Dave Hapke '61
I will start this autobiography with the current status. Jan (Sig Ep Sweetheart, fall 1959) and I continue to be
happily married; three great daughters, great sons-in-law, and eight grandchildren. We live in Wilton, CT, in the
house we have lived in for 42 years. Kids and grandchildren live and/or go to school in Maine, New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont, and Florida. Add to this mix that we own a house in Northern Vermont
(20 miles from Canada), we are on the road quite a bit. We are blessed with good health. Activities include
volunteering in local organizations, church etc., as well as enjoying snowshoeing and kayaking. Gardening continues
to be a wonderful and satisfying experience.
So, back to "the beginning." The fall of 1957 I met my college roommate, Ben Huntington; a great start to our Lehigh career together. I was delighted to become a pledge at Sig Ep my freshman year, and, fortunately, one year later, Ben joined me as a brother at Sig Ep. The fraternity was clearly a wonderful experience, where I learned to be part of a team, learned leadership, and "other." It was my pleasure to be the Secretary of the Fraternity and to work as a part of the kitchen and wait staff. My whole time, unlike brothers who followed, was spent at the house on West Market Street. At that time, we were involved in the planning stage and fund-raising for the dream of a house on campus.
I graduated in 1961 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and immediately went to work as a Manufacturing Engineer for IBM at Plant #1, Endicott, New York. What a fantastic ride!!! IBM was booming, the opportunities endless. There were plenty of challenges — the year after I joined, IBM announced System 360, and we did not know how to manufacture it in a consistently reliable way. 18 months after joining I was a group leader, and a year later a manager. Good that I was young and resilient; in retrospect the stress was great, and the learning curve awesome. Not many people get such fantastic experience and exposure so early in their career.
In my sixth year, I was promoted to Headquarters near White Plains, NY, as the manufacturing person on a 4-person team with the responsibility to design and implement a cross-functional management system for a new Technology Division of IBM. While in this position I decided I loved management decision-making more than engineering and started an MBA program at Iona College. Then came a financial management position in Fishkill, New York, then back to HQ in a junior executive position.
1973 found me in Burlington (Essex Junction), Vermont, where, for four years, I was the CFO of a 10,000 employee development and manufacturing site. A period of dynamic growth followed by managing through a recession. A wonderful place to live and play; wonderful people to work with, and again a significant challenge. In 1977, I was back to White Plains, NY, in a pricing management position, followed by positions in planning, budgeting, and auditing.
Like most great jobs, one always had a few "side responsibilities." This included providing "mini MBA training" to rising marketing stars that went on to lead the company, or working as the "grunt" for the Chairman, running his executive charitable contribution campaign. These side opportunities gave me exposure to Frank Cary, John Akers, John Opel, Mike Armstrong, George Conrades, and other IBM leaders in addition to my contacts within the financial community — exposure which was very valuable throughout my career.
Throughout this time I had been involved in education and training programs, either as a full-time position or one of those "special assignments." The last five years of my IBM career I managed educational organizations within IBM, focused on finance, quality, personal development, and marketing. And then, in 1993, as IBM was in the midst of downsizing, I was a part of a team assigned to develop a means to encourage another 40,000 people to leave the company. Driving home on the day we got management approval for the program, I was trying to decide which of my employees I needed to talk with the next day, and I decided it was me. So, after 32 wonderful years with IBM, I retired in 1993.
During my period of outplacement, I started to teach at Sacred Heart University and Pace University. 1994 began two wonderful years working for Gemini Consulting, where I learned that the skills developed at IBM were transferable to other industries. One hundred percent travel, but home each weekend, or my wife came to join me for the weekend — a great deal!
This was followed by a stint as CFO of a Nursing and Home Care organization in financial trouble, my own consulting gigs and then a 3-year assignment as Executive of Budgets, Measurements, and Financial Information Systems for Pace University. Throughout this period, and until 2018, I taught as an adjunct professor in the Business School, thus adding 24 years at Pace University to my 32 at IBM.
Which brings us to 2019. As I work with the Kiwanis Organization, a Nature Preserve, St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, the Lehigh class of 1961, etc. etc., I often wonder how I ever had time to go to work for a full-time job.
During time at IBM, at Gemini Consulting, and on vacations I and we (sometimes with Jan and others the family) have had a number of trips throughout the USA, Europe, and Asia. Most recently was a river cruise in Portugal. A highlight was in 1983 — I and a few other IBM'ers were conducting an executive education program in Hong Kong, and another member of the team and I decided to visit China. China was just opening to tourists — it turned out that our tour group was just the two of us, and there was a day in January 1983 where there were only two people walking the Great Wall that morning — my buddy and I. Awesome!!
So much for "history." As mentioned above, we are in good health and enjoying life. Two weeks ago we were in Boston for a granddaughter's graduation from her master's degree program. Next week we are in Maine for a grandson's graduation ceremony from high school. Then off to Vermont to plant the garden if it ever stops snowing there. July we will start in Michigan and Wisconsin seeing daughter and son-in-law, grandchildren, and our great-grandson. Then home briefly and off to Switzerland for time at the home of our "Swiss son" — a foreign exchange student who spent a year with us and has returned a number of times.
However, we think it is time to be close to our kids — thus we are on the waiting list for a cottage at a retirement community in Maine — not far from where our youngest daughter lives. So, a part of our time is spent trying to figure out how to downsize from a 5-bedroom home to a 2-bedroom cottage. The challenge will be selling our house in a very down market.
Thus, stay tuned — will we move to Maine in a year or two or "age in place?"
1962
Ben Huntington '62
Since the fifth grade, I had been sure I would be a civil engineer. That didn't work out.
After graduation with a BA in Sociology, I headed for Navy OCS and a possible Navy career, as my five years at
Lehigh had not resulted in any convincing ideas. While at OCS, I applied for flight training and was accepted.
Eighteen months of training followed, and I was assigned to an AEW (Airborne Early Warning) squadron in San Diego.
Barb and I were married while in San Diego, and we were thoroughly enjoying Navy life in Southern California.
But after two cruises to Vietnam on USS Hornet and USS Bennington, and hearing my "short-time" squadron mates
expound on their upcoming employment as airline pilots, I decided to take a closer look at that alternative.
I was hired by United Airlines.
Initially, I was based at Chicago O'Hare for three years. I then transferred to New York, flying out of LaGuardia,
Kennedy, and Newark, and lived in Newtown, CT, which our three children consider their home town. Newtown was a
fabulous place to live! Our social and volunteer life centered around a very active Jaycee organization. Barb and
I were also members of the volunteer ambulance/emergency medical service, where Barb distinguished herself as one
of the most active and capable EMTs in the organization. I joined the Ski Patrol at Connecticut's Mohawk Mountain,
which started 30 years of being a member of the National Ski Patrol.
For my last eleven years with United we headed west again to Denver. All three children and six grandkids have also
settled in Colorado and Wyoming. My oldest grandchild is a Sig Ep at University of Colorado!! My membership with the
Loveland Basin ski patrol made it more feasible for the whole family to enjoy a rather pricey sport! We currently
live in an "active 55" community, with emphasis on the "active." With our bike club we have been on trips to
Netherlands, Croatia, Vermont, and Spain. A recent trip with the hiking club took us to Moab, Utah (Arches and
Canyonlands National Parks). I continue my musical pursuits with a community chorus, and Barb and I are in some
bridge groups. Barb volunteers at a local hospital, and I work a weekly shift at a food bank, and help out with
elementary school reading classes. In October we will be going to Norway for a Hurtigruten coastal cruise. We are
guaranteed to see the northern lights in October! If we don't see any, we get a free trip!! (Probably in January?)
For the summer, however, Barb and I return "home" to New York. We work on the staff at the Silver Bay YMCA
Conference Center, located on Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains. (Check out www.silverbay.org.) Lake George
is probably one of the most beautiful bodies of water in the country, and the Silver Bay "Y" has been a very special
destination for many vacationing families for generations. Barb anchors the early morning shift in the coffee shop,
as most of the college kids can't seem to read a clock at 6:00 a.m. I am in charge of the tour boat, one of
several skippers taking guests on sightseeing trips on the lake. I also help repair 14 Sunfish sailboats, 3 Lasers,
25 kayaks, 12 canoes, and 4 rowboats. See you all soon!
Dale Osborn '62 1963
Nick Antich '63, '64
I always wanted to work for myself. After a lot of looking around (car wash, silversmith jewelry, and more)
and some research, I ended up with the idea of a payroll system for small businesses. I felt the Lehigh Valley
would be a good place to locate my new business, since there were many small businesses. I had some students
do market research by telephone, which confirmed my thinking. We moved back to the Lehigh Valley in January
1970. My work experience allowed me to design and code systems for specific purposes using low-level assembler
languages, which were very efficient. I designed an operating system to be used specifically with our payroll
programs for the IBM series of mainframes, System 360 and up, through the years. What allowed us to continue
over the years was later running my system as a virtual machine under IBM Virtual software. My company was
named A D Computer Corp. We grew to about 75 full-time employees and about 30 part-time employees. By 2012 we
processed close to 5,000 companies, from one employee to multi-thousands, and paid payroll taxes (a different
system that was fed data from the payroll system and was not designed by me) for our clients in all 50 states.
I had my company from 1970 until December 28, 2012, when it was sold to Jet Pay, a payment processing company.
Tom Craven '63.5
Dave Depew '63
After graduating from Manhasset High School, I went to Lehigh (along with classmates Bill Stuebe and Richie
Wiegand). I was particularly impressed by brothers Ed Harrison and Dick Warner (class of 1960) and was thrilled
when I was pledged by SigEp. My roommates were Jim Barry, Jack Goulet, and Dick Rehfeldt, and others whom
I can't remember. During my junior year, because of not so great grades, I lived at a nearby private home,
which became known as "the annex." But I had good company there — Rick Cobb, Sam Banks, and John Bordes.
(Was there someone else?) My semi-official position at the house was "song chairman."
During the summer between my junior and senior years at Lehigh, I started dating my high school classmate,
(Vera) Marie Black, niece of grand national president Bedford W. Black — I was checked out and presumably
found to be OK. Upon graduation from Lehigh in June of 1963 (BS in Mechanical Engineering), I took the summer
off to enjoy Marie's company before starting Naval OCS at Newport, RI, that Septemher. I had enrolled in OCS
in part to avoid the draft and in part because I had no job offer about which I was particularly enthused.
I had also been impressed by brother Ray Helbig, who, while attending OCS, returned to 61 W. Market to talk
about OCS. In February of 1964, I graduated from OCS and married Marie. We spent our three-week honeymoon
driving to San Diego, where I had been assigned my first duty station aboard USS Floyd County (LST-762).
While I was on board the Floyd County, the ship made three deployments, the second and third of which were to
Viet Nam. During that third deployment, I was handed orders to attend the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in
Monterey, CA, in order to obtain a MS degree in data processing (sort of a precursor to computer science).
This was quite an honor for a very, very junior officer who was not from Annapolis. So, in June of 1966,
Marie and I found ourselves in Monterey, CA (not a bad place to be), with me as a full-time student on full
officer's pay and allowances — not a bad deal. In August of that year our first son, Dwayne, was born.
I graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School in July of 1967. I was required to give back two years of
additional service for the year I spent at the Postgraduate School, and, fortuitously, I was assigned to a
computer programming billet in the Washington, DC, Naval Yard. Marie, Dwayne, and I rented an apartment in Oxon
Hill, MD. It was at this time that Marie first became ill with what was eventually diagnosed as Lupus. In the
beginning, the disease was not hugely debilitating, although eventually it would exact the ultimate price.
I departed the Navy in July of 1969. I had taken several interviews with companies on the east coast, but, in
my heart of hearts, I wanted to go back to California — I loved San Diego, and Monterey isn't bad either.
(I made it back to California, but I have never lived in San Diego or Monterey — oh well!) In any event,
when I received an offer from Control Data Corp. in Sunnyvale, CA (San Francisco Bay area) as a systems analyst,
I jumped at it. So Marie, Dwayne, and I crossed the country again and settled in San Jose. Marie was under
regular medical attention and was doing quite well. She improved to the point that her disease was in total
remission, and she was off all medication, and her doctors gave her clearance to get pregnant again (we wanted
another child). And so pregnant she got (hey, I try to respond), and, after a normal pregnancy, Darrell was
born in July 1972. Sadly, in November of that year Marie's Lupus came back with a vengeance. In March of 1973,
after a five year battle that included a healthy pregnancy that brought forth our second baby boy, she succumbed
to her disease. Darrell was eight months old, Dwayne was six years. Thus began my career as a single parent.
Life went on! I worked at my job and at raising my kids — at first, with help from my mother-in-law,
then with a series of live-in nannies, and, eventually, on my own. I even chased a few women. At Control Data,
I migrated from systems analyst to software engineer. Eventually I grew restless, and so, in the spring of 1983,
after fourteen years, I left Control Data to become an independent computer/software consultant. That worked
for about six months. So after two months of very worried joblessness, I landed a full-time job with a
Silicon Valley start-up company named CXI, Inc. (You've never heard of it!) That was January 1984. This is
a rags-to-riches story. In March 1987, CXI was bought out by Novell, Inc. (you may have heard of them), and,
all of a sudden, my stock options were worth real money (well, some). I continued with Novell until September
of 1995, when, at age 54, I retired.
I have never looked back! One month after retiring, I began taking West Coast Swing dance lessons and have
never stopped. I also avidly pursue my number one avocation of driving sports cars around race tracks as fast
as I can go — an activity in which Darrell first got me going. Darrell is hale and hearty as a California
fire fighter. Dwayne, unfortunately and most tragically, came to a very sad end. He lost his life to
chemotherapy after a difficult, but ultimately successful, resection of his colon. He died in January of 2017
at the age of 50. I miss him terribly and will do so for the rest of my life. It's true — you're a parent
for life, and there is nothing worse than the loss of a child!
The final chapter of my life began in 2015 when Darrell and I pooled our resources and bought an 8.76 acre property
in San Juan Bautista, CA. The property has a ten year old house on it and is Darrell's. We are in the process
of developing the property — plans include a 1200 sq.ft. home for me and two 1000 sq.ft. shop buildings
for our cars and tools and equipment (including lifts). Darrell's fiancé Kristen has come to live with us.
They are busy making a baby, so someday, in the not too distant future, I will become a grandad — finally!
Jack Goulet '63
I went to Lehigh thinking of perhaps majoring in chemistry. (What was I thinking as a naive 18 year old???)
Fortunately, I switched to economics and enjoyed taking classes with several other Sig Eps. However, the most
enjoyable part of the Lehigh experience was being a Sig Ep. Upon graduation I went to Fort Dix, NJ, as
a member of the Army National Guard to complete my six-month required active military duty. Unfortunately,
they were not impressed that I had completed 2 years of R.O.T.C. So my request to start as a general was denied.
My first real job after graduation was working as an Economist - Housing Market Specialist in Washington, DC.
A couple of years later I attended law school for a while, but, after learning that there were no vacancies on the
Supreme Court, I altered my career path.
Meet Jack the Educator. Though I had never taken an education course, I enrolled in a summer program at Central
Connecticut and began teaching elementary school in Farmington, CT. Best move I ever made, since I met my wife
Karen at that school. We have been teaching each other now for over 48 years. After teaching fifth and sixth
grade for three years, I applied to graduate school, where I could escape New England winters for a while.
Somehow the University of Florida must have thought I was relatively intelligent because of my Lehigh degree,
even though I conveniently forgot to include my Lehigh G.P.A. on my application. So, in 1971, a month after
getting married to Karen, we drove to Gainesville to begin our lives together as Gators. The university even
threw in a fellowship to get me off to a good start. Less than three years later I had my Doctorate in Education,
with a concentration in curriculum and instruction and a minor in early childhood education. Subsequently, I worked
on a Teacher Corps project at U of F, taught undergraduates in education at a small college in Tennessee, and
worked in curriculum development in the Lexington, MA, public schools.
Unfortunately, a recession in about 1980 required me to rethink my career plans. I was then onto reinventing myself
for my next career. Fortunately, Karen, always being an excellent teacher, never had trouble finding teaching
jobs in Farmington, CT, Gainesville, FL, Fort Campbell, KY, and, for over 35 years as a teacher and reading
specialist, in Wellesley, MA, where we continue to live. Consequently, my selling career began in Massachusetts.
Initially, I worked for a company selling imprinted sportswear to college and secondary school bookstores, which
I did for a few years. I then went independent and worked for myself for about 25 years and from which I retired.
Karen and I remain active today. Karen continues working with teachers and tutoring and still remains the
enthusiastic teacher she has always been. I have always retained an interest in economics — thanks to Lehigh
— and follow the business and stock market news closely. For the last four years, I have, for one day a week,
driven disabled Wellesley College students around campus to nearby medical facilities.
Karen and I also like to travel. Our most memorable trips have been for about two weeks to Buenos Aires, Argentina,
and to Cape Town along with a South African safari. We are off to Portugal at the end of June 2019. During the
summers we enjoy spending some time on the island of Nantucket with our family.
Our family includes a daughter, Lindsay, and a son, Adam, along with four grandchildren, all boys, five years old
or younger. According to Karen, they are all gifted and are destined for Harvard. I suggested, however, that
they should consider Stanford as their safety school.
I continue enjoying exercise, and, though I have recently stopped running road races, I still try to jog 3-4 times
a week. The reason I share this tidbit of information is so I can boast and take some small amount of credit for
my daughter Lindsay's running accomplishments. After running track and cross country at University of Richmond,
I encouraged her to run longer distances. Subsequently, she finished second among women in two different Marine
Corps Marathons in Washington.
Look forward to seeing everyone at the reunion this weekend.
Carvel Hoffman '63
June 1963 Carvel accepted a position at Ortho Precision, an electronics firm, as a design engineer reporting to
the local site General Manager and Corporate Vice-President. Fifteen months later the local site was closed after
a corporate takeover. Carvel, now with two daughters and a recently purchased house, decided to stay local and
accepted an offer to join the Measurement Systems Group at Bethlehem Steel's newly completed Homer Research
Laboratories. This job lasted a long time, but more about that later.
Eight years later Carvel was a divorcee, now with four daughters and a newly purchased house. Two years later
he married a wonderful woman (Joan) with her four children. Together they built a house, but, in a few years,
it was too small because Carvel's four girls were joining them. They built a larger house to accommodate six
girls and two boys. Carvel's work involved extensive travel, and Joan was working full-time, so she was handling
two full-time jobs along with attaining her Master's degree.
There were many opportunities in the steel industry for advancing technology. Carvel's work led to significant
developments in precision non-contact measurements of in-process steel products. Most were commercialized and
promoted industry-wide. It was a great ride for 39 years until Bethlehem Steel went bankrupt in 2003. Two
successor companies continued most operations including Research. By then they had moved to a house in Historic
Bethlehem and later into their "retirement" home. In 2005 the Bethlehem Research Lab was closed, and Carvel
transferred to the new company's Global R&D Center in NW Indiana. They bought another house, but Joan did not
like the move and extracted a written agreement from Carvel that they would move back east in 5 years. Joan
moved back in 3 years, and they built another house. Carvel worked 5 years in Indiana, and, when ArcelorMittal
made him an offer he couldn't refuse, he retired and moved back east with Joan.
Six months later Carvel started a consulting business, continued that for 9 years, and fully retired at the end of
2018. Meanwhile, they moved again to their final retirement location, Moravian Village Market Street Cottages.
Carvel and Joan spend most of their time tending to their 3 cats, volunteering in the community, and traveling
to visit their 21 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren as far away as Florida and Arizona. Carvel also
tinkers with his childhood hobby of model trains.
