1991: Rensselaer 1976 ClassNotes

March 1991

I received a letter from Kathy Kemper, a '76 graduate of RPI of Connecticut, inviting other classmates to write. Both Kathy and her husband Thomas Reynolds work at American Management Systems in Arlington, VA. They welcome their daughter Martha Catharine Reynolds (March 25, 1990) to their home near Mount Vernon.

Michael Kostreva was promoted to Professor at Clemson University and granted tenure in the Dept of Math Sciences. He was awarded a research grant of $71,000 by the Center for Fire Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to model the egress of residential buildings. Lawrence Wright was named associate professor in the Computer Science Dept at North Adams State college. He has been the director of the Williams College computer center. Henry Ernst, Jr was named manager, power supply, for Duke Power Company. He has been with Duke since graduating from Rensselaer and is married to the former Janet Lynn Snell. Both a natives of Charlotte, NC. Jimmy Flaherty is an entertainer in Boston where he has a radio show and does some acting. He was written up in People magazine for his comic impression of President Bush.

We have lost track of Gurbux S. Alag, Gerald Beauclair, Martin J. Carr, Kaung-King Fang, Ugo S. Garganese, and Steven E. Haehn. Please drop me a line if you have any clue as to their whereabouts.

June 1991

We have received many Reunion '91 Personal Update Questionnaires. I hope that more are on the way since I'll be passing on some of your comments in future columns. If you have misplaced your form just ask for another. I'll have stories from the reunion in the next issue.

Michael Toback reports that he is a senior member of the technical staff at GTE Government Systems. He lives in Sunnyvale, CA with his wife Genell and son Brian (3).

We have two recent marriages: Charles Alfred married Lorraine Ricard, a software engineering supervisor at Digital Equipment and a Brown University graduate. Charles is a software engineer at Access Technology Inc. They will live in Nashua, NH. Stanley Lis married Patricia Sklodoswki, a graduate of Green Mountain College. Stanley is an electrical engineer for the Rome Air Development Center at Griffis Air Force Base in Rome, NY. They have settled in Rome, NY after a trip to Bermuda.

With the recent activity in the Persian gulf I will take the opportunity to highlight classmates who have chosen military careers. Sean Corrigan is a Lieutenant Commander, Civil Engineer Corps in the US Navy. He lives with his wife Barbara in NAS Point Mugu, CA. David Barnette is a Lieutenant Commander at the National Naval Medical Center. David and his wife Karen have two daughters: Jennifer (4) and Jessica (2) and live in Gaithersburg, MD. David Goldstein is the Chief Engineer with the USS Platte. His home base is in Virginia Beach, VA with his wife, Arlene. Thomas Stumpf is a major with the USAF working as the FS-X program manager. He is stationed with his wife, Magdalena (Maggie) in Tokyo, Japan.

Some classmates like William Fredericks are still in the reserves. He served in the Marine Corps, but is currently a pilot for USAir, Inc. Bill lives with his wife Annemarie and children Billy (8) and Kate (5) in Cornwall, NY.

September 1991

The "76 trombones" marched behind Bob Goldsmith's red Mustang convertible with license "RPI 76" in the Reunion '91 class parade. We were short on trombones but high on the "Spirit of 76". The class dinner sported an all star cast with Alan Meltzer H'76 providing an update on what's happening at Rensselaer; Bruce Carlson H'76 performed Tom Lehrer pieces at the piano; and Jim Flaherty provided Reagan and Bush impersonations. Both Professors Carlson and Meltzer and wives Pat and Gladys were elected honorary members (H'76) of the class of 76. At the reunion I learned that:

