This is another Class Notes column that falls into the hole with a May deadline before the reunion, but a publication date after the reunion. There are no class notes from the reunion in this column. Those notes will appear in the next issue of Technology Review. It is also a column for which we have little news. Generally that's bad news for class secretaries. But there's a saying that no news is good news. That's true in the sense that I have no obituaries to report this month. That is certainly the most depressing part of writing this column. Does anyone know what the mortality rate is for a group of roughly 700 people, mostly men, with an average age of about 66? I'd be (morbidly) curious to know about what the expected rate of attrition is for the Class of 1963.
The real good news is that there is at least some news. *Keith Gilbert is a member of the University Club of Palo Alto, a social, tennis and swim club. The club uses a trust fund and yearly contributions to award two to three support scholarships a year to grads of local high schools at a rate of $4000/year each of 4 years of undergraduate school. Keith says, "It's very rewarding to take a look at the ambitions and stories of these students. We put a priority on kids who would be the first in the family to attend college." Keith is a member of the award committee, and in April he was part of a team of four interviewing the five finalists. One of the finalists is a Russian boy granted political asylum after his father was mysteriously murdered while protesting a nuclear waste disposal site. Another is a Muslim girl with a very controlling and strict father. The club will pick two for scholarship awards.
The Spring 2008 edition of the "Spectrum" a publication of MIT's Office of Resource Development had a nice article about *Jim Poitras and his wife, Pat. Jim and Pat recently committed $20 million to the MIT McGovern Institute for Brain Research. The James W. and Patricia Poitras Center will support research on mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia and other major mental illnesses. Jim's father, Edward Poitras '28, an electrical engineer and inventor with dozens of patents, attended MIT on a full scholarship. Over the years Jim watched his parents become quiet givers to MIT and other charitable causes. After graduation in 1963, also with a degree in electrical engineering, Jim began his career at Harvard Medical School, then joined Mass General Hospital to do research in cardiovascular physiology, and computer programming for patient care. In 1979 he joined Highland Laboratories, the family's manufacturing company that had been launched by his father. Jim also took over responsibilities for the family's real estate investments. Pat, a registered nurse, earned a BA in philosophy from Wellesley, and a master's in social work from Smith. Married nearly 46 years, Jim and Pat met on a blind date. They have three daughters, Christine, who teaches English as a second language, Laura, who makes documentary films, and Jennifer, who works in disaster response planning. For pleasure Jim & Pat play duplicate bridge - both are life masters. They are avid bird watchers and Red Sox fans.
Most of you are aware of the Class of 1963 Scholarship Fund, and many of you have contributed to this fund. Here's a summary of the fund statistics and information about students the fund supports. These are as of July 31, 2007. The book value of the fund is $595,525, and the market value is $2,393,180. In MIT fiscal year 2007 24 of us donated $14,695 to our fund, and, for the 2007-2008 school year the Class of 1963 distributed $72,169 in scholarship aid. We renewed aid to Edgar Twigg, 2009, an Aero-Astro major. Edgar is from Berryville, VA and is a member of Phi Delta Theta. He had a UROP at the Humans and Automation Lab on Collaborative Human Computer Decision Making. In summer 2007 he had an internship in concept exploration at Boeing in Irvine, CA. He's interested in programming, music composition and bone and cartilage re-growth.
Emily Seivers, 2009, Brain and Cognitive Sciences was also renewed. She is from Norman, OK and is a member of Alpha Phi Sorority. She worked at Barker Library during the school year and in summer 2007 was a tutor at MATCH school. She likes to cook.
Aimi Watanabe, 2011, from Lahaina, HI is a new Class of 1963 Scholar. She was the editor of her high school yearbook, ran varsity cross-country; was on the engineering team, and was active in many community service organizations. Aimi received the NPR Jack Kente Cooke award for piano performance, and often got paid gigs for piano accompaniment and lessons. In the summer of 2007 she worked and traveled to Camp Imua, CO to work with handicapped children. She's interested in the arts, theater and music, and envisions a career that may combine engineering, teaching, and work with non-profit organizations.
Henry Robinson, 2011, from Lithia Springs, GA is another new 1963 Scholar. In high school Henry was captain of the Varsity Quiz Bowl, ran track and cross-country, and worked at a pizza parlor. In the summer of 2007 he prepared himself for college using MIT's Open Courseware. He's interested in martial arts and plans to study computer science and philosophy at the Institute. He sees a career in corporate or constitutional law for himself.
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