Chuck Simmons '63
Family:
Personal:
Al Singmaster '63
Employment:
Education: BS in Bus. Admin., Lehigh University, 1963
Personal: Married, two children, 4 grandchildren;
daughter Amanda Kennedy, children Brooks (12), Riley (8):
son Robert, children Samantha (8), Tyler (5)
1964
Miles Capron '64
After graduating from Lehigh in 1964, I returned to Wisconsin and my first job as Executive Assistant to the
Chairman of the Board of Schlitz Brewing (then the world's largest brewery ) and as a member of their beer-tasting
panel (for which Lehigh and Sig Ep provided invaluable training). The company has since gone out of business, but
I don't consider it entirely my fault. After five years, I left to become Vice-President of Equipment Storage
Corp in Chicago, which was owned by my uncle. I left after two unhappy years because my duties turned out to be
mostly errand boy and bartender. I returned to Milwaukee in 1971 to join my father as Vice-President of Capron
Sales Co. of Wisconsin. We were an organization of manufacturer's representatives selling specialty steel
products mostly to the heavy equipment makers in Wisconsin and Minnesota on a straight commission basis. I took
over from my father in the early '80s, and we thrived until the mid '90s. At that time my business world changed,
as straight commission reps were phased out, the steel industry became mostly foreign-owned, and the heavy
equipment manufacturers we serviced consolidated or went out of business. It was certainly good while it lasted,
and, fortunately, I was saving for the future and able to retire from a daily working life by the time I had turned 60.
The '60s and '70s were also my bachelor days of supposedly wild and carefree living. Personal commitments did not
run very deep, and, while I became engaged several times, my proposals never actually made it to the altar. After
accumulating a small collection of engagement rings, I resolved I was done asking. It was also the period when I
developed my interest in world travel and had the means to fulfill my dreams. In the summer of 1977 I had just
completed a round of golf at the country club with my somewhat older friend and fellow steel industry salesman
John Wiggin. I noticed he seemed to be depressed and asked him the reason. John (who later wound up working for me)
told me that his eldest daughter was getting divorced. I suggested that, if she ever needed a male friend, I'd be
happy to take her out to dinner. John thought that entering a convent would be a better option for her. At any rate
we did go out for dinner on June 23,1977, and have been together ever since. Barbara proposed to me on January 1, 1978,
and we got married on September 9, 1978. This young lady who never had been farther away than Iowa soon learned that
the world was her oyster.
Barbara is very accomplished in her own right (no situation exists for which she cannot create a spreadsheet) and
spent 25 years at a high tech company in the Milwaukee area winding up as CFO. I basically closed down my business
in about 2000 and concentrated on our investments. Barbara continued working until 2005. Since all our children had
four legs and fur, we were able to forget saving for college, weddings, and grandchildren and concentrate on foreign
travel. We built our house in the country outside the Milwaukee area in 1978 and kept that as our northern residence
until it was sold late in 2018. In 2004 we paid more in state income tax to Wisconsin than we did in Federal Income Tax.
That persuaded us to move our residency to Florida in 2005. Shortly thereafter Barbara decided that it was time for
her to retire, too.
Having visited our parents here in Sun City Center, FL, for many years we decided that this was the place for our
retirement. We bought my parents home here on Simmons Lake in 2005 and basically redid the entire interior of the
house. We are located within 45 minutes of Tampa, St Petersburg, Bradenton, and Sarasota, so we can take advantage
of the art, theater, and dining options of all of them. We are currently dividing up our year with about two summer
months visiting and renting in Wisconsin; two to three months doing foreign travel and the balance of the year in
Florida. Our ties to Wisconsin are becoming looser and looser except for our known final destination in the family
lot at Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee under the headstone I gave to Barbara for her birthday a number of years
ago. Her enthusiasm for that gift was noticeably muted. Besides our travels, our active retirement is exemplified
by the hours Barbara spends as a First Responder on our all-volunteer Emergency Squad and being Treasurer and
Chief Communicator of the Simmons Lake Association (which appears to have developed into a lifetime commitment).
Miles tutors Hispanic kids at a local grade school, is part of a group certified by the IRS to provide free tax
service to our community, and serves as a Trustee of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay. Both as individuals
and through our foundation, we are happy to support a variety of human service, art, and theater organizations
in the Tampa Bay area.
I am really looking forward to renewing Sig Ep friendships at this Mega-Reunion. Our numbers are decreasing
(the passing of Skip Lankford was the most difficult for me), and this will probably be the last time that many of
us will be able to spend time with the people with whom we shared some of the most important and happiest days of
our lives. Cheers!
Dennis Domchek '64
Before joining Moravian, Mr. Domchek was a senior executive at Air Products and Chemicals. He
joined Air Products as a senior development engineer in 1972 and advanced through positions of
increasing responsibility in applied research and development, business management and investor
relations. In 1988, he was appointed Vice President and General Manager for international
business development in the Americas and Asia and in 1991, became Vice President and General
Manager for Latin America and South Africa. Mr. Domchek led efforts to create and manage
international joint ventures and served on boards of directors of joint ventures in Mexico,
South Africa and Asia before retiring in 1998 after 26 years of service.
Mr. Domchek worked for Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation in Pittsburgh, PA, from 1964 to 1972.
His experience includes quality control, research and steelmaking operations in Pittsburgh,
Aliquippa, PA, Cleveland and Detroit.
Mr. Domchek holds a Master of Science degree in Metallurgy and Material Science from
Carnegie-Mellon University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering from
Lehigh University. He completed the Financial Management for Executives Program at Pennsylvania
State University, and the Executive Program at Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at
Dartmouth College.
Mr. Domchek is former Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Lehigh Valley Community
Foundation, and served as vice president of the Board of Directors of the Lehigh Valley Chamber
Orchestra as well as the Board of Moravian College Housing Inc., a partnership between Moravian
College and the Bethlehem Area Moravians. He served on the advisory board of an integrated
teaching program at Lehigh University and has participated in Lehigh's Iacocca Institute programs.
Mr. Domchek participated in the development of the 2008 Comprehensive Plan for the City of
Bethlehem and has served as the United Way Campaign Committee chair of the Higher Education
Division of the Lehigh Valley.
Currently, Mr. Domchek is a member of the Investment, Finance and Audit Committees of the
Catholic Diocese of Allentown. He serves on the boards of the National Museum of Industrial
History, Bethlehem Water Authority, Moravian Village, a retirement and residential care
community in Bethlehem, and St. Anne Elementary School in Bethlehem. Mr. Domchek is a member
of the Rotary Club of Bethlehem, past board member, and currently serves on the board of the
Club's Foundation.
Mr. Domchek and his wife Susan reside in Bethlehem and are the proud parents of six children
and fifteen grandchildren.
Gordon Everstine '64
Don Jackson '64, '68
Married to Charlotte and brought up two great children — Mike (BS,MS, Sports Medicine at CSU) and Kellee
(BS Portland State, MS in Sustainability, Sweden). Three grandchildren — oldest, Lauren at Montana State in
honors program; Brett and Keri are high school students still wondering what comes next!! Mike and wife Amy
are directors in large nonprofit organizations ... American Diabetes Assoc. and Colorado School of Mines.
Home is Colorado during the summer and winter months, and San Diego house is where we spend spring and fall.
We would love to have any and all come to visit when you travel near. Belong to a small but active west coast
Sig Ep gang — Osborn, Depew, Rushforth, Walker, Simmons.
Still in good health and trying to stay that way!
George Rushforth '64
That job was designing newspaper automation equipment and involved a fair amount of travel around the U.S.
and lasted about 10 years. I went back to night school while working and graduated with a MBA from Cal
State Univ. at Fullerton. That worked out well for me and allowed me to get into management and running
the engineering department. Company was sold and moved to Nashua, NH, as I sat on the shipping dock waving
good-bye. My next job took me to San Diego, where I have been ever since. I continued in the newspaper
equipment business for a couple more years. At that point I decided to start my own printing business,
starting with a two-man shop and growing it to a medium-size printing business. After starting a second
marriage, I sold that business after 8 years and went back to running engineering departments for three
firms until retirement. They were in different industries — two involving semi-conductor handling
and test equipment, and a third designing automation equipment for a company providing medical products.
In retirement, I made and sold baseball pitching machines, employing my daughter Janet. I sold that
business and started a real retirement.
My first marriage last about 10 years with my SigEp sweetheart and high school girl friend. We had two
daughters, one (Kate) now in Davis, CA, and the other (Janet) in Portland, OR. After about 9 years of
bachelorhood, I married Gloria. We were married for 34 years, and I helped raise her 2 children from
a previous marriage. A son (Hal) lives in Austin, TX, and a daughter (Amy) lives in San Diego, both with
grandkids. Gloria was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1991 and spent the rest of her life (27 years)
with the progressive disease. Complications from MS, including dementia, took her life last year after
many years in a wheelchair. An awful disease for those afflicted, hopefully they will find a cure soon.
Since then, I purchased a boat and now am a live-aboard in a San Diego marina on San Diego bay. I spend
much of my time and money working on the boat. One of these days I will get to enjoy it, and get out to
do some fishing. I also am working on and will be crewing on a local tall ship, the Bill of Rights,
based in Chula Vista in the marina next to mine. For now boating is my life; could be worse.
John Somodi '64
Selected Lehigh and majored in Mechanical Engineering. Went through Army ROTC.
Spent time in the "old house" in downtown Bethlehem and enjoyed the many parties there. Do you remember the paintings
on the walls in the basement? How about that Artillery Punch [or was it antifreeze?]. Great houseparties, but I hated
those Sunday morning cleanups as pledges.
Sorry, but I cannot remember who was my big brother during pledging, but I do remember Rebel and his infamous party
trick. My roommate in the new house was George Rushforth.
Played drums in a house band with Don Jackson, John Houtz, Rick Vernay, Ross Tutschulte, Phil Hogan. We knew 3 songs
but played them at different speeds, so it added up to about 6-9. We did do some Beatle impersonations with the wigs.
After graduating, travelled with Don Jackson out to California in a 1957 Chevy he bought just for the trip.
Served my 2 year stint in the Army Corps of Engineers. Did my specialty training at Ft Belvoir, Va, and then on to
Ft Campbell, KY. Spent a year in Vietnam with the 553rd Float Bridge Company installing bridges in the Cam Rahn Bay
area. Fortunately returned home without incident except for now receiving Agent Orange benefits.
First job was with Ross Engineering in New Brunswick, NJ, designing ovens and dryers for industrial customers.
Married my lovely and very special wife Barbara in 1967.
We had a job transfer out to Toledo, OH, and stayed for 3 years. We raised 2 children and moved to Cleveland, OH.
The two children, Corinne and Glenn, went on to provide us with 5 great grandkids.
While in Cleveland, I started an engineering, design, and manufacturing company with a co-worker specializing in
custom ovens and dryers for packaging products. We also developed a line of medium-sized municipal waste incinerators
with cogeneration of steam and electricity. The first went into Pittfield, MA, in 1980 and is still operating.
That particular plant combusts up to 240 tons/day of municipal waste and generates steam for the only currency
paper manufacturer in the U.S. Three other plants followed, with one of them in Springfield, MA, still operating.
Our last company venture has been the manufacturing of industrial-fired heaters serving the refining and other
industrial businesses. If you have eaten Cherrios, puffed wheat, rice, you should know that we built the steam
heaters that superheat steam which puffs up the grains.
Barb and I live in a suburb of Cleveland, OH, Olmsted Falls. I presently still "work," but Barb and I bought a
house in The Villages, Florida. We spend 4-6 months a year down there playing golf [40 nine-hole courses], bocce,
and dominoes. We had a chance to visit Miles and Barb Capron down in Sun City Center, Florida, a couple years back.
While up in Ohio, while not snowbirding, both Barb and I golf regularly. I am also involved in our local Kiwanis Club
and church.
Tom Walker '64 1965
Peter Keller '65
By accident, I wound up in October 1968 at Sea-Land Service in Port Elizabeth, NJ — a new, relatively young organization
that started the container revolution that changed international trade. I was hooked on transportation, and my
engineering and business background from Lehigh was a perfect fit as we developed an entire new industry. When I started
in 1968, the industry was very new, and containers had not yet entered the Asian commercial trades. I had a good career
over 14 years running container terminals, general management, where I learned sales, ran Europe in 1974-76, then
ultimately wound up running data processing (as it was called then) as a non-technical business leader. During this
time my two oldest children, Kim and Peter, were born in New Jersey.
In early 1983, I left Sea-Land for Montreal and a position as President of CAST, a container operator in the North
Atlantic trades. After a number of years, I was named Chairman, President, and CEO of the company after our bankers
threw out the previous Chairman and minority owner (a long, long story). The company was essentially bankrupt, but,
after a year or so, we turned it around, and, after my unsuccessful attempts to buy the company, it eventually was
sold to Canadian Pacific, and I opened my consulting practice.
It was in Montreal that I met and married my second wife, Trina. In 1990, our daughter Katlin was born. We stayed
in Montreal after the sale of CAST, and I maintained my consulting practice until 2000, when I was recruited to be
President of NYK North America. NYK is one of the largest shipping companies in the world, with about 800
ocean-going vessels owned and operated. I oversaw their container businesses, terminals, and logistics operations
in North America. We moved to Chester, NJ, and I again did the commute, this time to "beautiful Secaucus."
I spent 10 years with NYK and retired again at the end of 2010. During my time at NYK, I was privileged to have
been elected to the Board in Tokyo. I was only the second non-Japanese to serve in this capacity in the 125 year
history of the organization. A real learning experience likely worthy of a book.
Towards the end of my time at NYK, we decided to move to Burlington, VT, to be closer to Trina's Mom and family.
I commuted to Secaucus from Vermont, which oftentimes was easier than my NJ ride.
After NYK I went back to consulting, as I am not a golfer and easily bored, plus I really enjoy working. In 2011,
I was asked for consulting help to turn around a container company called Sea Star (later renamed TOTE Maritime)
based in Jacksonville, FL. The owners liked the advice, and I was signed on as President in early 2012, commuting
from Burlington. Since we had a vacation home in southwest Florida since the early '90s, this seemed a logical
step. Once the company was turned around and became profitable, the owners decided to build new ships for the
service. Recognizing the changes that were rapidly coming in national and international regulations governing
maritime fuel (ships burn very dirty residual fuels), we decided to build the world's first containerships fueled
by Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) — a highly innovative approach.
Long story short, I turned over the company to younger management and ran the shipbuilding and LNG development
and procurement programs. Very exciting for an old dog to learn new tricks. Once the ships were launched under
the TOTE Maritime banner, I joined a new international association committed to LNG as a maritime fuel called
SEA/LNG. I was elected founding Chair in 2016 and continue to Chair that U.K.-based organization. For me, it
represents the next major change in International shipping, and I am pleased to have been involved in the
container revolution and now the environmental evolution.
My eldest, Kim, has two teenagers who are both doing extremely well and living in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. Kim is
also the President of the New Jersey Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, and I am very proud of the cause she
champions. My son Peter lives in the Minneapolis area and is a mortgage broker. Our youngest, Katlin, is in
southwest Florida in the real estate industry. Life is good!
Trina and I built our last home two years ago and are happily residing in the West Bay community of Estero, FL.
I am active and still travel internationally numerous times a year for SEA/LNG and have a number of clients in my
consulting practice. We are happy to be out of the northern snow and cold. We enjoy boating, and, rather than again
owning, I have embraced the advantages of a boat club. We also travel, having just returned from a Greece and
Italy cruise. Doing the U.K. and then Panama later this year and early January 2019.
In retrospect, my years at Sig Ep were some of the best. Who can argue with beer on tap (always expertly tapped
by the "Tapper"), Lavinia, a maid (whose name I have regrettably forgotten), and nice homes (old and new) with
great brothers at exceptional Lehigh University.
Doug Kitson '65
Rein Mannik '65, '66
The first 3 years in America were spent on a farm in River Crest, PA, where my father worked as a farmhand, and
my mother worked in a Preventorium (a house for unwanted children) on site. Having arrived in America 1 week before
school started, I was a little anxious, but in 3 months was teaching my parents English. Our stay in PA lasted 3
years; then, in 1952, the family moved to Lakewood, NJ, where my father formed a partnership with another Estonian
to build chicken coops, which at that time was the rage. In Lakewood there was an established Estonian community,
which finally helped me understand my own culture and my homeland. There were many social events, scouting,
porting events with fellow Estonians, all who had also found their way to freedom. From grade 4 through high school,
those were wonderful, carefree years, where I found music and athletics, a great combination. I studied piano,
played clarinet in the band, eventually earning All-State Honors. Basketball and baseball dominated my sports in
high school (which at least took me out of nerd status), but my studies did not suffer, for everything came easily
to me, thanks to a photographic memory — not sure what happened when I got to Lehigh.
I spent the usual 4 years at Lehigh, and the years between 1961 to 1965, studying Civil Engineering, and even
continued the punishment for another year to earn my Masters in Management Science. How can we ever forget those times,
the House Parties (the late night studying), the football game weekend (the late night studying), the great parties at
the house (the late night studying). I think you get the picture — a lot of late nights studying, except of course
for a select few liberal arts majors. We were the Lehigh Engineers and were proud of it. I played 4 years of baseball
at Lehigh, the time when it was a sport, not a career move. My most embarrassing moment to end all was coming back
from class one warm spring day, and stopping by the Flag Pole to see what was going on, with many people gathered
around. It was apparently an awards ceremony of some type, and suddenly my name gets called for a baseball award,
and here I go out among the coat and ties, wearing my grunge shorts and tee shirt. Oops, no one had notified me.
To make matters worse, I get called out for a second award. Then, to top it off, there was a press photo taken of
the recipients, and they loaned me a jacket and put me in the back row.
After my graduate year at Lehigh, and having taken ROTC, I went into the Army in June of 1967, the height of the
Viet Nam War buildup. At Fort Belvoir, as I was going through officer basic, I received orders to attend Post
Engineering School instead of being shipped out to Viet Nam. It seems as though the Army, knowing my ability to
speak German sent me to Germany to be a Post Engineer. I arrived in Wertheim to be the post engineer, overseeing
80 Germans who were performing post maintenance as well as taking care of numerous Nike and Hawk batteries.
Life was good (so good that I gained 40 pounds) in Germany, but what brought the war home to me, was seeing too
many returning shell-shocked pilots from Viet Nam, rotating through our base, a former Luftwaffa air base.
Even though I gained weight, I drove a 911L Porsche Targa, and, I am told to this day, that is what attracted a
certain tall, blonde young lady with a very short skirt. I invited her to America, and we got married on November 1,
1969. The Porsche is long gone but we are still married, getting ready to celebrate our 50th year.
I returned from Germany to a time when the military was not respected as it is today, so one shed the uniform as
soon as they could. After Gudrun and I married in 1969, we set out on our careers, Goodie to bookkeeping and
accounting, and myself as anything but an engineer — Corporate Auditing at Johnson & Johnson. That was rather
short-lived, so I finally got an opportunity at Merck, Sharpe, and Dohme at West Point, PA. What helped land the
position as a project engineer was that I owned a Porsche and so did the Director, so the interview was mainly
talking about our cars. I spent 7 years there, and the height of my accomplishments there was to develop a
continuous process for granulating and drying in the ethical pharmaceutical manufacturing process — which, even
to this day, is mainly a batch process. Spent 4 years perfecting the process and ultimately saving the company
millions — no patent and no real appreciation; it was time to make a career switch.
Again, my German language skills helped me land a senior level project engineering position at American Hoechst
in Somerville, NJ. We lived in New Hope, PA, and all I did was turn my car commute 180 degrees, and spent 1977 to
1990, as a project manager, overseeing the design and construction for manufacturing, research, and administration
facilities. It was during the Merck and Hoechst years that our family grew with the birth of our sons Mihkel (1973)
and Jaan (1979). Unplanned events in our lives shape our future, and, for me, it was 1986 and a heart attack and
angioplasty of the LAD — repeated 2 more times due to restenosis. All that took the wind out of my sails, so to
speak, and gave priority to health and family. Time for another career switch.