Brandon Clarke plans to marry Susan Feret '77 in September. Tom Charis is building Seawolf subs at General Dynamics/ Electric Boat Division. He is big in Cub Scouts and lives on one acre of woods (no grass) with his wife Alexis and three children in Gales Ferry, CT. Donna Seraphim Trevitt is still working the night shift as a Project Manager at IBM Endicott. She and her husband James reside in Vestal, NY with daughters Jamie(10) and Leslie(6). Mike Gromek is a Subcontract Manager at GE Submarine Combat Systems in Syracuse after an eight year tour of duty with the Navy. Mike lives in Liverpool, NY with wife Carol (Samaritan Hospital graduate) and two daughters, Allison(6) and Amy(3). Richard Patterson is making artificial hips and knees (you may want to reserve early) as Director of Manufacturing at Personal Diagnostics. He has his home in Randolph, NJ with wife Sharon and Shannon (4). Mark Stephens is an environmental manager working as a Navy civilian in Philadelphia. Peter Needle is creating computer graphic art and still drinking beer in the East Village of Manhattan. Gary Neal (class historian) is working as an IS analyst at Texaco. He is concerned about their stability since his last three employers have gone bankrupt. Gary and his wife Grace reside in Houston, TX. Mark Michaud is a VP with Banker's Trust in NYC. He and his wife Denise have four children: Eric(8), Ian(6), Andrew(4), and Kristen(3). Paul Low (class gift chairman) traded life on the road as a consultant with Arthur Andersen for a twenty minute commute. His wife Karin and girls Cassie(5) and Jennifer(8) reside in Westwood, NJ. David Kurzweg is an account executive with Rolins Environmental. He lives with his lovely wife Michelle and vivacious boys Donovan(16) and Brandon(6) is the western suburbs of Chicago. Owen Gallagher is working as a Design Engineer at Ceramaseal. He and his wife Karen live with their children Dan and Katie in Rensselaer. Bob Goldsmith (class president) is a practicing psychologist living with his wife Lucille and twin girls Emily and Abigail in Pittsburgh, PA. Rebecca DiLameter (Taylor) teaches the deaf and hard of hearing in Los Angeles. She and her husband Paul have a son Peter(3). Donald Lipscomb is a practicing architect and VP of Design Dwelling, Inc. He and his wife Janet reside in Alexandria, VA with their sons Erik(4) and Joseph(1).

In other news David Hill was elected to the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Bridgeport. Dave wrote the "Last Word" in the March issue of Rensselaer where he described his involvement in this program. Russell Twaddell received the 1990 Ernest F. Trad award, the Department of Environmental Conservation's highest employee award. He is a career employee with the DEC Division of Air in Albany and is often referred to as the "backbone" of the Air Quality Planning Unit. Bill Grossman is writing delightfully silly rhyming books for small children at his home in Windsor, CT. He has pursued numerous careers as a grave digger, coal shoveler, Fuller Brush man, steelworker, janitor and assembly line glue man! Robert Mason sends his regards to his architectural classmates. He is Director of Design and Construction Services at Rosewood Medical Center in Houston, TX. Bob is glad to head the effort of Rosewood's multi-uear renovation and expansion program.

December 1991

If you enjoy nature photographs, you may have seen the work of Sydney Karp in National Geographic, Encyclopedia Britannica, Yankee Magazine, or on a Hallmark card. Sydney, a R&D engineer with Hewlett Packard, married Melinda Albert in July. Their new home is in Reading, MA. Edward Rockwood is a staff ophthalmologist specializing in glaucoma at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Ed lives in Shaker Heights, OH with Joann (his wife of eight years from Buffalo) and three children: Tiffany (4), Delena (3), and Ashley (1). I also saw Alena Horjacky Callimanis at the 10th reunion with her daughter Maria (3). Both Alena and her husband Denis are Senior Systems Analysts at IBM Enterprise Systems Headquarters. Their home is in Ridgefield, CT. Nancy Knudsen has been elected to a prestigious position with a national doctor's organization (a Fellowship in the American College of Physicians). The fellowship distinction is a designation of honor which is obtained through a rigorous review of the doctor's scholarly and community activities. Nancy's private practice and her home with husband Bruce and two children is in Amsterdam, NY. Arnold Einhorn has joined the Medical Center of Ocean County, NJ medical staff. He will be practicing cardiovascular medicine, including cardiac catheterization and coronary angiography. Robert Courtney was promoted to marketing and systems engineering unit manager at IBM in Buffalo, NY. Peter Pella was promoted from assistant professor to associate professor at Gettysburg College, PA. Peter is a member of the Department of Physics.
Return to ClassNotes Index Michael Mino, Class Correspondent