2003 issue of Technology Review
It's a week after our 40th reunion. I saw classmates I hadn't seen since graduation, and I struck up new friendships with classmates I didn't know at MIT. The dinner on Friday was overstimulating. I'd be talking to an old friend, and when I looked up there were two more classmates I hadn't seen for years; it was hard to keep focused on the conversation at hand. Wonderful, but overwhelming. Barbara and I have attended all our reunions, and each time I realize that for better or worse MIT put its indelible stamp on us. We're a diverse group; we came from different places and we've gone different ways, yet we have remarkable similarities. Are we the type of person MIT attracts, or were we selected because of those qualities? This reunion was the best yet, both because we had the biggest turnout (about 110 classmates plus significant others and family members) and because we seemed more comfortable with ourselves than at any time in our lives. At the 5th reunion we were impressing each other with our advanced degrees, at the 10th with our wonderful jobs. At the 20th we bragged about our kids and careers; at the 25th we were at the peak of our powers. Now we're relaxed, content to be friends again, or for the first time, in a place where we were young.
I talked to many of you during the reunion, making copious notes. But I didn't talk to all of you, and I didn't remember, or get notes on all the conversations. I apologize in advance for any omissions, errors, misspellings, etc. If I make a mistake or omission (or if I didn't talk to you) please send me the correct information and I'll put it in this space. Our reunion news will appear over 4 or 5 issues of Technology Review. In this column I'll mention a few things that made the reunion memorable; I'll flesh out the stories in successive entries. Your name and your adventures may not appear here today, but I'll get you in during the months to come, I promise.
We arrived on campus on Friday
morning, June 6. Most of you have gotten soft over the years and opted for
hotels in the area or friends' houses. You wanted amenities like private
bathrooms, soft towels, and air conditioning. Barbara and I stayed in Baker
House. It was my dream while at MIT to wake up in Baker House, and find my
girlfriend, Barbara, in my room. That fantasy lasted 40 years, but it was
realized at this reunion. The nostalgia began immediately. On the steps of
Baker I met *Bob Kurtz showing his son, Michael, 11, his old stomping
grounds. On the way to registration in the Stratton Center, I ran into Lori and
*Tom Goddard. The Goddards are enjoying their retirement, dividing their
time between homes on Cape Cod and in Florida. At registration I met former
class secretary *Phil Marcus and his wife Peg Silloway. In fact all the
former class secretaries attended, *Bob Johnson (63-68), *Martin
Schrage (68-73), Phil (83-93), and *Shoel Cohen (93-98). Friday
evening, on the bus to our class dinner at the Hotel@MIT I talked with the most
dapper member of our class, *Carlos Uribe, and his wife Graciela. Time
goes by but Carlos remains young both in spirit and in appearance. The Uribes
live in Marlboro, MA.
They have 3 sons. Graciela showed me pictures of their 4
grandchildren, who live in Miami. At dinner we sat at a table with Toby and *Bruce
Eisenstein, and Faye and *Dan Ross. Bruce is on the Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science Department faculty at Drexel University in
Philadelphia; Toby is at Temple University in Microbiology. Dan is practicing
law in Philadelphia, and Faye does counseling at a Philadelphia area college.
The Rosses have 3 sons (Faye said Dan and his brother only produce boys), one
interning at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, one in Philadelphia, and the third also
on the East Coast. MIT President Charles Vest spoke to us, but I thought the
highlight of the talks was class president *Larry Krakauer's comments
and introductions; Larry has a new career in standup comedy ahead of him when
he retires from Kronos Corp.
Saturday morning we had breakfast at the Stratton
Center with Juli and *Tom Anderson. The Andersons described their house
in the Seattle/Tacoma area and the nesting eagle they can see from their deck.
At our class lunch
in the lobby of the stunning new Zesiger Fitness Center we were treated to
musical entertainment by the IOXI Trio, *Paul Cohen, *Pat O'Neil
and *Jim Reisa. They hadn't played together in 42 years, but their
signature song "A Freshman Named Charlie" (a parody of the Kingston
Trio song about the MTA, based instead on our sophomore year tuition increase
to the then outrageous amount of $1500 per semester) had us all humming along.
After lunch Barbara and *Dick Males, *Sal Mazotta, Violet and *Ira
Blumenthal and Barbara and I went back to our room at Baker for a bull
session. Is MIT elitist? It gave us book learning, but did it prepare us for
life? At the pre-Pops dinner our class reunion gift chair *Bob Johnson
announced our stunning gift of almost $112 million with 70% class
participation, both records for a 40th reunion. 
Most of this came from the generous
donation of *Kenan Sahin. Kenan spoke about the effect that MIT had on
him, and on giving back to our alma mater so it can continue to educate with
excellence. 
At the Pops I talked with 2 classmates I didn't
know at MIT, Flora and *Mike Feezor, and Barbara and *Jerry Miller,
both of whom where attending their first reunions. Mike is a professor in the
Pediatrics Department at Duke, doing medical genetics research. He also owns
Electronic Design Consultants in Chapel Hill, NC, a company with its origins in
electronics, underwater vehicles and homing and docking systems. Jerry started
his career as an EE, but after realizing that this was not for him he switched
to law. He is an attorney in Bethesda, MD, working with radio stations in their
relations with the FCC and with the parents of special needs children on school
placements.
Sunday morning for the Reunion
Row we entered 2 boats (the only class to do so) with 14 oarsmen, two
coxswains, and a manager. *Ken Andersen, *Harvey Bines, *Elliott
Bird, *Dennis Buss, *Ron Cheek, *Tony Fiory, *Bill
Gadzuk, *Bob Johnson, *Bob Kurtz, *Jim Latimer, *Jack
Lynch, *Rick Metzinger, *Murray Morton, *Jerry Skinner,
*John Wasserlein, *Ron Young, and *Bob Vernon
participated. 
Under a handicapping system based on class year we came
in first and fourth in a field of nine. Congratulations class of '63 crew! At our final event, brunch at the Faculty
Club, Stephanie and *Steve Bernstein pointed out their new home in a building across the Charles where they
are neighbors of Lois and *Jim
Champy. I heard some wonderful
stories at brunch, and I'll relate them to you in the coming months.
You can reach me at: Mike Bertin, 22 Gillman St, Irvine, CA 92612. E-mail: MCB1@aol.com. If you want to schmooze, call me at (949) 786-9450.
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