I took the worst time to do this, since the employment picture was not too rosy. However, I was fortunate to find
a senior engineering position at Wyeth International in Radnor, PA. I was hired specifically to take care of projects
in our 5 plants in and around Sao Paulo, Brazil. No, I did not speak Portuguese. The overall project morphed into
numerous projects to synergize all our manufacturing operations in South American. So here I was travelling 2
weeks every month for nearly 9 years to not only Sao Paulo, but Argentina (Buenos Aires), Chile (Santiago),
Columbia (Cali and Bogota), and Venezuela (Caracas). After South America, I was the Principle Project Engineer
for the construction of complete new manufacturing (Premarin and Prempro) in Singapore. Along with Goodie, we
lived there roughly 19 months, and, yes, the project's $167 million was brought in under budget and on time
to begin shipping product world-wide.
My career was rapidly coming to a close, but before I hung all up, I spent nearly a year in Ireland finishing up
a major construction project, and, in my spare time, taking care of various projects in England, Spain, and Italy.
In 2004, the handwriting was on the wall, and the company offered me a package that was not an option, but we all
knew what was coming, and, for me, the next phase in my career — retirement.
One gets carried away with career and what we consider as accomplishments, but, as I learned in my life, the
true priorities are Health, Family and then Work. Without your health, the other 2 would not be possible. So, going
back to family, my wife and I both worked, raised a family while still keeping our sanity. We had a lovely home
in New Hope, with a backyard recreation complex, pool, hot tub, volleyball court, and too much landscaping.
Our boys grew up in the country, free to roam and enjoy the pool with many parties and friends. Our vacation
times were limited, but Goodie and I managed to get away every year for ski vacations. Also, camping became a
great pastime, where we would join fellow Estonians at our lakefront property near Syracuse.
I started skiing in 1963, at Lehigh of all places, with a pair of skis my father brought back from Austria. When
there was snow, I would come out of our frat house, turn right, and then right again by the basketball hoop. On went
the skis, and I would go down a short way and make a left turn — right turns were not possible. My first actual
ski lesson was given to me by Phil Hogan, standing on a bar table (somewhere in South Bethlehem). In 1973 I joined
the National Ski Patrol and spent 30 years, mostly at Camelback. I became PSIA-certified and received a National
Appointment, so skiing and ski patrolling has been a big part of my life, as it was for my entire family.
Now in our golden years, we find ourselves continually having to give up our pastimes and sports. No more tennis,
skiing, volleyball, but there is golf, thank goodness. So what does one do as long one can still walk, and that is
to travel. My wife and I spent a lot of our time cruising, and visiting our relatives in Estonia and Germany.
The amazing thing is that one finds hobbies galore along with volunteering to take up the time — so much so that
I wonder how I had time to work. Photography, musical DVD productions, guitar and singing, and golfing year around
in sunny Naples, Florida. And all this time, while I play, Goodie still works part-time, but enjoys swimming and,
of course, traveling. Our final hurrah will be, if we are still healthy, to buy a motor home, and see the USA, so,
beware, we may one day knock on your door.
1966
Rich Haas '66
My life got a little more complicated, because I went through a divorce, and I moved to Maine to
simplify my life. There I met the better wife and held a number of different positions. I was VP of
Marketing at an aviation charter company, was a partner in an advertising agency, developed an
intermodal transportation system for a trucking company, managed a large nationwide LTL trucking company,
and finally owned a Xerox Sales Agency. My wife and I were able to travel frequently, and we cruised
numerous times in the Caribbean and to Bermuda, visited the Greek Islands, the UK, and Scandinavia.
I retired in 2001, and we started to look for a place to retire. We considered moving to the house we
owned on Cape Cod or staying in Maine, but it snowed one day, and we decided on Florida. We moved to
Palm Coast, FL, in 2002. I did get recruited to manage a Konica-Minolta operation in central Florida
and did that for 2 years and then permanently retired. Unfortunately, my wife became ill and passed away
in 2012. Since then I have become a Hospice volunteer doing various things for the patients and their
families. I was nominated to the Board of Directors of the Hospital foundation and to the Board of
Directors of the Hospice foundation. I also have become a docent at a local historical museum and have
joined a civil war study group. Golf keeps me busy and cursing twice a week. I also do a few road trips
during the summer to visit friends and family up through the northeast and Canada.
If you can make it to our age and remain on the right side of the grass, you have to be pleased. My life
hasn't been simple, but I'm comfortable with the way things have turned out. I have a good group of
friends, and some of them go back a long way. Joe Gellings and I first met in 1955. I'm also comfortable
enough to be able to do what I want and when I want to do it.
Randy Johnson '66
Except for a year in Boston, I lived and worked in the Metropolitan New York area for 40 years, living initially
in New York City for 15 years. After marrying my lovely wife Becky in 1984, I was dispatched to live in Darien,
CT, where we lived for the next 25 years. Becky had a successful career on Wall Street, first as a securities
analyst and then as Associate Research Director at Credit Suisse First Boston. During our time in CT, my son
Randolph Jr. was born in 1993, and Becky soon retired after he was born. In 2011, we moved to Ponte Vedra Beach,
FL, after Randolph Jr. graduated from Kent. We now spend the fall, winter, and spring in FL and the summer in
Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
Professionally, after the Army, I went into the insurance industry, starting at Mutual of New York and then
joining Equitable Life, first as a group sales representative, then as a Regional Pension Consultant, and
finally as an Account Executive on large group insurance accounts. Given my benefits background, I then joined
Wills Towers Watson, at that time Towers Perrin, and then Aon Hewitt, at the time Aon Consulting. While at Aon
Consulting, I was a Senior Benefit Consultant, and then Vice President, Regional Marketing and Sales Director,
for Aon Consulting's Northeast Region. In addition, I consulted with many large organizations, including General
Electric, DuPont, ExxonMobil, Citigroup, Bethlehem Steel, Ciba-Geigy (now Novartis), and McKinsey & Company, with
a specially in the financing and funding of group benefit programs. In my later years, I expanded my practice
into general human resources consulting. While at Aon, I was working on the 101st Floor of the World Trade
Center, but fortunately was not at the office on 9/11.
In 2002, I started my own consulting practice, helping mid-sized companies with a full range of human resources
issues, including employee benefits, that continued until I retired to Florida in 2011.
In addition to graduating from Lehigh, where I majored in Economic Statistics, I am a Certified Employee Benefit
Specialist (CEBS), awarded through the Wharton School of Business. I also completed the Advanced Investment
Management Program for retirement plan sponsors at Wharton. I was also an instructor in Defined Contribution
Pension Plans, Welfare Benefit Plans, and Health Care Economics through the University of Connecticut at
Stamford, and an instructor in the Human Resources Management Certificate Program at Fairfield University.
Becky and I have very much enjoyed our time both in Florida and Rhode Island. Our community in Ponte Vedra Beach,
like much of Florida, has many former residents of the Metropolitan NY area, so we feel right at home. Since we
moved to Florida, I have been able to pursue my interest in orchestral music, and I serve on the board of the
Jacksonville Symphony.
Gib Lentz '66
Wife is Sharon and will be celebrating 30th anniversary this year. Have blended family of 5 children — Paula
(late), Roby, Vicki, Nikki, and Natalie, 12 grandchildren, and 8 great grandchildren.
First job was in engineering with DuPont in West Virginia and then Texas. Both Phil Hogan '65 and I were hired
by a former Lehigh SigEper for the positions in WV. While in Texas earned an MBA degree in 1971 from Lamar
University (Beaumont, TX). Then moved into positions in sales, marketing, and management with Celanese Chemical,
ARCO Chemical, Rhodia, and Borden Chemical.
Been enjoying retirement now for almost 20 years. Split our time between our home in Baton Rouge and our beach
home in Dewey Beach, DE. Enjoy visiting family and doing some occasional travel. Also enjoy our involvement in
foster caring for cats. Baltimore Ravens season ticket holders, so spend our Falls in Dewey and at Ravens games.
Ross Tutschulte '66
At Lehigh
After Lehigh
Personal 1967
Bart Cameron '67
When I arrived at Lehigh, I expected to be around for 5 years to get my engineering degree and MBA, but
ended up skipping my 5th year to return to Chicago with just an engineering degree, and enrolled at
Northwestern University (aka Kellogg Graduate School) for my MBA.
Upon graduation, I joined the management consulting staff at Price Waterhouse to work in the areas of
productivity improvement and production control. After several years my interests shifted to financial
planning and control, which leveraged the new technology of computer time-sharing to develop interactive
computer models, now commonly referred to as worksheets in PC parlance. As my interest in corporate
planning grew, it became necessary for me to leave Price Waterhouse, as my work created a conflict of
interest with our central mission of auditing.
I then joined CNA, a leading insurance company on the verge of bankruptcy, to head up its corporate
planning and internal consulting department. Within five years we successfully turned the company
around, and I left for a new challenge at the First National Bank of Chicago and where I set up a
financial services industry consulting practice. After a couple of years, it became apparent that my
practice, despite being very profitable, was not a good fit with the bank, and I moved to Merrill Lynch,
where I set up a middle market M&A practice, where we bought and sold companies in the $5-50 million range.
Along the way I got married twice and have one daughter with my first wife and a step-daughter from my
second wife. They produced a total of six granddaughters, ranging in age from 4 to 19, all of whom are
gorgeous and smart (totally objective characterization). Our two youngest granddaughters have recently
enrolled in my old school in Chicago, where they are the 4th generation from our family. My daughter got
her engineering degree from Dartmouth, her MBA from Kellogg, and is now a partner at the Boston Consulting
Group, so I guess she's following in my footsteps, though (inexplicably) she never asks for my advice.
A year ago we escaped the financial Armageddon overhanging Chicago by selling our co-op there and moving
full-time to our long-time home in Wisconsin, where I can play with my boats and other toys in between
social events. We also enjoy traveling around the world — coincidently, we're leaving right after the
reunion to cruise the Baltic and visit friends in London. We also enjoy traveling around the USA to
visit friends and, conversely, enjoy entertaining friends in our home. Look us up if you feel like
seeing Wisconsin.
I still enjoy sailing in the summer and skiing in the winter (I particularly like senior discounts on
lift tickets!). I am also frequently found putzing in my well-stocked workshop on a variety of projects.
As per Varga's instructions, I've included a number of photos of my all-girl crew. Despite Bob's warning, I
felt it necessary to include a photo of my new boat toy, even though you can't make me out standing on the bow.
See you soon!
Gene Hartzell '67
I was recorder and Vice President of the chapter, but I don't remember what my duties were, except that
I recorded the chapter meetings. That turned out to be significant only because my wife picked up one of
the chapter books and saw that I could actually write a legible sentence. I tried to stay out of trouble
while at Lehigh, mainly because I had no car and no money. Kinda wish I had opened up a bit more.
I played in the band, which was very rewarding. We got to go to most of the football games and act stupid,
but we were very good at military drill. We called ourselves "The Finest in the East," suitably vague so
that we didn't have to defend the claim. Most memorable was a cocktail party that Chuck Haight (Charles
Sloane Haight, we had to know all three names back then) and I had in the middle of a pinwheel at the last
Lafayette game. Also, at Yale, we saw Ed Gogolak (the first soccer-style kicker) kick a 55-yard field goal
against us when they already had a 40+ point lead.
I thought we were a great bunch of guys when I was there. My big brother as a pledge was John Andrus Voorhees.
It was said that he threw a keg through the glass doors in the dining room just before he graduated, because
"he always wanted to do that." Maybe the highlight of my time at Sig Ep was the end of Hell Week, getting
dropped off somewhere in eastern PA, making our way to New York, the scavenger hunt, and meeting at McSorley's
bar. It was Christmastime, and New York was kinda magical.
I started at Armstrong Cork Company in Lancaster right out of college in their research center. As it was in
the middle of The Viet Nam war, I was drafted by the army after one year. After basic training at Fort Dix,
I spent two rather happy years at Aberdeen Proving Ground working in a chemical lab. (They had a nice golf
course.) Then back to Armstrong, and they sent me to the National Bureau of Standards in Gaithersburg to do
some research work on flooring flammability. Got some publications and a wife during that year.
Back to Lancaster, I was then sent to Thomasville, North Carolina, as part of a startup team for a plant to
be built in Appomattox, Virginia. After 10 years as a Chief Chemist and Environmental manager, I came back
to Lancaster in a job where I had no idea why there was such a job. A few months later, I asked to go back
to research. After a few years there, I was sent to Armstrong's large flooring plant, where I spent the rest
of my career. I retired the first time in 2007 and again in 2017.
In total, except for my time in military service, I worked either for Armstrong or as a consultant in an
Armstrong facility for 50 years. The good thing is I never had to write a resume. I got a couple of patents (of
little value) and a few publications, of slightly more importance. These were the result of simply doing my job.
My first marriage ended after 7 years, but we remain friends. I met my second wife Pat at Armstrong in 1984, and
we were married 7 years later. I definitely married up. Pat has taught me how to live life and make friends.
She is also the driving force behind a lot of volunteer work. I volunteered mainly to spend time with her. It
worked, and the volunteering became very satisfying.
We have a son and a daughter (both hers, although I'd adopt them in a heartbeat) and three grandchildren. The
daughter and grandson are local, so we get to see them often (and just as often get nicked for a free meal by the
grandson). After 28 years in the Air Force, the son ended up at a base near Las Vegas after several years in
Okinawa. He now works for Lockheed and spends most of his time in the middle east. One of his daughters is
majoring in Pre-Med at Dixie State University in St. Georges, Utah. The other granddaughter lives in Wisconsin,
has her CNA and is working toward RN certification. I am blessed by all of them.
One of my grandson's favorite Lehigh stories is one I shared about our dog, Rebel. You may remember that we
subscribed R.E. Bell to various unseemly magazines and other paraphernalia. I wonder if he maintained those
subscriptions.
I'm very grateful to Bob Varga for being the leader and energy behind these reunions. He works tirelessly
despite some health issues. Getting together is important to him, and he has made it important to us as well.
We may not have the opportunity to do it again, but I know we will all cherish the times we were able to do it.
I love you all.
Wally Johnson '67
In 2008 I moved my business, Round Hill Design Studio, to the building Carolyn and I own in Round Hill, VA. The
bluegrass jam event we hold there is still going strong after 16 years. Some years ago we even made national
television on ABC's Nightline with Bill Weir.
My son Wallace retired from the Navy Seals as a Senior Chief and is now working for the Department of Defense.
Daughter Jennifer is an art teacher and artist. Wife Carolyn has retired, although she does some consulting
and was just named Volunteer of the Year at Project Hope, principally due to her work in developing a maternal
newborn child healthcare program in Sierra Leone.
Last year we turned the original log cabin part of our home into an Airbnb. Much to our surprise, it has been
highly successful and has kept both of us busy preparing for the almost constant flow of guests. While Carolyn
is taking care of most of the inside work, I spend most of my energy working on the upkeep of our seven acres,
including maintenance of stream, pond, and garden areas. This spring I spread almost 250 bags of mulch —
helps keep me in shape!
We have the commercial building we own for sale. As soon as that happens, I'll mostly retire and spend time
around the farm. It has been a good life.
Steve Nies '67
I'm an independent, licensed, masonry contractor in northern California. This is not Bay Area northern Ca.,
this is northern, northern. Seventy-five miles due south of the Oregon border, up in the mountains. From
the Bay Area, go to Eureka, and take a right for 50 miles to the Trinity River Valley. I've been here
39 years. A circuitous route brought me.
I was born in Naugatuck, Ct., but moved seven times — always the "new kid." I learned to make
friends and talk my way out of fights. Most fights. I had one, younger by five years brother, Will, who
died last Sept. — alcohol and unfiltered Camels. I helped raise him, because Dad was one of those
"uninvolved" Dads, and Mom was a manic depressive, alcoholic. I spent a lot of time in the woods when I
was young! Hiding! I have a great imagination and found ways to entertain myself. I also worked a lot
— hard. Mowing lawns, baby-sitting, working in our small supermarket after class and Saturdays.
Usual stuff. But, the summer I was fifteen, Dad, a mechanical/civil engineer (Stevens Tech), who dealt
with contractors, got me a job with a general contractor. I did seven summers of construction. I remember
thinking, several times, "Boy! I'm glad I'm in college ... this working with your hands is too hard!"
But, even as a small child, I was building. I hammered nails into 2x4s when I was three — the nails
were guns on a destroyer! My grandfather called me his "little carpenter." So, it's not surprising I
ended up in construction. How I got here is a little bizarre.
In 1963, if you could go to college, you did. Both my parents were very bright, talented in their own way.
Dad was an outstanding engineer with a photographic memory, very left brain. Mom was a talented artist
with some Boston art school behind her when Dad convinced her to marry him. Very right brain. Can you
imagine the conflict?! My guidance counselor said Lehigh was relaxing their standards a little, so I
should apply. I also applied, and was accepted at Lafayette, UConn, and Washington Univ. We, family
could have handled Uconn financially, and I wouldn't have had to work for spending money. Mom wanted me
to go to the best school I could get into ... and I did. Most of what I earned summers went to family
expenses. The day after I arrived at Lehigh, for freshman orientation, I had a job in the kitchen as a
runner. Next year, waiter in the faculty dining room, then waiter at Sig Ep and, junior year, pretzel
packer for Miller's Pretzels in Allentown. Ever wonder where all those pretzels came from? During one
of my probation periods, I was not allowed to work. Too late! I flunked out half-way thru my senior year.
Oh, the ignominy! I must have seen what was coming but didn't have the wherewithal to stem it. And Viet
Nam was gearing up. I seriously considered suicide in the fall of senior year.
Back in Ct., January '67, I was scared shitless of being drafted, so I enrolled in Post Junior College
and the Univ. of Bridgeport. 3.5 cum, but Lehigh insisted I stay out a whole year. I got my 1A
classification early summer. My induction was not imminent, so I went back into construction. End of
summer I decided to throw caution to the wind, and went to a placement agency that got me an interview,
and eventual hire with The Hartford Group in the Hartford home office. I was hired, because of my
construction experience, as a Bond Underwriting trainee. Surety and Fidelity. Great place, suit and tie,
nice people. Then drafted three months later.
I cried my first night in the Army — Dec. 26, 1967. I hadn't cried since I was five! I was tempted
to bolt from the base, Fort Dix, N.J., while I still had my hair and civilian clothes! There are a lot
of stories related to my two months in basic — knife attack, brief stint as platoon leader, AWOL
for a night to spend four hours in a cheap hotel with my girlfriend Jody, whom I married five months
after returning from Viet Nam. A few days into basic I decided to make the best of a bad situation, but
was, thankfully, barred from attending OCS when the company sergeant said, to the few of us who stood
up when asked who wanted to go to OCS, "Anyone wearing glasses, sit down!" I started wearing "coke
bottles" (and a patch on my strong eye) when I was four. Most officers went right to Viet Nam as
combat platoon leaders or combat support. I wanted to stay out of combat (and I did), so I signed up
for a third year to get the school, out of basic, that would keep me out of Viet Nam. Army Intelligence,
the original oxymoron, seemed just the thing. I'd be a spy in Washington, stay in the states for three
years. Spy school was full, so was analyst school. Aerial photo interpretation school was open, so I took it.
I started AIT early March of '68 at Ft. Holabird in Baltimore. Only problem was, I couldn't see in stereo
vision. When the optometrist examined my eyes she said, "You have abnormal depth perception." I told her
I had just signed up for a third year to get into this school, what should I do? She said, "Photo
interpretation is only part of the course, stick with it." I did and excelled at everything else, so
they sent me to an advanced PI course that was also an NCO academy. Again, excelled at everything but ...
and I came out an E5 after ten months in the Army. Very unusual. Then to Viet Nam.
Because of my unusual circumstance, I couldn't oversee other PIs, so I was sent to 5th ARVN Division
headquarters, MACV Team 70 in Lam Son, about 30 miles north of Saigon; a comparatively safe place, in
the grand scheme of things. I was the G2 Team Sergeant, worked from eight to noon, two hours off for
lunch, then from two to six, half a day Saturday. We wore civilian clothes after hours, ate in a nice
cafeteria and had a pool and a tennis court! I learned to play tennis in Viet Nam! We had a photo lab
and a snack bar, open 'til eleven each night (New York strip, Trout for $1.25) We had a movie theater.
