MIT Class of 1963, Class Notes for the January/February
2008 issue of Technology Review
By now you have received several mailings about our June 5-8 reunion. Can you believe that it’s been 45 years? I have a theory about reunions (Barbara says I have theories about everything.) I think we come to reunions to see our friends, the men and women with whom we shared those intense days at MIT. So as soon as you finish this column pick up the phone, sign onto your E-mail, or get out your Blackberry and get in touch with three or four of your best friends from MIT. Arrange to see them again on campus at our 45th reunion. Don’t leave your planning to the last minute.
*Bob Vernon sent me an article he wrote for a recent issue of
the MIT Crew newsletter, "Squaring the Blade". In the 1962 and
1963 seasons, MIT's Varsity Lightweight Crews defeated 27 EARC
competitors, tying two and losing to only four. The 1962 Crew
shared the national championship with Cornell and Navy in an
unprecedented three-way tie at the Eastern Sprints. The 1963 Crew
was undefeated in the regular season and placed second at the
Sprints, losing to Cornell by only 0.4 seconds. In July 1962 the
Lightweights were rewarded for their efforts with a trip to
England to participate in the Henley Royal Regatta, rowing's
oldest and most prestigious event. Competing for the Thames
Challenge Cup, they posted the second fastest time, pushing a
crew sponsored by the National Provincial Bank to a new course
record. In July 2007, nine members of the 1962 Crew, several
members of the 1963 team and their coach Gerrit Zwart celebrated
the 45th anniversary of the 1962 Regatta with a return trip to
Henley-on-Thames. Our class was represented by *Bob Vernon and
*Dennis Buss. *Rick Metzinger was on the team in 1962, but
couldn’t make the reunion trip. The group enjoyed four
fabulous days at Henley, the men sporting their traditional MIT
blazers and their spouses and significant others wearing their
fashionable hats throughout the Regatta. Featured events included
entrance to the exclusive Stewards' Enclosure during the Regatta
with traditional lunch and high tea, dinner at the St. George
& Dragon (where the crew had dined each evening in 1962), a
privately hosted dinner at the Henley Rowing Museum, and a
ceremonial row down the Henley race course on the morning of the
Regatta finals. Wrapping up with a farewell dinner on Sunday
evening, the group agreed that rowing at MIT had enriched their
lives far beyond the excellent education they had received while
at the Institute and that waiting forty-five years was much too
long to celebrate their Henley experience. Rumors about a return
engagement in 2012 were already circulating as the group
disbanded.
I reported last year that *Billie G. Brown had passed away.
*Larry Krakauer shared this great story about “BG”,
one of those larger than life figures in our class. BG was
somehow convinced to play goalie in a Baker House intramural
hockey game, undeterred by a problem that would have dissuaded
most people – he didn’t know how to skate. Word of
this got around and an enthusiastic crowd gathered to watch.
Dressed in a hockey mask and pads BG placed himself in position;
he was broadly built and blocked much of the net. But before the
game could start the other team protested – he wasn’t
wearing skates. The referees conferred, and someone went to check
a rule book, while the Baker House fans waited anxiously. Finally
the refs decreed that all players were indeed required to wear
skates. Shortly BG took to the ice on borrowed skates. He was
propelled toward the goal by his teammates, gliding toward the
net like an air puck in an 8.01 lab experiment. The sight of BG
in full hockey regalia, sailing across the ice, elicited whoops
and cheers from the Baker House fans. BG, responding to the
crowd, turned his body slightly, and waved an acknowledgement.
This was a mistake, as he promptly fell to the ice with a thud.
The Baker House fans cheered even more. BG served admirably as
goalie during the game, though Larry recalled that after a while
he wasn’t really standing on the skate blades. Rather he
was walking on his ankles, with the blades sticking out to the
sides. The refs were fine with this as long as the skates were on
his feet. Larry couldn’t remember who won the game, but he
remembers BG’s standing ovation.
I’m afraid that the rest of our news this month is less upbeat. Stan Wulf ’65, sent me a note about the death of our classmate and his Phi Delta Theta fraternity brother, * E. Norman Hernandez. Norman died when his small YAK-55M plane crashed in a wooded area in Everett, Washington in July 2007. At the time of his death, Norman was chief executive and chairman of AuBeta Networks, a Seattle company that builds secure wide-area networks for businesses. He founded the company in January 2000, having focused his career since 1991 on the integration of computer and digital telephone networks. Norman came to MIT from Miami, and after receiving a degree in electrical engineering, he earned a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Maryland. He taught at the University of Washington in the early 1970s, pioneering the use of lasers to assess seismic shifts. After leaving UW, he founded Terra Technology Corp., which developed seismic monitoring equipment. He then founded or co-founded several other companies dealing with devices as varied as computer drives and pulmonary-function analyzers, the common theme being technology and electronics. Norman was as enthusiastic a sportsman as he was a businessman; he raced Formula Mazda sports cars, hunted grizzly bear and ducks, and took his family sailing aboard a small wooden boat. He is survived by his mother; his wife of 46 years, Ann; his sons Ean, Ethan and Eban, and his daughter, Aubrey.
*Norman Dorf, of Glen Cove, NY, died in June 2007. After leaving MIT and completing his Navy service, Norman worked as an architect with Marcel Breuer on the Whitney Museum and then with Davis, Brody & Associates in New York City, where he served as Project Manager on the 1982 restoration of the New York Public Library. He was a dedicated teacher to thousands of Architectural Examination candidates around the country and the world; he was known for the study guide solutions he authored. His loss creates a large void in the world of exam preparation, mentoring and lecturing. Traveling, sailing and spending treasured times with close friends were among Norman's favorite activities. Norman is survived by his mother, Ruth Dorf; his brother, Robert Dorf; his sister, Molly Purrington; his loving girlfriend, Marie Lewis, and his children Tracy, Tom and Whitney.
The Alumni Association informed me that *Thomas J. Machamer Jr. died in June 2007, but had no further details. Our condolences to the families of our late classmates. If any of you have memories of them that you'd like to share please send them along to me.
Regards to all. 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