My work ethic firmly in place, I earned seventy-five cents an hour running the photo lab (black and
white only, too hot for color), then the same seventy-five cents to run the film projector (same movie
for a week — seven showings in a week is too much!) There is much to say about my year in Viet Nam
— I liked the people very much. It was a beautiful country 'til we bombed the shit out of it.
I met Jody, my fiance, in Sydney on R&R. Also got away for a week to Hong Kong. Very lonely year.
When I got home, Dec. '69, I was a changed person. I had a year left of my commitment and spent it at
Ft. Myer in Arlington, Va., across the Potomac from D.C. I was attached to the Army's Behavioral
Sciences Lab (no, they didn't study me, though I hoped). I had married Jody in May, and we lived off
base in a really nice garden apartment. Jody had gone to flight attendant training, for TWA, a few
months after we met. Cheap tickets to the islands! When Jody was on a trip I worked part-time nights,
just like in Baltimore. I was the first bartender hired at the brand-new Crystal City Marriott.
In the Spring of '71, my Army tour over, I re-applied to Lehigh, accepted, moved to a really nice
garden apartment in Bethlehem. I needed a 3.15 to graduate — had never done better than 2.6,
and that was with retaking ... something ... statistics? No problem — got a 3.25! And I still
wasn't last in my class! How did that happen?! I've gotta meet that guy ... the last.
Summer of '71, no jobs, so back to The Hartford to restart my two-year apprenticeship in the Bond
Dept. Again, as someone who sees the big picture, I did well in the analysis of construction contracts.
But, most of the time, I was seated at a desk reading old files. After the Army, school, and the
constraints of a messy childhood, I couldn't sit still that long. I'd disappear a few hour on my
motorcycle ('71 Triumph Bonneville. I had a 305 Honda Superhawk while in D.C.). I couldn't stand it
and left, to the chagrin of my bosses — great guys whom I hated to disappoint. Went to Xerox
to sell and did — Salesman of the Month twice first year, out of 52 sales people. Won a trip
to Jamaica. (Jody and I had already been to Montego Bay.)
Early on I realized I needed counseling. Although she was a wonderful, loyal woman, she would not go to
counseling with me. And, after six years together, our interests were 180 degrees apart. We parted
during my second year with Xerox. My territory year two was downtown New Haven. I met Holly, who became
my second wife while selling copiers to the criminal defense firm, best in New Haven, I was told,
where she worked the "front desk," also typed 85 WPM. Sharp, beautiful, kind woman.
My father loved that I worked for the "Ox." His boy was doing O.K., for a change. He was mildly proud.
Still spent no time with either of his boys. (Eagle Scout who never took us camping). I wanted to make
some real money and left for a packaging company, Instapak Corp., in Danbury. Great product —
foam-in-place packaging. Got bought by Bubble Wrap a few years later. They trained me and sent me to
San Jose, Ca., to cover the northwest and B.C. Great job, lots of money, wonderful territory.
I married Holly Christmas day of that year and moved her to the coast from Ct. We lived in a beautiful
garden apartment.
Problem 1: Holly wanted children, I wanted to wait two years, breath a little. She agreed to wait the
two years, then promptly got pregnant after one month of marriage. There's no delicate way to say this —
she wanted the baby, I didn't. I won. I felt manipulated, betrayed, and resented her manipulative, I thought,
behavior. Shades of Mom.
Problem 2: Holly had an older sister, only sibling, who was killed in her parent's home in front of the
parents and the sister's very young boy and girl. Then he shot himself. Holly missed her very small
family and wanted to be back in Ct. I couldn't refuse her, so we moved back after six months in Ca.
Instapak made a combo territory for me — tech and sales, but it lacked the thrill of selling a
truly superior product to the biggies; IBM, HP, the government, and military. I divorced her soon after
returning to Ct. and left Instapak within a month. (Holly remarried a couple of years later, to another
older man and got her children.)
I went back into construction — gunite pools. Two seasons of that, then a year selling designer
jewelry to some fine boutiques in Fairfield and Westchester counties. Then a year on the road with my
pickup and fifth-wheel trailer, across the country selling Swarovski crystal prisms — jewelry and
window hangings at flea markets on the way to Santa Barbara, where my brother was living. He and I visited
this area, my first exposure to Humboldt and Trinity counties. Then home to Ct., work as an apprentice to
a Master Mason, Russell, my mother's boyfriend. He was a surrogate father, a wonderful man, and my
second surrogate father. First was Francis Xavier Fitzmaurice, best salesman I ever met. He sold our
family our Saabs and Volvos. (I had seven, crashed a few.) Also Mom's boyfriend (years apart).
A year before, '77, on my cross-country trip, brother Will and I met two best-friend girlfriends in the
Santa Barbara Mission on a tour. They had both graduated from U.of Maine and were traveling. We all went
north to Trinity for several weeks, then parted. Kathy to Maine, Carol to Warren, N.J., me home to Ct.
What ... you haven't skipped to the end of this diatribe yet?! Perhaps you have too much time on your hands ...
So, a year later, after an apprenticeship with Russell, the Master Mason, I called Kathy up in Maine and
asked if she wanted to travel and sell crystal prisms at flea markets. I had started selling at markets in
Ct. part-time while working for Russell. She was using her Anthro. degree as an assistant curator in Old
Towne, Me., sorting buttons and doilies. She didn't need much convincing. She had a little red Saab
(V4, for those of you who know), and I bought a Sears, used, wall tent and a tiny box trailer that the
Saab pulled nicely. We set off for Cape Cod in May of '79, had little success with the prisms at the few
flea markets — early in the season — so I got us a painting gig; scrape and paint an old house
in Wellfleet. We put a decent stash together over the course of three weeks and headed to Pennsylvania,
parked at a nice campground by a creek and started selling at flea markets and farmer's markets in Bucks
County. There was a good market every day of the week within a forty mile radius of our camp. We sold at
Perkiomenvelle on Mondays, Rice's on Tuesday (I think), Peddler's Fair, Green Dragon on Fri. and Sat.
Sundays we could do two markets — New Hope and, across the Delaware River, Lambertville. We made
money hand-over-fist. At night, in our tent, we made up earrings and necklaces. We were buying crystal
and chains by the gross. I had found a supplier of sterling chain at the Green Dragon. We did that until
Dec. 24th, then shut down and headed home. Living in a tent for six months (we moved into the Quakertown
Hotel in Oct. when we returned from a market to find our camp under water due to a flash flood) can take
its toll on a relationship. Kathy and I were both very intense and needed a break. She went to Maine to
look up her old boyfriend, Red, leader of the band, but he had found another long-legged blonde. I visited
Mom and Dad, divorced for many years at that point, and made plans to head to Hollywood to be an actor.
I had done some regional theater, Waterbury Civic Theater, Slim in "Oklahoma!," Harry the Horse in "Guys
and Dolls." I still remember the first laugh I got in a high school play, "Ask Any Girl," and wanted more
of that! Let me add that I was under no illusion; I started losing my hair at nineteen, had worn thick
glasses since kindergarten, and had less-than-perfect teeth. I was sure they need another character actor.
The day before I bought a car that would take me to L.A., Kathy called. "Can I go to Hollywood with you?"
Ummmmmm ... sure.
We made a beeline for Hollywood. In her little red Saab, no trailer. We found a cheap place to stay,
I got a bartending job at an exclusive country club and started "making the rounds." Within ten days
I knew I couldn't hack, handle, the rejection. Extremely fragile ego when it came to revealing myself.
I made plans to bail and head north to Seattle, a city I had sold in and liked very much.
I had started my search for self-knowledge back with Jody. Reading voraciously, thinking too much,
asking too many questions of friends. I'm amazed that I kept any, considering the strain I put on them
with my frequently-asked, "What is wrong with me?! What do you think of me?!" I continued my search for
many more years, group counseling, reading, thinking, hallucinogens (mescaline, LSD), and became more
secure within myself until, at about age 45, finally accepted myself, stopped my awful habit of
one-upmanship and became a fully-functioning human being. Thank God for friends!
Kathy drove me up to Santa Barbara, where I bought a $600 Olds cruiser. We caravaned to the Bay Area,
where she moved in with Carol, the best friend, now getting her masters at USF. I continued north,
took a right at Eureka and met up with my brother in Trinity County. It was Jan 23, 1980. I know it was
the 23rd, because that was Inez Ohlinger's birthday! (Anybody remember Inez? Rein?)
Will and his girlfriend Barbara were living above a hippie restaurant, The Country Pie. (Country Joe
and the Fish played there!) By day they ran the restaurant, which did little business, because a rock
slide had closed the road for a month or more. I slept on the floor of the restaurant, in front of the
wood stove, and we all ate bulk beans and rice. A band, musical band, of Bay Area transplants,
back-to-the-earth people, practiced in the theater attached to "The Pie" on Mondays. I met some of the
nicest, brightest people and stayed. For 39 years.
It was pretty hard, at first. There was NO work. Logging had fallen off dramatically, and a lot of men
were out of work. With all my construction, waiting tables, bartending, etc., experience, I didn't get
a job until April, when the owner of the Pie asked if I wanted to work at a gravel pit, concrete plant
on the Hoopa Indian Reservation. Hell yes! I was a "stick picker," the guy who pulls the wood, golf
balls, and tennies off the gravel as it's conveyed to the crusher. I made $4.00 an hour and worked
thirteen hours a day. Six a.m. to seven p.m., five days a week. And I was glad to have the job. The
gravel plant season ended in September, and I started subbing in the local schools. All of them. Sixty
dollars a day wasn't enough. I was living in the apartment over the Pie that Will and Barbara had vacated
and headed back to Santa Barbara. I took a job as an aide to a quadriplegic. Wonderful man and his wife.
Jack told me they were looking for a bartender at the local nine-hole golf course and restaurant that he
and his wife, Lois, half-owned. I went right down and, with all my experience, was hired on the spot.
I worked bathroom days for Jack, nights and weekends at the Willow Creek Country Club.
I hesitate (why stop now) to mention pot, weed. Before Will went back to S.B. one month after my arrival,
he and I did a "guerrilla grow" sixteen miles out a gravel road, five-mile hike up the mountain. We
hauled hundreds of pounds of fertilizer, gear, and started and raised, up to two feet, 250 plants. The
deer ate it all. The bear tore up our very tidy camp, and we abandoned the site. (Remind me to tell you
about a deer repellent that works.) I had several very small plants behind the Pie, in the shade, that
I shared with Bill, the owner of the Pie. We got about three-quarters-of-a-pound each, and I had one plant,
started in a safe place, that yielded 22 ounces. Pot was selling for $2,000 a pound then. I took my money,
paid off a couple of small, old loans back in Ct. and spent Christmas with Mom.
Back in Ca., I resumed my routine with Jack and the country club and, in the spring, started another crop.
It was my big year; 36 plants! But, I got sixteen pounds out of it! That wasn't all mine; I paid to have
help trimming, and my brother, my pot dealer, demanded a pound plus for introducing me to the growing concept!
I did fine, put $5,000 down on three-and-a-half acres in Hawkins Bar, five hundred feet above the Trinity
River, although you couldn't see the river then. The view improved when the Bark Beetles decimated
seventy-plus trees in a panorama across my viewscape. Took ten years, but, all of a sudden, my $30,000
property was now worth $300,000!
I followed my big year up with several small years — ten or fifteen plants, hidden in the berry
bushes on my property, but, as my property appreciated, and growing became more dangerous (law and thieves),
I quit for ten or twelve years.
The spring after my "large" grow, tired of bathroom days with Jack and bartending, I put a 5x7 card up on
the bulletin board of my post office; Mason For Hire. The first response was from a couple who would become
my dear friends. Marbry was about fifteen years older than me, and Frank, my third surrogate father, about
twenty. Marbry had taught Special Ed for about thirty years and was very good at it. Frank had been a
logging truck driver and heavy equipment operator. They had horses, a mule, pigs, six cats, and five dogs —
all strays. Their home had seven pianos in it, all in perfect tune. (One of Marbry's daughters was a piano
tuner.) Marbry played by ear, knew the lyrics to, literally, hundreds of songs. She had also, in the off-school
season, taught swimming both on the reservation and off. She knew everyone. They introduced me to some
amazing characters. Frank taught me the basics of logging (I fell, buck, and split five cords a year. My
stove goes out if I go away but burns 24/7 otherwise.) My first masonry job was covering an existing block
fireplace with river rock from the gravel bar below their home. We became best friends. I also worked as
her special ed aide for a year-and-a-half while my masonry business was getting going.
Within a few years my masonry business took off. I've completed over 400 projects between Redding in the
Central Valley and Arcata on the coast. I was licensed for twenty-five years, never had a complaint to
the state board. I get to design 90% of the stone work I build, satisfying my need to build and create.
I wanted to be an architect in high school.
Everything changes, but I still love my community and this amazing territory. I haven't hidden out in the
mountains, growing pot. I've been involved in my community in many ways. I've donated many hours of time
and effort. I've done 35-plus plays, directed six, got my acting fix. (I went to L.A. in '94 to rebuild
the first fireplace after the Northridge quake, lived in Topanga Canyon with a couple of "kids," made the
rounds, but I had been in the country too long, and the din of L.A. was more than I could handle.
Self-esteem was not a problem!)
I was on the Trinity County Arts Council for many years, Redbud Theater board for many years, and was a
founding member of Save Our Strays and Studio 299, out art co-op. I've been a CASA advocate and volunteered
at our local NPR station, KHSU.
FINALLY, I'm returning to Lehigh for one reason: to see my brothers.
Jerry Steele '67, '69
My Lehigh freshman year roommate in the Quad was Bill McLean. We both became Sig Ep brothers. My first
roommate at Sig Ep was Phil Viola.
After graduation, I imagined I would build a career in some aspect of the steel industry, which led me
to take a job at Bethlehem Steel in the Steel's "Looper" executive training program. At the same time,
I worked on my MBA at Lehigh at night in Finance and International Trade.
While a freshman at Lehigh I met my wife, Walanne, at the Packer Gates on my first (and last) blind date.
Our experiences while we dated had a lasting impact on our lives; trips to New York and the Jersey shore
as well as travel to Eastern Europe with her grandfather, where she had relatives she had never met.
We married on July 6, 1968, after she graduated from Muhlenberg.
After completing my MBA at Lehigh, I realized that, despite my family's history in steel, and, in spite
of my name, banking was of more interest to me. We decided to move to New York in 1969, where I took a
job at then Chase Manhattan Bank, and Walanne pursued her Ph.D. at the City University. I was in the
Chase executive training track in the credit department. The following year we bought a brownstone in
Park Slope in Brooklyn, which led to our longtime passion of renovating historic houses.
My work at Chase in the International Department included investment banking assignments in Eastern
Europe and the Soviet Union and opening Chase's first office in the region in Moscow.
In 1974 our son Jadrien was born. When he was just five months old, a soap opera producer who lived
on our block asked him to be on the soap opera Ryan's Hope. This led to a career as a child actor
and my wife's second "job" as a stage mother. Jadrien was also in the original cast of the Broadway
musical Nine, the movie The Mosquito Coast, and The Hallmark Hall of Fame The Secret
Garden, just to name a few. This led to his working abroad involving travel to locations in
Belize, England, and France.
Meanwhile I pursued my career in banking at Chase, then at Chemical Bank, and, ultimately, I opened
and was the General Manager of the New York branch of the United Bank of Kuwait.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the changes from communism, we became interested in exploring
the possibilities that were opening in Eastern Europe. I took a position with the US Treasury
Department as an advisor to the largest bank in Hungary, Kereskedelmi Bank, in Budapest. This was
the first step in a series of moves abroad. After living in Budapest, we moved to London, where I
worked for The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (The EBRD) as a Senior Finance
Director responsible for assisting banks in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union implement
western financial systems and management style business practices. My experience with Russia led
to a move to Moscow, working as the Chief Financial Officer for a Russian investment company.
In 2001, we were ready to move back to New York. Since then I have been the Chief Operating Officer
for The Research Foundation of The City University of New York. We live in Park Slope once again,
as do our son Jadrien, his wife Sarah, and their two children Veronica and Julien. We spend weekends
at our country house in Pennsylvania, not far from Lehigh, where I enjoy gardening, and Walanne
studies painting. Neither of us is retired. I am still at the Research Foundation, and Walanne sells
real estate in New York at Douglas Elliman. Last year in July we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary.
1968
Ed Kercher '68
I've always felt fortunate to attend a small, pre-mega merger high school, which gave me a good foundation
for Lehigh. I played football and track, trombone in the band, and sang in the chorus.
My freshman year at Lehigh was spent in Dravo. Played guard in freshman football and played in the Lehigh
spring concert band. I sat on the bench sophomore year of football. Pre-season junior year, determined to
somehow play as a junior, I reported for practice, looked at all the team rosters for my name, didn't even
find my name! I sulked off to the line coach's office. He asked if I ever played center? I said no, but
if it means I get a chance to play, I'm your guy. Started as center my junior and senior years and played
every offensive play for 2 years. Our records those years were not very good. These were the first years of
Coach Dunlap, the "Rebuilding Years." It didn't do too much for football rebuilding, but it did build character!
I pledged Sig Ep my sophomore year. I was the only "jock" in the house at the time, although brother Chuck
Half kept company as manager for the team. I never drank during the season, which did set up for a bit of
celebration when I would have my first post-season drink after the Lafayette game! During several breaks
of Lehigh, I was privileged to be the custodian of Rebel at home. Rebel would sit in the passenger seat
of my old MGB with the top down.
In the summer of '65, after some airline frustrations on a business trip, my dad stated, "If we had our own
plane, we wouldn't have these problems." Having thought at one time of being a Navy pilot, I of course agreed.
Summer of '66 I got my private pilot's license at a local airport. Summer of '67 I got my commercial and
instrument ratings at Queen City Airport in Allentown.
To avoid plane rental and instructor costs, we decided to buy the instrument trainer at Queen City. To meet
FAA requirements for my ratings, I needed 30 hours of instruction time plus an additional 70 hrs of just
putting in hours for the summer. Brother Steve Bartell '69 and I had a rental house just off campus for
the summer. I spent my mornings working out in the Lehigh gym and taking an EE class. Afternoons were
spent studying for my new ratings and flying. Steve and I would often get charts out, look at where we might
go and flip a coin. It was a great summer! AND ... at the airport, I met Kathy, the daughter of the chief
pilot of Lehigh Cement, whom I married in Oct '68. Quite a summer!
I graduated with a degree in ME in'68. Kathy and I amicably parted ways in 1976.
My father, who taught machine shop at the Lebanon High School, started a small machining business, Kercher
Machine Works, in the lower level of our house about 1940. By 1950 he had a plant near our home. Some
brothers may recall visiting the plant and helping to build a bed for the infamous Lehigh bed races. I
worked there most of my summers. In fact, after finally retiring, I like to say I spent 50 years in the
corporate world, preceded by 10 years of "forced child labor." But I enjoyed it all!
After graduation, I joined dad in the business. I did participate in job interviews at Lehigh and had some
offers, but I guess I always knew I'd stay with my dad in the business. I did, however, use the offers I
received as my proposed starting salary with my father!
Spent 6 years in the Army Reserves. I received an MBA from U of Pittsburgh.
Unfortunately, my father passed away suddenly in 1980, which left me to run the organization. My father and I
were always looking for a product of our own. In '83, one of our customers had a small division making
industrial mixers. A friend, who was an engineer there, told me the division was for sale. I decided to
buy the division and formed a new company, Kercher Industries. The primary product was large industrial
mixing equipment. After doing some major design changes, we introduced our Lancaster Mixers product line.
We have been the batch mixer of choice of Corning and Samsung for their Precision Flat Panel Glass production.
They have ~80% of the world's market for this thin glass used in LCD and LED electronic device screens ...
kinda neat for a small company from a small town in PA. I enjoyed making many trips to S. Korea, Taiwan,
Japan, and China in support of the precision glass development.
1983 was a banner year for me: I bought a new house, formed a new business, and started a new married life.
My wife Cindy lived about a mile from my home at the time. For years we knew each other casually from our
church. We started to get to know each other through our local scuba diving club. Occasional dating began
in the spring of '83, and we got married in October! We decided to get married in the Old Whaling Church in
Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, a place we had flown to on previous weekends. Friday evening before the wedding,
we flew to Teterboro Airport, NJ, just west of Manhattan, picked up Brother Bartell, and flew to Martha's
Vineyard. Saturday morning the photographer came to the carriage house where we were staying, helped Cindy
get ready, and the four of us marched off the few blocks to the Old Whaling Church. It was a great day!
On Sunday we flew home via Teterboro. We had beautiful weather for a wonderful weekend.
My mother passed away 5 years ago. She had been living in the house my parents built in 1959. I spent my
teenage years there. After starting to clean out the house, Cindy came home one day and said, "You know, Ed,
I think we can make something of that house." Long story short, with Cindy and a friend doing much of the
demo, we left enough studs standing to hold the roof up and started over on the interior. The house turned
out great, and we love it.
Two years ago, we bought a house on a hilltop in Pisgah Forest, W.NC, about 20 miles SW of Ashville. We were
drawn there by a fellow Lehigh grad who now lives in the area. He leads one of the many volunteer hiking-trail
maintenance crews around there, and I get to join in when we're there. There are miles of various difficulty
mountain trails in the area, which we enjoy. It's a very nice area. We enjoy the people, including the
"Half-Backs," those northerners who move to Florida, find it too warm, and move half way back!
Cindy and I are both pilots. Cindy has more pilot ratings then I do! Last December we sold our Beechcraft
Bonanza and signed a contract for a Bristell LSA, Light Sport Aircraft. It's a relatively new FAA plane-type
certification. It's smaller, very comfortable, and a lot of fun to fly, and the operating costs are considerably
less! Our plane is about a month from completion in the Czech Republic. Since I am fully retired as of April
'18, we are looking forward to doing a lot of pleasure-flying and visiting friends and new places, which
complements the traveling we enjoy doing.
Cindy and I love to ski. I picked up the habit after joining a group of fellow brothers on the first trip,
I believe, to Jay Peak during semester break. Locally we ski Blue Mountain, north of Allentown. It has the
highest vertical in PA, AND, if you're over 70, you get a FREE season pass! Our ski trips are mostly out West.
I have been very fortunate to have accumulated about 1.5 million vertical feet of heli-skiing in British Columbia
... a wonderful experience!! Although we've been out of the water for a few years, we also enjoy sailing.
Cindy and I are both very active in our church and enjoy singing in the choir and a quartet. I am currently
active on several non-profit boards.
I received a great education in studies and life out of my years at Lehigh, and being a brother of Sig Ep was
a big part of it. I could not have expected a better experience with which to begin post-graduate living.
1969
Bruce Fichter '69
In 1980, I was transferred to Morristown, NJ, and spent the next 4 years there as the company became part of
AT&T as a result of the breakup of the Bell System. I was then asked to return to Richmond to head up a
newly-approved PCB manufacturing technology. I spent tours in multiple disciplines (Development Engr., Product
and Process Engr., Customer Service, and Quality); in 1996 we became Lucent Technologies, and then were
bought out (LBO) by Viasystems. During my time in Richmond, I travelled a lot around the US and multiple
countries, including Canada, Mexico, UK, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Japan, Korea, and China. During the
early 2000s, the Richmond plant was shut down, and I spent a lot of time at our sister factories in Montreal,
CA, Echt, The Netherlands, and several sites in China. During my last several years with the company, I spent
quite a bit of time at our factories in China as Director of Engineering. Traveling back and forth from the
east coast of the US to China several times a year was not my idea of a good time.
In 2008, I decided I had had enough of this and retired from the business after 37 years. At that time, I was
asked by a friend to help in his business, which was selling German-made Hydro Power Turbine generation
equipment in North America. I did this on a part-time basis for the next 10 years and ceased that in late 2018.
So now I am fully retired.
Over the years, I have enjoyed many hobbies and interests, which include boating (we have had a power boat on
the York River near the Chesapeake Bay for 30 years), working on cars/motorcycles, wood-working, construction
projects, travel, and visiting my brother and kids/grandkids. Both Shannon and Mark now live in the Charlotte,
NC, area, so my wife Pat and I get to visit a few times a year. (My son has been dating a Lehigh grad for the
last several years!) My daughter Shannon has two great kids (son 10, daughter 6). so we enjoy them also when
we visit. Shannon has kind of followed in my academic footsteps, getting a BS in Chemical Engineering from
UVA and an MBA from Penn State. Mark got his degree from Virginia Tech, the main rival of UVA!
Pat and I also have made over 10 trips to the British Virgin Islands (every other year since 2000) to sail for
a week and then spend time on the main island of Tortola for a few days to "decompress." We talked about these
trips with fellow Sig Eps Bob Shattuck and Hal Melville (and wives) at our 2014 Sig Ep mega reunion, and they
expressed interest in joining. So we were fortunate that Bob, Julie, Hal, and Claire joined us in 2016 for
our biennial sail. We had a great time and have many grand memories.
Chuck Half '69
My life after Lehigh:
Reflections/memories of my time at Lehigh:
Bill McCoach '69
I started work as a Manufacturing Engineer for the B.F. Goodrich Company. I went into training for two
years working at 7 different manufacturing locations and saw other parts of the USA. Then I became a
Maintenance Foreman at the tire plant outside of Ft. Wayne, IN, for one year; then I was promoted to Area
Engineer, in charge of one-third of the plant's engineering and maintenance. The plant was 2 million sq. ft.
and had 2,000 union workers.
Deciding there was more to life than engineering, I went back to graduate school full-time at the University
of Chicago, on the Chicago campus, and received an MBA with finance concentration in 1975. Chicago's Graduate
School of Business was a very enjoyable experience. I did the two-year program in a year and a half, and
actually had excellent grades there (unlike Lehigh) and even had a paper published.
Upon graduation I started a business career and commenced working for a Fortune 500 Corporation in Greenwich,
Connecticut. The corporation was General Cable (name change to GK Technologies), and I worked in Corporate
Planning as the facility planning/capital budgeting planner. I received a series of promotions in differing
positions there. I also met my future wife, Kathi, in Connecticut, and we got married in 1978. We had three
children, two boys and a girl.
In 1991 I took a job in Eastern Ohio as VP and CFO of a $100 million private manufacturer, The Fabri-Form
Company. We manufactured specialized custom transport plastic packaging and plastic components for the trucking
industry. I retired from there in 2014 and spent the last year there helping the owner/CEO sell the company.
Unfortunately, my wife died from breast cancer in 2006.
Upon retirement, nothing was keeping me in Ohio in 2014 so I moved to Sun Lakes, Arizona, a suburb SE of Phoenix.
I bought a house in a 55+ community with lots of activities. I continue active in hiking, Rotary (President for
three years of two Clubs + becoming an Assistant District Governor), chasing women, ushering at Spring training
baseball games, Treasurer of New Adventures (an adult education-type entity) and teacher, and other areas. My
three kids are spread out, with one in NYC, one in San Diego, and one close by in Phoenix. I enjoy traveling,
with emphasis on Europe and cruises.
Hal Melville '69
Claire and I were married about two years later, in June 1968. It was the best wedding ever, since the only
guests were immediate family and my Sig Ep brothers. We become the only married undergraduate couple on
campus, and Claire became the honorary Sig Ep House Mother and relationship counselor.
To avoid being sent to a hot and humid place where people were shooting at each other, I sought a deferment
of my active duty date following ROTC and graduation. The only reason for a deferment that I could come up
with was to go to law school, so we headed to my homeland and I went to law school at the University of Miami.
After graduation in 1972, I worked at the Public Defender's office, then in the litigation department of
several large firms in Miami.
Searching for more fish and fewer people, in 1982 we moved up the coast to the small town of Fort Pierce,
where I worked for a small firm and eventually went out on my own. Fort Pierce is a funky little town where
the ocean, inlet, and ranches are all 20 minutes away. It's an acquired taste, and our kids must have acquired
it, since they have moved back to raise their own families here. I have practiced trial law in our area for
the last 37 years, and Claire has had a long and happy career working with special needs kids. Currently,
I am down to working part-time, and Claire is graciously donating several days a week, helping children with
special needs in our local Catholic elementary/middle school.
Daughter Jen (38), an Auburn graduate, is the Communications Director for the Diocese of Palm Beach. She and
her husband have a 12-year-old daughter, Olivia, who is perceptive, funny, and kind. Her favorite pastime is
jumping over large objects on a horse. Jen and Joey (her husband) have also lived a parallel life with the
movie "The Blind Side," raising Edwin, who is a recent college graduate and is beginning his career in local
law enforcement.
Son Erik (42), a Tulane graduate, is a financial consultant. He and his wife are the proud parents of Peyton
and Andrew, twins who are almost 4. The boys were micro-preemies, born 3 months early. They spent 127 days
in the NICU at Arnold/Winnie Palmer Hospital in Orlando. We all cherish our little miracles and are grateful
for the care they received. Matthew, their "baby," is almost two. Needless to say, this is a circus!
They live within walking distance of our house and are usually found in our garage rummaging through my tools
or hopping on their mini John Deeres. Fortunately, we live in an old oak grove on the north fork of the St.
Lucie River with enough space for the boys to roam.
If you added up all of the time I've spent chasing fish, it's how I've spent years of my life. My diving
escapades have also included Fiji, Palau, and much of the Caribbean. We have held an "interest" (think back
of cocktail napkin type agreement) in a home on a small and somewhat remote island in the Bahamas for the
past 30 years. This location has become the "happy place" for our extended family. Fortunately, all the
children and grandchildren love this quiet and remote location as much as Claire and myself. and we all
gather here to spend time together.
Since both Claire and I are no longer working full-time, we enjoy spending time with our
children/grandchildren, traveling, reading, hunting, and observing wildlife on our hunting lease west of
town and, of course, continuing with the eternal pursuit of fish and other water creatures.
Bob Shattuck '69
During my unemployment period, I had the good fortune of meeting my wife Julie, so it worked out for the
better. I joined Xerox after 6 months of unemployment and was there for 32 years until a victim of downsizing.
While there, I earned my MBA at Rochester Institute of Technology to expand my capabilities. At Xerox, I had
several different stints in manufacturing, product development and launch, quality, and business strategy.
I also had the opportunity to travel across the US, as well as Europe and Asia, representing Xerox. During this
time, our first son Brad was born in 1980. Our second son was adopted form Poland in 1991 as a 7-year-old.
We traveled there to meet him and finalize the process before he could come back to us 2 months later.
After working for all the significant companies in Rochester, it was time to take a different tack and search
for new types of opportunities, since I was not yet ready to wind down from working. I became a certified Six
Sigma Black Belt in process improvement and a certified Change Management Professional. With these
certifications, I worked briefly for a radiology company out of Dallas and then found a fit doing consulting
in Change Management for two different consulting firms. This involved traveling weekly all over the US and
Canada to support clients installing enterprise business software for Oracle and SAP (not bad for a mechanical
engineer!).
After 10 years on that track, Julie and I both retired, I from consulting and she from nursing. Since our son
Brad had established a home in Lexington, KY, and began having our grandchildren, we moved there in 2012.
They have a daughter and son that we see regularly and watch on a periodic basis. Our second son, Lucas, also
relocated to Tennessee and married a woman with four children, so we are now all southerners displaced from NY.
Julie and I, when we are not traveling, enjoy spending time with our grandchildren, keeping our wine cellar
stocked, and, of course, living in Kentucky, we are building a bourbon collection. We have a short list of
where we want our next trips to be and are in the process of checking them off.
Jerry Sjoblom '69
At that point, I realized that I enjoyed the aspects of horticulture more as a hobby than as a career and
decided to pursue engineering. I soon found a job as a Manufacturing Engineer in a large industrial boiler
manufacturing plant, which was a great and diverse learning experience. After about a year, I moved into
the investment casting world, making a wide variety of jet engine parts. Turbulent economic times in that
industry led me to different companies and led us to different homes in New Hampshire and then Syracuse,
New York. We spent 12 years in Syracuse, and our boys went off to college during that time. I transitioned
from a focus in product engineering to process improvement and then to quality system management. In 2006,
I accepted a role as Corporate Quality Manager for our "mother company," ESCO Corporation, in Portland,
Oregon. We both enjoyed the Pacific Northwest very much and traveled extensively to explore this beautiful
new area for us.
I retired from ESCO in 2014, and we decided to move back east to be closer to "old" friends and family.
We tried Delaware (reportedly one of the 10 best states for retirees) for a couple of years, but found it
didn't suit us. We decided to move back "home" to Connecticut (reportedly one of the 10 worst states for
retirees). We fell in love with the quiet surroundings of East Haddam in the Connecticut River Valley,
where we again built a house in the woods. We are enjoying the first year in our new home in this quiet
corner of CT. Our older son Erik and his wife Nikki are in West Chester, PA, and son number two, Dane,
and his wife Yumi and their two daughters, Aina (11) and Iona (6), are in Honolulu, HI.
Jack Wielar '69
Was born and raised in Westwood, NJ, graduating in June 1965. I was accepted at Princeton, Rutgers, and
Lehigh. Lehigh was my first choice, and I received early admission, much to the chagrin of my mother,
who was in love with Princeton.
I think my life at Lehigh was the same as most everybody — rocky start first semester with improved
grades every semester after that. During the spring rush, I was overwhelmed by the process and was glad
to get the early bid from Sig Ep, a decision that was one of the best I ever made. The lifelong friends
I made, and am in still contact with, have been a great source of fond memories for both me and my
pinmate/wife Susan.
While at Lehigh I majored in mechanical engineering. I roomed with:
I started dating my pinmate and wife Susan shortly after high school graduation. We were married in August
1969 and moved to Wilmington, DE, where I had accepted a job with DuPont, doing end use application
development using fiber optics.
Our first son Scott was born less than nineteen months later, and, 15 months later, our second son Todd was
born, just in time for us to be transferred to Minneapolis to sell a natural gas distribution piping system.
Three years later we were transferred to San Francisco in the same business, but in a much nicer environment.
A quick 19 months later, I was transferred back to Corporate, supporting a membrane-based desalination
focused in Saudi Arabia. In 1982, I had to go to India, with a 2-day stop in London. Susan joined me for
the first leg, and, shortly after takeoff, she told me that we were too young not to have Santa Claus in our
life. Eleven months later, our third son Joshua joined the family.
I spent a total of 24 years with DuPont, ending up as a Director of Business Development. In my last 2 years
at DuPont, I served as President of a JV between DuPont and ConAgra in the area of bio-degradable polymers.
In 1993, DuPont and ConAgra agreed that the Presidents of their JVs had to become employees of that JV.
I was offered an exciting early retirement package to move to the JV, and I quickly accepted this life/career
changing position. Six months later, the biggest customer of the JV offered me a job in New York to run a
collection of warehouse management software and distribution companies, and I jumped at the opportunity and
have never looked back. The companies did very well, and, in 1996, I negotiated the sale of the companies to
a large conglomerate called Unisource. I went along to run a larger group of similar companies. Two years
later, Unisource was acquired by Georgia Pacific, and I was promoted to VP and GM in their paper and
packaging divisions.
I quickly grew tired of being back in big company politics and the time wasted on corporate requirements
rather than business success. My contract allowed me to trigger an early out, which I took advantage of
18 months later. After 4 months of catching up on "honey dos," I decided I didn't want to go back into
the grind of corporate America in New York. Instead, I started a small consulting practice specializing
in restructuring companies, mostly family-owned, that were too big to be small, and too big, to be small.
The concept caught fire in the NYC marketplace, and I was quickly back to a full schedule.
On 9/11, I was heading to Wall Street, where I was working on a dot.com roll out. I was listening to the
news and had heard about the first plane crashing into the Towers. There had been similar incidents over
the years with planes taking off from nearby Teterboro Airport, and the reporters were speculating this
was the case. As I was entering the Lincoln Tunnel, the news of the second plane was broadcast. In the
few minutes it took to get through the tunnel, I concluded I needed to make a U-turn as soon as I could,
and go home, which I did. Susan and I lost a handful of friends that day and spent most of the day on
our front steps watching the smoke from the Towers and listening to the fighter jets buzzing overhead.
In the ensuing days, we concluded it was time to get out of Dodge and built our retirement home on the
water near the Outer Banks. Nine months later, we were there and immersed in Phase 3 of our life.
Since "retiring" 17 years ago, I downsized the consulting practice, but still accept 3-4 assignments a year.
This left plenty of time for golf and cruising the waterways of NC, SC, and GA from our dock at home.
Life was great, and we were close to Scott and Todd's children (2 boys, 2 girls). In 2009, I got involved
in the structure of our community and the floundering developer/owner. Two year later, I led the residents
of our community in buying out the developer, who was in the process of abandoning the community. We
quickly restructured the community, and, by the end of 2015, I was able to "retire" from the Managing
Board of Directors, and start my second retirement.
Our youngest son Joshua then married a Navy orthopedic surgeon. Last year, a pregnant Alanna was
transferred to Naples, Italy, for a 2-3 year tour of duty and, three months later, presented us with our
5th grandchild, Teague Elias. Multiple trips to Italy have been made, and we return again in August
to celebrate our 50th anniversary with our son, followed by a cruise around the Greek Isles.
Bottom line, it's been a great run, and Sig Ep has been, and remains, a constant reminder of how good
it all has been. Many thanks to "Pledge Varga," without whom we'd never have had the opportunity to see,
and maintain contact with, all my brothers. Thanks, Bob!!!!!
1970
Art Abriss '70
So then they ask you to pick a major. Who remembers why, certainly no spreadsheets or decision-making
flow charts to help chart the right course. Maybe it was the so-called academic challenge I heard about,
so I cheerfully selected Chemical Engineering. I do recall that very first INTRO course in sophomore year,
and I vividly recall the first exam in the INTRO course. Well, to start out in your selected major with
a failing grade [I had never failed an exam in my life], kind of helps you start asking some hard questions.
Well, I did right the ship, I got the proverbial "light-bulb" turned on, and the rest is history. And along
the way, I had a great Lehigh academic experience — inside and outside of the engineering curriculum.
Armed with a newly-minted LU diploma and a high draft number, I shoved off to parts unknown, ending up at
Purdue University to get a graduate degree. To say that Purdue was a different kind of life-style and
academic environment than LU, would be an understatement. But again, here comes that first exam in
advanced thermo, and that same sinking feeling that I had in INTRO ChE came rushing back to haunt me.
I realized at that moment that academia was no longer for me, and although they did want me to stay on
in the doctoral program (only 1 of 2 people to pass the qualifying exam), I decided to end my tenure
there with the MS degree. It was time to earn a living.
I started and ended my main career with Sun Oil Co. It was a very good run of 35 years, all of it as a
practicing engineer in one fashion or another. I had the chance to work with some very smart and
talented people who helped make me a better engineer. And, in the end, I know that I helped to "train"
some talented new employees coming behind me. But I know that the LU education was central to my success.
LU did invite me back to participate as a mentor to 3 years of senior design classes. Each mentor was
given 4 students who had to develop a full process design package (subject provided by me) that was
synchronized to their classwork. What a great excuse to get back and give back to the University. I had
a chance to work with some great students as well, one or two who should have retaken that INTRO course.
I met Judy (Allentown girl) in 1986, and we married in 1988. Judy was the head librarian for a growing
law firm in center city Phila. She, too, had a stressful job in keeping a growing core of lawyers up to
date in their legal research. While she was there, the size of the firm grew from 50 attorneys to over
200 in 8 branch offices. She retired from that firm with almost 30 years of service.
We lived in West Chester, PA, for 25 years. Taking care of a beautiful property took a lot of our time.
Then we discovered golf. Or, should I say, Judy discovered golf. I started playing while at Purdue
(better than going to class) but gave it up (gladly) after a few years, because none of my friends played.
So when she expressed an interest in learning to play [I don't think she realized that this was really
a game and NOT an excuse to take a nice stroll along a grass-covered fairway], I said that I too would
start taking lessons with her. Well, playing the game did become a joint passion.
We purchased a vacation home in the Coachella Valley on a golf course in a great 55+ community. After
3 years of snowbirding back and forth (both retired by this time), we decided to flip the proverbial
2-headed coin to see where we wanted to call home. It kept coming up CA and here we are.
And now, we are returning to LU for a very big milestone. I guess this day got here a lot sooner than
I ever could imagine while throwing a frisbee in the SPE parking lot or climbing the hillside into the
woods for the cannabis experience (now legal in CA). It's been a very good run.
And looking forward to many more years of that good run.
Klaus Burckhardt '70, '89
Having grandkids is GREAT!
My work career falls basically into three phases. Out of Lehigh with both BA Applied Science and BS Industrial
Engineering, I worked for the Industrial Gas industry doing Applications Engineering/Sales Support for Airco Inc,
then Burdette Oxygen, then MG Industries. After about twelve years, I switched to Program Management for
engineered products for the Automotive Industry, working for Gas Spring Company which became Stabilus Inc. Gas
springs are the pneumatic cylinders that lift and hold hatches and hoods on vehicles and many industrial applications
as well. During time with MG Industries I began evening school at Lehigh for an MBA degree which I achieved in 1989
while at Stabilus. After about 13 years and the company's move to NC and to Mexico, I switched to a local company
out of Quakertown, PA, called Insaco Inc. Insaco is a family-owned machining company that works only with super-hard
ceramic and crystalline materials. Being a smaller company, we all wore many hats, and I worked with the costing,
selling, and marketing responsibilities. Our customers included most industries, but always the high tech areas
requiring the extremes of performance that could also support the expense of machined ceramics. I officially
retired after sixteen years in 2014 but still do Trade Shows and some marketing for Insaco on a part-time contract basis.
The past two years have brought on some cancer-related health problems, which I continue to fight via surgery and
chemo, but with increasing confidence in the success of the Immunotherapy drug Keytruda.
Most of my "hobby" focus since 2001 has been with sailing on the Chesapeake Bay out of Rock Hall, MD. I currently own
a Sabre 38, which is a terrific boat, not only for anchoring out with Robyn, but also overnights with grandkid families
and even the occasional light racing. There's nothing like gentle sails and pleasant evenings aboard enjoying the
natural world and the serenity of the waters of the Chesapeake!
Donald Geiling '70
Jim Hall '70
I have pursued an engineering career throughout my life, continuing through today. Although I started, after the
Peace Corps, in the chemical process industry, and a few years in alternative energy during the gas crisis of the late
'70s, the bulk of my work has been in electronic manufacturing, most of the time with firms manufacturing automated
equipment used in the assembly of electronic products. I stopped working full-time in 2001 and continue
"semi-retirement" today as a part-time consultant, mostly teaching professional development workshops.
My most significant activity at Lehigh was singing in the Glee Club, and, in fact, choral music has been the most
constant activity throughout my life. Having sung with as many as four different groups at any one time, today I
limit myself to one large civic chorus, of which I have been a member for over 40 years. Many of my deepest
friendships have evolved from my musical activities, and I have travelled internationally with a cross-cultural
exchange chorus. 33 years ago I helped to start a monthly benefit coffeehouse at my Unitarian Church to support
primarily local charities, and I still perform there once each fall.
Although I was married for five years just after moving to Boston, we separated with no children. I live alone,
but consider myself a "group" person, participating in many groups in my community including the YMCA, church,
men's group, as well as my singing-related activities. I have one sister who still lives in New Jersey, and a
few cousins in NJ and NY State.
Robert Meger '70
I joined Sigma Phi Epsilon as part of the class of 1970. We were a large group of freshmen, recruited in part to
bring up the GPA of the Pennsylvania Epsilon chapter. The brothers introduced us to the world of Greek life at
Lehigh; we kept the house off academic probation. I still remember our final pledge trip to NYC where we were
dropped in the wilds of Pennsylvania and had to make our way to McSorley's Old Ale House near Washington Square
in NYC. After that initiation, our class integrated into the existing brotherhood, changing us from somewhat nerdy
engineers to better-rounded individuals. I roomed with Jerry Sjoblom, Chuck Kubic, and Hank Dorkin for the three
years living in the house. I served as food coordinator my sophomore year and pledge master my junior year.
I learned a lot from my brothers at the old frat club and have remained in touch with several over the years.
The plan for the next phase of my life was to join the PhD program to study Applied Physics at Cornell University
in Ithaca, NY. Unfortunately, I was the Class of 1970 Sig Ep winner in the draft lottery, scoring a #15 out of 365.
I still remember the "heartfelt" condolences offered by my Sig Ep brothers as they celebrated their high draft
lottery numbers by the bar in the chapter house. This setback was compounded by the loss of a graduate school
deferment granted to students in engineering and the sciences just before graduation. I found myself with a winning
lottery number and a 1A draft status on graduation day. I was about to be drafted and spend a couple of years
chasing snakes in South East Asia. At the last minute, however, I was able to enlist in the US Army Reserves in a
unit headquartered in Ithaca, NY, where I was to attend graduate school. This allowed me to continue my schooling
while fulfilling my military obligation. After 9 months of basic and advanced training, I returned to Ithaca to
commence my graduate education, only losing a single semester of classes. Overall, I spent 6 years in the US Army
Reserves, finishing as a Staff Sergeant. I was never deployed except during our annual summer camps, two weeks
putting sandbags on dams in Elmira during hurricane Agnes in 1973, and monthly drills. I had to keep my hair cut
and wear my uniform monthly. The small pay supplemented my graduate school pay, making me relatively wealthy
(compared to the other poor grad students). In hindsight I met a lot of interesting people and learned many things
not usually taught in schools.
After finishing with a MS and PhD from Cornell in 1977, I joined the University of Maryland physics department as a
post-doctoral fellow from 1977-1979. From there I moved to the Naval Research Laboratory as a contractor (beltway
bandit) from 1979 to 1983, then joined the government in 1983 as a research physicist for NRL's Plasma Physics
Division. I became a Head of the Charged Particle Physics Branch in 1986 and maintained that position until
retirement in 2015. As a physicist for NRL I worked as an experimentalist on multiple programs for the DoD.
These included programs in space physics, plasma processing, directed energy weapons, beam-generated plasmas, and
electric launchers among others. Some of these programs have continued either at NRL or elsewhere to the present.
I generated multiple patents and published over 100 technical papers in many scientific journals. I initiated NRL's
electric launcher (railgun) science program in 2000. This work helped initiate the Navy's next generation electric
weapons program, which has grown to a macroscopic DoD effort. A version of a high-power railgun is moving toward
fielding on one of the next electric powered Zumwalt (DDG-1000) class destroyers sometime in the next 10 years.
Outside of work I was fortunate enough to marry Barbara Berry, my wife of 44+ years, and to have two children,
Andrew and Sarah, now 40 and 36. We have one grandson with a second on the way. I was fortunate during my career
to be allowed to travel extensively in the US and overseas for business and pleasure. This is a direct result of
my travels to France as an undergraduate. I retired from NRL in 2015 and have thoroughly enjoyed my post-working
years. We travel 2-3 months per year to new and interesting places. We have visited Australia, New Zealand,
Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland, Alaska, Canada, Greece, Albania, Macedonia, Italy,
South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Jamaica, as well as the Baltic Sea countries of Russia, Estonia, Poland,
Sweden, and Norway, and multiple locations within the US. We will be in Patagonia, Easter Island, Egypt, and
Sicily in the next year. We plan to keep traveling until our aging bodies limit our mobility.
Lehigh will always be the origin to my professional career as well as setting the stage for a hopefully long
and enjoyable retirement.
Bob Varga '70
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
THE GUTS, THE GORE, THE DETAILS:
Early life, Lehigh, law school:
Was dual enrolled in Lehigh's graduate business school my 4th and 5th years and continued right on through during
summers before and after my senior year for my MBA, with concentration in Finance. Had seemingly great MBA job
offers, but something just didn't seem right — they wanted me to work. So in January of my fifth year at
Lehigh took the law boards, scored high and decided to attend law school. Applications for fall enrollment at
most accredited law schools were closed. So, rolling the dice, I decided anyways to attend law school at The
Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, rather than sit out a year. Fortunately for me, I turned out
to be a big fish in a small pond, which opened up a number of doors for me. That good fortune of 'right spot,
right time' seemed to be a pattern that followed me throughout my life. I wish I could report wisdom and
brilliance guided my every decision and move, but, in truth, good fortune was a result of timing and luck.
Corporate legal career:
Switch to corporate America:
National political scene:
Back to corporate America, higher education, & health-induced slow down:
Saving the best for last — family, hobbies, & spiritual life:
My lifetime hobbies have largely centered around [i] reading, when you spend as much time on planes as I did,
that was a natural), [ii] quotations, and [iii] golf. When you find yourself spending as much time on planes
and in hotels as I did, reading was a natural. For the past 22 years I have been publishing a weekly
quotation mailing titled "Friday's Quotations — Food for Weekend Thought" with over 50,000 weekly readers.
And brothers with good memories will recall that I was captain of my high school golf team, yet I pretty much
dropped golf after college until we sold Itek to General Electric and relocated back to Atlanta in 1988. It
took me some 30 years to do so (from 1966 to 1996), but I finally got my handicap back down to the 6-7 I
enjoyed in high school. I moved up from there as I have aged, and, sadly as a result of having spinal issues,
I no longer play the game (but my blood pressure and cussing are way down).
In a still mysterious and inexplicable episode, God found me 20+ years ago, overlapping a period where my
lifelong battle with bipolar disorder had taken some overwhelming downward twists and turns. My life had become
unmanageable. I had been attempting to use drinking, albeit ineffectively and perhaps unwittingly, to address
my mental illness — to quiet my mind, if you will, to squelch the noise, to fill a hole, to answer
questions that had no answers. As my condition worsened, life unraveled around me for a period, but with God,
my wife, my brother, a newly found A.A. program, my spiritual life, prayer life, some truly devoted friends
(including two special fraternity brothers who know who the are and another who sadly passed last year), and
a challenging and cyclically-repeating medical battle of pharmaceutical drugs, talk + cognitive therapy, and
cutting edge brain stimulation treatments that continues through today, I have developed a faith, a sense of
worth, a sense of gratitude, a quiet humility, and a love and concern for others that I never had before.
Although my challenges and battles remain and will continue (there is no known cure), my faith and treatment
protocols have changed my life, and I am forever grateful. I know not what the future holds, but, one day a
time, I am a survivor, and I often know peace. And I have the knowledge that I am a child of a loving God,
with a loving wife and great kids and grandkids and a life to live for. It would be my prayer that each of you
would be as fortunate.
1971
Lauren Johnson '71
After a brief Florida honeymoon, we began the long march in search of respectability in Buchanan, Michigan,
where I took my first "real job" as a finance trainee at Clark Equipment Company. Four years later, with our
daughter still a toddler and Iélnia seven months pregnant with our son, we relocated to Caracas,
Venezuela, to sell forklift trucks. In the late '70s, Venezuela was an oil-rich spendthrift country, and a
great venue for selling expensive imported American machinery. After two busy and successful years, we moved
back to Michigan, where I assumed material-handling sales responsibilities for all the places in the world
that nobody else wanted. Based in Battle Creek, MI, with an office in Hong Kong, my sales geography was
Asia/Pacific, Central and South America, Caribbean, Spain, and South Africa; and, yes, I chalked up a lot of
frequent flyer miles.
Twenty years later, after moves to Miami, Orlando, Portland, ME, and Houston in various roles with Clark
Equipment, Volvo, and two independent machinery distributors, I finally settled down in a "final" gig as half
owner of a small trucking company and a machinery dealership in Fort Myers, Florida. That "final" deal lasted
three years until I agreed to sell out to my partner and retire in 2003 at the ripe old age of 55. We had a
tropical orchard for a back yard, a 40-foot dock, and three boats. Life was good until I had a heart attack during
a trip to Brazil, the market crashed, and I couldn't get health insurance. Good fortune smiled, however, and
I rejoined the ranks of the employed and had a short but timely stint with John Deere, managing construction
equipment sales in New England, and a year in Tampa in an internal staff position. We parted ways in 2009, and
I spent a year consulting with a company I had managed some years earlier in my Volvo days. Although we had
kept the Fort Myers home while I worked in New York and Tampa, we decided 10 years in one place was long enough,
so we sold it and went chasing grandchildren.
A year in a rented house in Alexandria, VA, where we spoiled our two granddaughters, gave way to three years in
Vermont, a new grandson, and a four-acre rural spread with two houses, deer, turkeys, coyotes, and SNOW. Having
survived an eleven-day hospital stay (septic shock) in Virginia and a successful procedure to repair a 2.5 cm
splenic aneurysm in Vermont, purple toes from plowing snow eventually mandated a move back to warmer climes.
Sarasota, FL, met all our criteria: warm weather, good golf, a great beach, music, art, excellent restaurants,
an airport, and reasonable housing costs. Easy choice. In 2014 we sold the place in Vermont and bought a
downsized house with a pool in a gated community seven minutes from the first tee at my club.
My wife's theory has always been that, as we ungraciously slip into our golden years, we should retire somewhere
close to our daughter, since she, not our son, might be willing to change our diapers. Having fought this off
for a number of years (following the first unsuccessful attempt ten years earlier), I finally relented last
year and agreed it might be time to make the final, really final, move. But then there was Trump.
With the midterms approaching, we agreed to list the house, but the post-sale plan was contingent on the outcome
of the November elections. Should there be a miracle and the Dems regain control of the House AND the Senate,
we would move to Northern Virginia and buy a house. If the GOP retained the Senate, and lost the House, we
would move and RENT, pending future developments. If there were a total disaster, and Trump continued to control
both houses of congress, we would move to Portugal.
As we now know, the midterms dictated plan B: a move to Northern Virginia and an apartment rental. However,
following a now 50-year tradition of unpredictability, one week after committing to an apartment rental, we
contracted to BUY a new condo, just under construction, a few miles from our daughters house in Alexandria.
But, just to hedge our bets against a 2020 disaster, we opted NOT to join the country club we had virtually
committed to, and instead go on a third investigative trip to Portugal, to flesh out plan X or Y or Z, just
in case. Stay tuned.
Art Lyons '71, '73, '76
While in graduate school, Art had the opportunity to teach at a number of Lehigh Valley schools including the
local community college, Lafayette, graduate courses at Penn State, Lehigh Valley campus, and Moravian College.
Art decided that being a college professor would be a very fulfilling career that was both intellectually
stimulating, fairly autonomous, and allowed for one to have a fairly balanced life. This was especially
important, since he had married Britt the week after graduating from Lehigh, and they had two children while
he completed his graduate studies.
He had a stimulating career at Moravian and retired five years ago. He also worked as a consultant for The
Davison Group, a small consulting firm based in Harrisburg, PA. He still maintains his credentials as a
licensed psychologist. Some of his achievements along the way included publishing over 20 peer-reviewed
journal articles, being the journal editor for The Humanistic Psychologist, serving as President of the
Division of Humanistic Psychology, a division of the American Psychological Association (APA), serving as
a Council representative for APA for a number of years (Council is the governing body of APA), and being
awarded "fellow" status by APA.
He and Britt had 2 children, Matt, who is a science and math teacher at a middle school in Bethlehem, and
their daughter Libby, who is a Partner for Deloitte Consulting and resides outside of Harrisburg, PA.
Art and Britt find incredible enjoyment in spoiling their three grandchildren. Matt's daughter, Madeline,
is eight, and Libby's daughter, Emily, is twelve and her son Liam is also eight.
Art and Britt spent many years as Little League coaches/managers, and Art coached both club and select
soccer teams, traveling all over the East coast to participate very successfully in tournaments.
Art served on numerous community boards over the years and has just completed his 23rd year as a National Ski
Patroller, which he does along with his son Matt.
In retirement, Art and Britt, a retired administrative law judge, enjoy taking long walks with their sheltie
Harry, gardening, cooking, "day time" trading on the stock market, traveling, and being "snow birds" at their
winter home in Stuart, FL.
Keith Scott Morton '71
I majored in social psychology, which probably helped in some way to ground my career as a commercial
photographer in Manhattan, from 1980 to 2015. My work focused on interiors and lifestyle for a range of
editorial and commercial clients. Along with Christine, my wife of 28 years, and our daughter Natasha, I now
call Orient home. It's a small maritime village at the end of Long Island, where I grow trees. Old Orchard
Nursery specializes in beech and hornbeam hedging on protected land continuously farmed for over 200 years
(though not all of those years by me!).
More information here:
http://www.keithscottmorton.com/ and
http://www.oldorchardnursery.com/
Bob Weiss '71
Thanks to what passed for the revolution at Lehigh in the spring of 1970, Lehigh saw fit to allow
interdisciplinary majors — they now have tons of innovative interdisciplinary programs, but, back
then, they just said "hey, if you can find enough credits between any two departments, you can call
it a major." Great news! I can cobble together enough between Social Relations and Psychology to be
my major, without actually taking any of the required courses for either! With that and a high draft
lottery number in hand, I headed to one of only two humanistic (touchy-feely) psychology masters
programs in the country — at West Georgia College, of all places. Apparently most of the people
enrolling in that program did so for their own therapy (and were in dire need of such). Seeing some
really screwed-up individuals getting degrees and actual jobs ruining other people's lives, and my
teaching assistant slot going away, I decided that wasn't for me.
Stuck out my thumb, hitchhiked up to Prince Edward Island, Canada, for the solar eclipse (the one Carly
Simon sang that I was so vain about). Then out to Colorado, where I mooched off of Larry Zanetti for a while
(who was about to start parlaying his Lehigh dropout status into a PhD in Physics), worked briefly landscaping,
drove his motorcycle into an irrigation canal, then mooched off of John Kraus at his cabin in the mountains,
worked as a cocktail waitress (at least that's what the guys in the band called me) at the Toll Gate Saloon
in the old gold-mining town of Central City. The mountains spoke to me, I guess, so I headed back to Georgia,
loaded up my stuff & dogs in my Corvair, and headed to the hills. Found an old guy who let me "caretake" his
tiny trailer on the Pogue mining claim in the ghost town of Russell Gulch at 9000 ft. Started framing condos in
the mountains — in fact my first foray into subcontracting was with John Kraus as partner — luckily he was
there when I tried to slide off of a second-story roof in a snowstorm.
My budding career as a carpenter made me one of the select group of Sig Ep innovators, which now includes a
Boat-Builder turned Beekeeper, a Photographer turned Tree Nursery founder, and the owner of a Seafood Market
in Denver. After a year of pounding nails in the mountains west of Denver, I headed south to the San Luis
Valley, living on a ranch with some folks I'd befriended — the next year of living without running water or
electricity was wonderful — for a year. Met Joan, a Californian who was visiting a friend there, and we
were married in our backyard in March of '74 by a "Universal Life Church" minister (the "ordination" cost
$2 as I recall).
Thenceforth we moved back to Georgia, where we put a trailer down in the woods next to a bubbling brook on
a friend's property, grew amazing gardens, had our first 2 kids. While in the south I worked as a carpenter,
cabinetmaker, surveyor, and also worked in a day-care center started by an associate of MLK.
Thence to Western Colorado in the fall of '77, and after another year of building, shifted gears and opened
Sundrop Grocery, an organic and natural food market. As the Tofu King & Queen of Western Colorado, our
business grew, moving to 3 locations over the next 26 years, had at the peak 33 employees, bought our
building, remodeled and opened the "Garden Deli." As has been the fate of a number of "niche" businesses,
once corporate America catches on to the idea that there is money to be made, the local independent becomes
an endangered species. A regional "west of the Mississippi" natural food chain opened up a large store in
Grand Junction, at the same time that the conventional grocery industry was rapidly expanded their focus on
the same. This led to our closing in 2004. By then our now 4 kids were off in the world, and grandkids were
starting to pop up. I went back into small-scale contracting, but recently, as my carpentry partner passed
away, and some those little injuries and arthritic joints just never get better, I've hung up my hammer.
We built our own house on a hill over the Grand Valley, not far from Colorado National Monument's red rock
canyons. I'm taking the opportunity to finally push myself to really learn Spanish — especially after
humiliating myself with Joan's relatives in Chile last year. I'm also about to hang up my whistle, having
been a soccer referee for over 25 years (I also coached here over a span of 37 years). Involved with our
grandkids' lives (3 of our kids & their families are here, 1 outside of Boulder). And besides trying to
write a bad novel, I finally have the time to apply myself to my most important task — thinking up snarky
but clever comments to put on Bob Varga's Facebook posts!
1972
Larry Burke '72
I graduated in 1972 (should have been 1971) after significant harassment by the University concerning grades
and credits and the people I was associating with.
I took advantage of my good luck in being a resident of Virginia and enrolled in the MBA program at UVA.
I should mention that I was raised in the rural confines of New Jersey (cows, chickens, and all that).
I used to take my gun to school on the bus for rifle club (unloaded). Anyway, in 1970, Keith and Lauren
allowed me to go with them to camp around "Europe." I am not supposed to discuss what went on during
that misadventure, except that Keith's relatives in Scotland were very (unnecessarily) good to us. Oh,
and there is a donkey somewhere that will never recover. OH OH, there are also some ladies in the south
of France who are glad they didn't know English.
Well, while I was studying in "Europe," my parents moved from New Jersey to Richmond, Virginia. I was able
to find their new address and so was an in-state student at UVA.
I thought I might be more employable with a graduate business degree from UVA than having majored in
engineering, English, and government at Lehigh. Good planning except for the party requirement at UVA.
My luck appeared again, as I met my wife at UVA, and she has stuck with me for reasons unknown for 43 years.
In writing this, I see there is a pattern in that all of the companies I have worked for are out of business.
I am pretty sure there is no connection.
Arthur Andersen ... Life of Virginia ... Blue Cross Blue Shield of Virginia ... Right Management. My jobs
were in systems management, and I guess somebody still uses computers, although definitely not the languages
I used to use (assembler, Fortran, Cobol, Basic). I was also a CPA. Funny how people's eyes glaze over
when I tell them that. Last I was a tax instructor for H&R Block (more eye glazing).
I have two sons and now three grandchildren, so that is good. I am also lucky enough to have a little
house on the Chesapeake Bay. I am not a big crabber or oyster roaster, but I do enjoy the occasional sail.
Paul Coppock '72
In law school, they told us there is a brotherhood among those who survive three years of Socratic
method. Well maybe, but it doesn't compare to what we had at the fraternity. Not that I regret the law
school decision, but our Lehigh experience was unique. And I should say a posthumous "thank you" to
Bob Pim for suggesting that I put an application in at Villanova. His casual remark as I was filling
out other law school applications set the course for my postgrad work. But, getting back to senior
year at Lehigh, I knew that there was no chance I would be among those married in the 12 months after
graduation, and I faced long odds for years beyond. So I made a $5 bet with Jon Pearce and one other
brother (Bob Pim? Andy Mills?) that I would be the last one married. The unidentified brother folded
early and paid up. In 1979, I received a wedding invitation from Jon with a $5 bill enclosed and a
note saying, "You win!"
After graduating law school 1975, I did some criminal trial work with the public defenders office and
general practice in the Philadelphia area. In 1977, I moved to Harrisburg to work as a staff attorney
for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Working in the legislative process was interesting, but
there wasn't much of a career path. So, in 1981, I took a staff attorney position with Harsco Corporation
at its headquarters in the Harrisburg area. Harsco is an international diversified industrial services
and manufacturing company listed on the NYSE. The job provided a mix of legal issues ranging from mergers
and acquisitions to securities and litigation.
About a year after joining Harsco, my lucky streak was extended when I met Alison during a ski trip in
Montana. In that moment of first sight, I experienced and understood "the Thunderbolt" that I had
previously only read about in The Godfather. The pulse races, the knees buckle, the brain locks,
and she thinks, "Oh no, not again." But I had a major advantage over most of the other single men in
Bozeman, Montana. I was employed. Eventually my persistence convinced Alison to move east, and we
married in June 1985. Jackson was born in 1986 and Dave in 1988.
Meanwhile, my job at Harsco was growing, and, in 1994, I was appointed Senior Vice President, Chief
Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Secretary. While they never made me the kingpin of the
organization, I do hold the record for the longest title in the company's history. Some of the issues
at Harsco were mundane, others fascinating, and a few downright hair-raising, which is about all you
can ask of a job.
Time away from the office was consumed with family, coaching the boys' ice hockey teams, playing men's
ice hockey, and skiing, with a little guitar, tennis, and golf mixed in. But work never left enough
time for family and outside interests, and the pace only intensified each year. So, in May 2003,
I retired to spend time with the family before the boys graduated from high school. Over the next year,
I taught a business law course at Penn State Harrisburg and worked six months with the state government
helping reorganize the procurement function. In May 2004, I retired again for good, realizing the need
to just focus on long neglected relationships and interests.
The time since hanging up the briefcase has been great. I enjoyed helping the boys with their college
searches. Jack went to Penn State in 2005 as a music major but transferred to Elon University in North
Carolina, and then completed a doctorate in exercise physiology at Pitt. Two years ago, Jack gave up
academia to become a full-time singer songwriter under the stage name Jackson Howard. Dave had a choice
between Lehigh and Carnegie Mellon. In the end I think it was Carnegie's stronger geek factor that
was lured him there for a degree in chemistry. Both boys are now living in Philadelphia and doing well.
My health club is the local ice rink, where I play hockey several times a week. I dabble at songwriting
on my guitar. Alison and I took on a pile of new projects when we bought a cabin on Indian Lake in the
Adirondacks. It taught me to build docks, repair burst pipes, and replace drywall, but it is a great
escape where we spend our summers. We enjoy taking week-long guided cycling tours in the western U.S.
and Europe. These days there is no need to rush. Better to savor the freedom of it all, and spend time
with old friends.
Jim Corsa '72, '74
I graduated in 1972 with a BS Fundamental Sciences. I stayed at Lehigh and completed my MBA in 1974. 1974
was a big year, because, within a 4-month period, I graduated, bought a house, started work for Bethlehem Steel
Corporation (BSCo) in the Accounting Department's Corporate Data Processing, and got married (to Cheryl whom I
had pinned my senior year).
I looped through the Accounting Department's orientation and then 2 years of Data Processing Services
orientation covering Computer Operations, Application Development, Technical Support, and Planning and Control.
Assigned to Application Development, I focused on cost accounting and Industrial Engineering software development.
I was privileged to spend a few days underground in a coal mine located in Eighty-Four PA to see how all the room
and pillar mining pieces and parts worked together.
Sometime in the '80s I moved from application development to IMS technical support and then later added DB2
technical support.
Meanwhile, in 1981, my first son was born. A second son was added in 1983.
On January 1, 1993, I became an Electronic Data Systems (EDS) employee. I found out about this new and exciting
adventure when I woke up Saturday morning December 26, 1992, to read in the "Morning Call" about BSCo outsourcing
all if its Information Technology to EDS.
I had a gym acquaintance in the Stage Hands Union. Expressing curiosity resulted in my working as a stage hand
for a Rod Stewart concert in Stabler Arena March 6, 1994.
Events began to pick up in tempo in 2001. In January of 2001, I became an IMS/DB2 Database Administrator.
Shortly thereafter, in 2001, BSCo declared bankruptcy. The bankrupt BSCo retained EDS as its Information Technology
supplier. In 2003, International Steel Group (ISG) acquired the BSCo assets out of bankruptcy and kept EDS as its
Information Technology supplier, claiming at the time that ISG would abandon the mainframe in 9 months. In 2004,
ISPAT International acquired LNM Holdings, and then ISPAT and ISG merge to become Mittal Steel Co. by the 2nd Qtr. 2005.
And then, in 2006, Arcelor Steel and Mittal Steel merge forming ArcelorMittal S.A. ArcelorMittal is my current
customer; however, EDS is not my current employer ...
On May 13, 2008, Hewlett-Packard Co. confirmed that it had reached a deal with EDS to acquire the company for
$13.9 billion. The deal was completed on August 26, 2008, and EDS became an HP business unit and was temporarily
renamed "EDS, an HP company."
On September 23, 2009, EDS began going to market as HP Enterprise Services. On November 1, 2015, we were re-branded
as Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
And finally, well, so far, on April 3, 2017, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services merged with Computer Sciences
Corporation to form DXC Technology. The New and Improved! DXC retains significant operations from Plano, Texas,
and many aspects of EDS.
So, that's it. Six logos and counting. I now work for DXC Technology as a Database Administrator for zOS IMS and
DB2 (the stuff ISG said would be gone in 9 months). It all feels very familiar.
Larry Gilbert '72
I worked for PG in R&D for 30 years, mostly in Cincinnati but with a three year stint in Mexico City. The first
half of my career was technically-oriented, resulting in 20 US patents. The second half was as a leader of US,
Regional, and Global programs. My last assignment was to fix our long-term technology program, where I headed
an organization of 50 PhDs and their staff ... the first BS engineer to hold this position. I retired in my
early 50s to pursue interests in photography, real estate investment, home building, travel, and spending time
with my four great sons ... Jeremy, Nick, Chris, and Brian.
All four of my sons have college degrees and great careers. My wife Stephanie's two sons are also doing great
in technical careers, with youngest being the only one to follow me with a BS ChE degree. I was married in 1973,
and this resulted in the births of my oldest two sons, Jeremy and Nick, in 1974. I married for a second time
and had two sons, Chris in 1987 and Brian in 1989. Life moved on, and I met Stephanie, the love of my life for
the past 16 years. We both love to travel and to spend time with our sons and our four grandsons, Brandon, Wes,
Simon and Sammy. Yup ... all sons and grandsons, BUT a granddaughter is on the way this coming October. Our sons
live all over the country ... Oregon, Boston, NYC, Colorado, and Orlando ... great places to visit.
Steph and I continue to travel and enjoy friends in southeast Florida, where we have lived for five years
following our previous stints in Ohio and Asheville, NC. I play golf occasionally and work out regularly ...
mainly to rehab my knee replacement. I continue to enjoy photography, scuba, cycling, and involvement in my
community. Life is good.
Alex Hill '72
In that time span, my (same) wife (and YES, that is a SPE pin) and I had 3 well-accomplished kids who gave us
6 well-accomplished grandkids. Several houses, fast cars, motor cycles, and boats later, we are still sailing
the waters near Boston. I sailed and raced the waters from San Diego to Ketchikan, AK, as well as Key West
to Halifax, Nova Scotia, with a brief stop at Bermuda, but now I hope to revisit numerous East Coast ports
with the help of a few brothers. Want to come sailing?
The "post" first-retirement downsized house has grown (too big), and we just cleared another 2.5 acres for
more horses. Perhaps 16 by summer's end. My "post" retirement career as a professor is also growing. Three
of the grands still live with us, making life rather exciting. But reflecting on all that has been accomplished,
I think that almost every brother would say, "ME, TOO!!"
Chuck Kubic '72, '78, '11H
Sig Ep & family:
Education:
Career:
Hobbies and interests:
Cities lived in:
Other info:
Mike Lasonde '72, '79
I graduated in 1972 in Material Science and joined Bethlehem Steel after a senior year Co-op. My wife Ginny and
I were married in 1973 and made Bethlehem our home for twelve years, raising two sons (Rob & Chris). Working at
Bethlehem Steel, I held numerous engineering and management positions, specializing in the production of large
forgings for Navy nuclear and power generation applications. I received my Masters degree in Materials Science
from Lehigh in 1979. Recognizing the early demise of the steel industry in 1984, I joined General Electric
Aircraft Engines in Lynn, Massachusetts, just north of Boston, where I spent 31 years in their Aircraft Engine
Division overseeing material selection and production, alloy development, and failure analysis for commercial
and military critical rotor components. After settling in Massachusetts, our third son Brian joined our family
in 1986. We were kept quite busy with family activities while Ginny headed back to work part-time and completed
nursing school.
My G.E. career included a four-year stint in Cincinnati, Ohio, at their aircraft engine headquarters in Evendale,
then back to the Northshore/Cape Ann area of Boston. I retired as a Consulting Engineer for Superalloys in 2014
and moved from Wenham, MA, to the Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee area of New Hampshire, enjoying the mountains, lakes,
and generally quiet lifestyle of northern New England. After two months of winter in New Hampshire & going "stir
crazy," I became an Independent Material Engineering Consultant and have been working part-time in the superalloys
manufacturing sector ever since. Ginny continues to work part-time at a small community hospital affiliate of
Dartmouth-Hitchcock in New London, NH. Between some long-awaited travel, a little hiking, boating, and visiting
our three sons and four grandchildren living in Essex, MA, and Denver, Colorado, life is good! Looking forward
to a return trip to Bethlehem & seeing everyone in June.
Andrew Mills '72
At Sig Ep, I roomed with Bill Clarke for 2-3 years. I don't recall any official duties at Sig Ep other
than liquor chairman for a few years?? I believe I was one of the best Wales Tales players of that epoch!!
After getting caught with a full keg of beer at the beginning of a week filled with classes.
After graduating in 1972, I started work at a small savings and loan in Washington, DC. This company
merged with Chevy Chase Bank, and I was promoted to Treasurer in 1982.
Prior to the merger, I created my own merger with Margot Little, whom some might remember from Lehigh.
We started dating during my junior year and got married in August 1973. We had 4 children starting in
1983 through 1987 ... 4 kids in 4 years…not planned, but an interesting period in our lives.
After Chevy Chase, we moved to Buffalo, NY, for 3 years while I worked for Goldome Savings Bank. After a
brief period with the RTC, working for the US government, we moved to Atlanta, and I joined the Federal Home
Loan Bank of Atlanta. I worked there until I retired in 2013, rising to the position of SVP and Treasurer.
My children are all grown and enjoying life. My oldest, Megan, is currently living in Italy with her
husband and my 2 grandkids, Elliott and Lucy. My oldest son, Tyler, is in internet security with a start-up
in Atlanta. The twins, Colin and Lisa, are also enjoying life in Atlanta and NYC.
Unluckily, Margot passed away in January 2011 from a massive heart attack. I had begun changing my life,
losing weight, stopped smoking, and started exercising, especially skiing. After that, I began spending
time between Atlanta and Steamboat Springs, CO, and finally decided to build a house there. I intend to
spend a lot of time there, skiing and hiking. I also was fortunate to meet a coworker after I retired, and
she and I have been spending a lot of time together.
I don't know what the future holds, but I'm sure it will be interesting.
Jon Pearce '72
After graduation I started with the Management Engineering shared service organization with the NJ
Hospital Association. This was a job that Prof. Richardson had suggested to me at a SigEp pub night — he
had done some consulting for them and had a contact there. The referral resulted from an IE project that
Tom Miller and I had done for Richardson analyzing the queues at the admitting department at St. Luke's
Hospital. Never let it be said that a senior project and some beer can't get you a job! I stuck with NJHA
through 1979 and picked up my MBA at Temple over that period. Believe me, a Temple MBA was a heck of a lot
easier than Lehigh engineering!
When the market for ME in hospitals started to wane in 1979, I moved over to Laventhol & Horwath, which at
that time was #9 of the Big Eight CPA firms. I worked on the national healthcare staff for about five years
there and then transferred to the local Philadelphia office to do some actual consulting work. L&H was a good
place to work. I filled in a lot of financial knowledge that I hadn't previously learned, and picked up my
CPA certification while I was there, although I never really practiced public accounting.
Nora and I got married in 1979, and our daughter Allie was born in 1984. We moved to Medford, NJ, and lived the
typical suburban lifestyle of soccer coaching, band parenting, and mowing the lawn. But, as Allie left for college,
I started at looking at my future years, and it became apparent to me that our lives weren't on the same
trajectory, and the divorce was final in 2007. It was a difficult decision, but the right one.
Allie graduated from Quinnipiac University with a degree in Journalism and followed it with a MS from Rowan
University where she has worked for about 15 years as a health educator. She also runs marathons and is a
spinning instructor and spends most of her free time in some indoor or outdoor physical activity. She lives
locally, so I get to see her about twice a month.
L&H upended the accounting world in 1990 by going bankrupt due to the unfortunate timing of economic downturns
and gross mismanagement on a large project, and I then went to work for a suburban Phila healthcare consulting
firm. I expected to end my career there until several weeks after my 60th birthday when I was unexpectedly told
that I'd be leaving at the end of 2010. Since I had never been employed by a hospital and wasn't a real rainmaker,
I didn't have an opportunity to move to another consulting firm or to a high level position in a hospital.
I decided to consult independently figuring that I could made a moderate living for the next few years, and
formed Singletrack Analytics LLC. But fatefully the Affordable Care Act created several new types of healthcare
payment models that were highly dependent on the ability to work with large amounts of financial data. I had
that skillset and was able to team up with another analytics shop to build a successful healthcare analytics
practice for academic medical centers and other healthcare providers who are participating in these programs.
We provide the analytics for the Association of American Medical Colleges among other clients, so I get to work
with major university hospitals throughout the country and some of the best people in the industry. I currently
have one full-time employee plus some contractor help (another Lehigh grad) and am starting to slowly transfer
my responsibilities to our partner organization and phase into retirement over the next few years. I'm thankful
that I'm able to end a 45 year career this way.
Nancy and I have been together for somewhat longer than a decade –- we each maintain our own homes (hers is a
10th floor condo in Phila; mine is a 3-bedroom townhouse in Deptford, NJ), and we spend weekends and vacations
together. We've taken four Viking River Cruises including Russia and Egypt and are planning our fifth cruise
through Germany and Switzerland this summer. We frequently attend Philadelphia Orchestra concerts, Eagles games,
and other events in Phila.
Having never been particularly active throughout the earlier part of my life I made a significant change in my
mid-40s when I got involved with an inline skating group and started skating weekly though the streets of Phila.
That morphed into mountain biking, which involved several trips to Vermont, Colorado, and Utah (I've ridden the
fabled Porcupine Rim trail in Moab twice), as well as biking in the Phila area 2-3 times per week. Biking has
faded over the last few years, but, in its place, my interest rekindled in scuba diving, and I've been immersed
(pun intended) in diving and training for the past few years. I picked up a technical (decompression) diving
certification last year and recently completed the requirements for the Master Scuba Diver cert. Nancy and I
will be in Turks and Caicos this May where I can do more diving and she can relax and read on the beach.
After the last few reunions I've been able to stay in touch with a few classmates on Facebook, and it will be
fun to reconnect with other friends at the reunion.
Richard 'Woody' Woodruff '72, '73
I am currently a full-service real estate broker and co-owner of Adobe Casitas Vacation Rentals, Inc.
(www.adobecasitas.com), a vacation rental and property management company specializing in unique adobe
homes located in the center of Santa Fe, New Mexico. I am also the owner of Rass Mandal, a unique
vacation/retreat residence (www.rassmandal1.com). With Rass Mandal, I hope to provide a space where
people can come to connect, respect, and reflect, both with each other and with nature, and perhaps
experience something new.
My favorite and life-following quote: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things
you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." – Mark Twain
My guiding principle, "Better to realize your wishes then to wish you had." RAW thoughts!
Looking forward to re-connecting with everyone who has shaped my principles and life.
1973
Tom Andruskevich '73
After joining Tiffany in 1982, I became the SVP & CFO and led a management buyout of Tiffany with our
Chairman in 1984, when Avon decided to divest Tiffany. We then took Tiffany public with an IPO in 1987,
which made Tiffany one of the most successful leveraged management buyouts ever recorded. In 1989, I was
appointed EVP-International, Trade and Fragrance and was assigned operating responsibility for those three
business units. Between 1989 and 1994, we opened 22 new markets for Tiffany on four different continents.
In 1994, I joined Mondi of America (a German fashion house) as President & CEO and stayed there until 1996,
when I was recruited to Henry Birks & Sons (the Tiffany of Canada) to become their President & CEO.
My 16-year tenure at Henry Birks & Sons was the final chapter of my "24/7 career" and was highlighted by
the acquisition of Mayors Jewelers (the premier luxury jewelry chain of the Southeastern US) in 2002, the
IPO of Birks & Mayors Inc in 2005, and the acquisition of Brinkhaus Jewelers in 2008. At its peak, Birks
& Mayors employed over 1000 employees, was a designer and manufacturer of its own Birks-branded fine
jewelry and luxury timepieces and operated over 70 stores in the US and Canada. In 2012, I stepped down
as CEO and became Vice Chairman of Birks & Mayors until 2013 to assist with the transition of Birks &
Mayors' new CEO.
For the last six plus years, I have been self-employed with my firm, TAA Consulting LLC. My focus during
this time has been acting as a Senior Advisor and Consultant to Private Equity firms, start-up fine
jewelry brands, and fine jewelry companies. During this time, I have also served as a Corporate Director
of several publicly-traded and privately-owned corporations.
Personal Overview:
Suzanne and I have been bicoastal for the last five years. We built a modern home in Carmel, CA, where we
spend a good deal of our time in spring and summer. We reside in Palm Beach, FL, and still keep a place in
Manhattan, where we always love to spend time.
We love to travel and really enjoy modern architecture, modern art, and design. Although I played tennis
at Lehigh, I am now consumed with the game of golf, which I play 4-5 times a week. I still love baseball
(remember that intramural softball championship we won for Sig Ep in 1971 or 1972!) and still am an avid
fan of the New York Yankees!
ONE FINAL NOTE on Jason, our beloved Sig Ep mascot: If you recall, I was lucky enough to be one of the
Sig Ep brothers to look after Jason, Sig Ep's beloved Golden Retriever mascot (see two photos above),
during summer breaks. And after Jason was diagnosed with epilepsy, his vet felt it would be best for his
health if he was "retired" from fraternity life. Jason moved to New York and then New Jersey with me and
then succumbed to a grand mal seizure at the relatively young age of 7. As you all recall, Jason was a
truly GREAT dog, courageous as hell taking on Chi Phi's St. Bernard whenever he encountered him on campus.
I'll never forget Jason guarding the front door of Sig Ep until we let his female canine friend in. Little
did we know she was in heat. Then a few minutes later, Jim MacWiliams, my little brother, and I found Jason
with his female friend "stuck" together on the back stairwell landing. Finally someone, I think it was Douse,
decided to throw a bucket of cold water on them to separate them. Well, he was right, and that did the trick!
Poor Jason — don't think that one turned out the way he planned it.
Rick Arons '73
The gig at Celanese was to help this maker of commodity chemicals get more into specialty materials and higher
added value products. I was part of a group called "Diversification Research," and led their ceramic materials
effort. Here is where the "Forrest Gump" analogy took place. The guy in the next office was a guy named Sol Barer,
who was working in an esoteric area called chiral molecules. This became a spinout biotech company called Celgene,
and Sol got rich while I did not!
In 1985, my career took a big turn — I joined a management consulting firm out of the UK called PA Consulting
Group, where we advised clients on how to leverage technology for competitive advantage, as well as developing
products for them. Amongst our inventions were surgical staplers for J&J, as well as the gizmo at the bottom of
a Guinness beer can that creates that really nice foam on top of their beer. (I hope you sampled more Guinness
than surgical staplers.) I worked at PA for 9 years, first leading their Applied Science practice, then their
Healthcare Products practice, and finally as COO North America.
My final career move was to Korn Ferry, doing executive recruiting for the last 25 years! The focus is still medical
products, clients being J&J, Baxter, Medtronic, etc. 2019 will be my retirement year! Lastly, for the last year
or so, I have also served as Chairman of a non-profit known as ECRI Institute, whose mission is to ensure safer and
more efficacious products and practices to protect patient safety in hospitals and other clinical settings.
In my private life, I married my HS sweetheart from East Brunswick (Liz Dickerman) and am the father of two girls,
Dana and Whitney, and two grandsons, Alex (7) and Quinn (4).
P>
I still reside in NJ in Princeton Junction, and enjoy much of the winter in a home in Estero, FL, north of Naples on
the Gulf Coast.
Hobbies include skiing, swimming, travel, photography, and golf. I get better value from golf than most golfers,
as I get more strokes per greens fee than those silly low handicappers.
Bill Clarke '73
Robert Gerry '73
I was approached by Merrill Lynch (one of my clients) after passing the exam for a VP/Controllership position in
one of their investment banking subsidiaries. I stayed within the ML investment banking family for 14 years,
serving as the Controller for three of their subsidiaries. I ultimately served as the VP/Controller of ML Credit
Corp. (ML's home equity lender). When the subsidiary decided to relocate to Jacksonville, FL, I chose not to go
and left ML.
After returning to the NYC area, I found a position as VP–Head of Operations at Vendor Funding, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of The Bank of Ireland that specialized in equipment leasing. I stayed there for 2 years before The Bank
of Ireland decided to sell them.
I next found a position at the Dime Savings Bank through an old ML colleague of mine as VP/Controller for their
Mortgage Banking Division, a major regional mortgage originator. The Dime ultimately decided to relocate the
division to Tampa, FL, three years after I joined, but I chose not to relocate.
American National Mortgage Corp. called next and offered me the position of SVP/CFO of this start-up mortgage
banker. They offered a potential stock ownership interest in the event of the firm underwent an IPO. I stayed
for 2 years, but, after several of their major mortgage originators left in a commissions dispute, the remaining
revenue stream was no longer sufficient to cover expenses, and I left.
I went back to Dime Savings Bank as a VP in their Management Accounting and Product Profitability unit. My team
ran the transfer pricing and product profitability programs that translated GAAP-based accounting results into
product profitability. I stayed there for 3 years before the Bank came under threat of a hostile takeover from
Washington Mutual, and I left.
My next stop was as as VP in the Management Reporting Unit at European American Bank, which at the the time was
owned by several European banks, including ABN AMRO, the largest Bank in the Netherlands. The banks ultimately
decided to end their joint venture 2 years after I joined and sold the EAB operation to Citibank. ABN AMRO,
however, still owned an institutional banking subsidiary in NYC, and I was able to transfer. I worked for the
next 7 years as VP and functional controller for their North American Property Services group, which included
their wholly-owned LaSalle Bank subsidiary in Chicago.
ABN AMRO was ultimately acquired by a consortium of banks, including Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander, and Fortis,
for a then record 100 billion Euros. The new owners decided to split up the Bank, and, during this period, I was
approached by the head of RBS' North American Property Services Group and was asked if I would like to come on
board and start up their Risk Management function. I accepted the offer and ultimately became SVP–Head of
Property Services Risk Management for North America. This function covered all of RBS's 1,300 North American
locations, which included their Citizens Bank subsidiary. I retired in late 2012.
Personal Matters:
My hobbies are mostly outdoor in nature. I enjoy hiking, sea kayaking, skiing, biking, camping, and listening to
modern jazz. I completed a 36-mile canoe trip this past summer in the NY's Adirondack Mtns. with my Sig Ep
brother Wes Winterbottom. I also went on an 8-day ski trip to the Panorama and Kicking Horse Ski areas up
in BC, Canada, this past winter with the local ski club.
After being a dedicated workaholic during most of my business career, I have really taken to travel with a
vengeance since I retired. My wife and I have been to Alaska, Machu Picchu & the Sacred Valley, Galapagos Islands,
Croatia & Bosnia, South Africa & Zambia, New Zealand, Chile & Argentina, Easter Island, and are going to Iceland
in September. The attached photo is of my wife and me in front of the Moreno Glacier in Argentina. Very impressive.
1974
Bill McCarthy '74
In 1976, while in White Plains, NY, at General Foods (makers of JELL-O, Kool Aid, Tang, Bird's Eye,
Maxwell House coffee, and Post cereals), I had a life-changing experience. I was assigned to audit
Marketing. Upon entering the Marketing department, I was surrounded by colorful advertising,
packaging, and point-of-sale displays. I thought I was in heaven. I asked, "How does a lowly
accountant get a job like this?" The helpful brand managers told me that I first needed to get an
MBA from a leading business school and recommended several. Over the next nine months, I applied to
leading business schools and, the following June, was accepted by the Darden School at the University
of Virginia. I started classes in the fall of 1977.
Following UVA graduation in 1979, I went to work for Pepsi-Cola in Purchase, NY, in Strategic Planning.
My career evolved to Marketing Communications, first at Nabisco Biscuit, followed by Pillsbury,
Philips (lighting), Hasbro (board games), ConAgra Foods (Orville Redenbacher and Slim Jims), and,
finally, Crayola. With this last move, I returned to the Lehigh Valley and now live in Lower Macungie, PA.
My career took me across the country, and, during my years in Minneapolis, I met my wife Cheryl on a
singles sailing trip to the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. We have been married for 32 years and have
three sons, Will (29), Connor (27), and Brennan (23). My son Connor, at age 7, won the Minnesota
State wrestling title (I was his coach). I also taught my sons to play piano (which is torture), and
Will and Connor went on to learn guitar and drums and form their own rock bands. Our family has been
mightily blessed by the Lord!
Mike Pekarski '74
Joined Esso/Exxon directly out of school. Spent a mere 37 years and 9 months with the oil and gas behemoth.
The company moved us from NJ to Houston in 1981, and I spent most of my career in Texas. A great company,
as one was able to move around and learn different parts of the business every 2-3 years. Started as an
engineer (of course), then moved into management in engineering, technology, operations, marketing, new
business development, and procurement. Completed my career with 5 years in Europe (London, Paris, and
Astana-Kazakhstan) as Chief Procurement Officer for the North Caspian Operating Company — a 50+
billion dollar joint venture ... and adventure, with 6 international oil majors building an oil recovery
facility in the Caspian Sea. Overall, travelled about 3 million miles with Exxon, so got to see much of
the world.
Some of you may remember Linda, the blonde I brought to Sig Ep several times during my senior year. We
married in 1976, and had two beautiful girls come onto our life in '81 and '83 — Ashley and Chelsea.
Ashley graduated from NYU and Pepperdine, and is doing very well as a grade school teacher in LA.
Chelsea graduated from Lehigh, works in the finance industry in NYC, married in 2014, and has since
blessed us with a grandchild.
Retired to Hilton Head Island at age 59 (yeah!). A great place for golf, tennis, beach, biking, boating,
etc., etc. Never looked back, never missed working. Linda and I (and sometimes the kids) still do a lot
of travelling. I guess it's still in our blood. We bought a place in the Algarve, Portugal, about 10
years ago, which has proven to be a great second home. Please come and visit!
1975
Roger McKinney '75
I married my HS sweetheart Betsy in 1976, and we settled in the suburban Cleveland community of Bay Village.
After a "stint" with Stouffer's restaurants, Betsy settled back into teaching home economics in the western
suburbs of Cleveland until we started having children in 1981. We had three children, Davis ('81), Stuart ('84),
and Claire ('87), and raised them all in Bay Village, Ohio, which is affectionately called the "Bay Bubble."
My work career with BFGoodrich continued with assignments in R&D engineering ('76), R&D process development
('80), several manufacturing assignments('83 & '93), an assignment on a manufacturing automation pilot ('90),
before finally landing in the IT group doing system support of the manufacturing systems in 1998. All these
assignments were at the Avon Lake facility, where they had a R&D facility, several manufacturing units, and
ultimately the world headquarters of PolyOne Corp. During that time, BFGoodrich spun off the Chemical group
into the Geon Company, which ultimately merged with MA Hanna in 2000 to form the PolyOne Corporation.
Our three kids graduated from colleges in Ohio, Davis (Miami U, BGSU), Stuart (Ohio State), and Claire (Ohio
State, CSU), then settled in Ohio. Davis is married in the Cincinnati area, with wife Laura, where he uses
his music degrees to teach piano and trumpet, Stuart is still single living in Solon, Ohio, and working for a
small software firm using his Computer Science degree, and Claire, who is married with two boys (Luke and
David), living with husband Jeff in Strongsville, Ohio, after using her masters in Clinical Mental Health
Counseling.
After raising our kids, Betsy and I have enjoyed traveling, initially with trips to Mexico's Yucatan and, more
recently, with trips to Europe especially (Spain and Portugal). One of my IT assignments involved rolling out
software globally at PolyOne, which gave me a chance to travel to our facilities in Europe, which is where I
got my first taste for Spain. Betsy joined me at the end of a 3½-week rollout trip in Europe for a 5-day
stay in the Barcelona area. We have been back to Spain and, more recently, Portugal three times hence.
I recently retired from PolyOne on 12/31/2018 after 43.5 years, and am filling my time with golf, when it's not
raining, and travel, as we have another trip to Europe planned in Aug. for a Rhine river cruise, Basel to
Nuremberg, then Prague. I have also been trying to catch up with folks with whom I have lost touch over the
years, including relatives and friends from high school and college. Our attendance at the 2019 Lehigh reunion
falls into this category.
Home
Attending Lehigh turned out to be a bit more challenging than I had expected! But I recall about four real
satisfying and enjoyable aspects to my Lehigh experience. The first was at Richards 134 meeting my roommate,
Dave Hapke! We hit it off well, even though he won the coin flip and took the lower bunk. (As it turned out,
that was providential. He was generally finished with his studies and sound asleep in his darkened lower
quarters by about 10 o'clock, while I was still at the desk long after.) Second: I have always been involved
in some amateurish way with music. My three years in the Lehigh Marching 97, and the concert band, were a
highlight! Third: Above all, I was very fortunate to become a Sig Ep. Sigma Phi Epsilon was home, and I think
we all recognize our fraternity brothers as a unique family. Fourth: ... hmmm ... fourth. Oh well, memory is
not really my strong suit anymore ...
Graduated Lehigh University 1962, BS Engineering Physics.
1962, Married Katherine Purnell, two children, four grandchildren.
1962–1963, Vitro Laboratories, Silver Spring, MD. Engineering control of Naval Missile Systems.
1963-1970, Westinghouse Electric, Baltimore, MD. Designed and tested lasers for military applications,
primarily illuminators and target designators and rangefinders for smart bombs.
1970-1973, GTE Sylvania Electro-Optics Division, Mountain View, CA. Managed group developing lasers for
scientific and industrial applications.
1973-1986, VP General Photonics, Santa Clara, CA. Managed group developing lasers for scientific and medical
applications.
1986–1996, VP of Medical Optics division of Kaiser Industries, San Diego, CA. Developed lasers for ophthalmic
and dental applications as well as 3D endoscopes with head-mounted displays for minimally invasive surgery.
1996-2001, Independent consultant, San Diego, CA.
2001-2017, CEO of ThinkGroup, San Diego, CA. Engineering Services company specializing in product development,
including mechanical, electronics, firmware, software, and industrial design for esthetics and ergonomics.
2005-present, Volunteer for Team River Runner, providing veterans opportunities to heal and find community
purpose and new challenges through adaptive paddle sports.
I am in the class of '63, but I was in the five-year Arts/Engineering program. My engineering major was Civil
Engineering. I married my wife Carol in the Lehigh Chapel on June 6, 1964. Since this was about a week before
graduation, I took my Arts degree in absentia, as I couldn't get it from Jamaica, where we honeymooned. We moved
to an apartment in Parsippany, NJ. From 1965-1967 I worked at Hewitt-Robins in Totawa, NJ, a division of Litton
Industries. I initially designed trusses using the MIT STRESS program to be used by the Port of Baltimore to
unload container ships. I had the opportunity to be on the ground floor of a new computer department of two
employees, including me. I wanted something other than designing structures. I taught myself programming
languages, especially low level assembler languages. I programmed a system in assembler language for the IBM
1130 for engineers to design components used in large conveyer belting systems by companies such as Anaconda
Copper. From 1967-1970 I worked at Haverly Systems in Denville, NJ. I was the Project Manager in developing a
linear programming system for Univac for their 9200/9300 series computers using assembler language. Linear
programming is a mathematical technique used in computer modeling to find the best possible solution in
allocating limited resources to achieve maximum profit or minimum costs. There can be hundreds or thousands of
variables. LP systems are used by companies such as U.S. Steel, Cargill, Tyson Foods, J.P. Morgan, etc.
A nine semester plus 2 summer school scholar. Practiced law 25 years and served as Maryland judge 17 years.
Currently 75% retired. Spend much time at Deep Creek Lake, western MD, and month or so in SW Florida, where
we see other aged Sig Eps. Also like travel, mostly to Europe. Marnie and I have 2 married children, one of
whom is set to present us soon with our first grandchild.
Was married to Vera Marie Black (deceased); two sons, Dwayne (deceased) and Darrell (46); no grandchildren.
Currently retired after running my own business selling imprinted sportswear to the school market for 25 years.
Enjoy traveling with wife Karen and visiting children and grandchildren in Arlington, VA, and Charlotte, NC.
Carvel was born June 24, 1941, in the small town of Egypt, PA, now part of Whitehall. Carvel lived in his parents'
home 18 years, graduated from Whitehall H.S. in 1959, and stormed into Lehigh. He pledged SigEp (great group of
guys), was Pledge Master one year and partied too hard throughout. He married before his senior year and had a
first child during that year. Brothers were GREAT babysitters, but sadly that was the last year for the GREAT
house on Market Street.
Professional:
I spent my career designing, testing, and delivering equipment for the U.S. military. My first job out of college
was with the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation in Bethpage, NY, where I worked on the F-111 aircraft program
and the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory spacecraft. I moved to the IBM Corporation in Owego, NY, in 1967, where
I worked on a variety of avionics systems for the US Air Force and Navy. From there, I moved to Manassas, VA, in
1973, where we built the first digital submarine sonar system for the U.S Navy. That system is still in the fleet
today. In 1988, I moved to Boulder, CO, where we worked on missile warning systems for the U.S. Air Force. I
retired in 2001.
I met Carole, my first wife, in 1964, while we were both employed by Grumman. We were married in 1966. We raised
one son, Tim, who has given us two grandsons, Lucas and Jarod. Carole died from cancer in 2013. My second wife
Nancy and I were married in 2017. We share two residences in Colorado and Pennsylvania.
I have always enjoyed being outdoors in nature. I am an enthusiastic skier, hiker, and biker. I was a private
pilot for 39 years in New York, Virginia, and Colorado. I was on the Board of Directors of our local fire
department in Colorado for 24 years.
(Second photo shows daughter Amanda, husband Chris, and children; third photo shows son Rob and children)
Thirty-nine years experience recruiting professional and managerial level materials/metallurgical engineers
for clients such as Cartech, Special Metals Corp (now part of PCC), Akers National Roll, USX, Bethlehem
Steel/Lukens Steel (now part of Acelor Mittal), and Ervaz Claymont Steel (old CitiSteel USA and Phoenix Steel).
Placements include materials/metallurgical engineers, engrg mgrs, R&D engrs, and mgrs and VP-level executives.
Additional l3 years experience in HR management that included employment responsibilities and related HR
responsibilities to include compensation, EEO, organization development, labor relations, and safety.
1980-present, Owner, A.L. Singmaster Personnel Services
1977-1980, Manager Personnel, Phoenix Steel Corporation. Reported to Vice President, Human Resources
1973-1977, Director of Employee Relations, Wells Fargo Alarm Services (now part of ADT)
1967-1973, PersonnelManager, Foote Mineral Company
1965-1967, Recruiter, SKF Ind.
I came to Lehigh in the fall of 1960 as a token Midwesterner from Wisconsin to help increase the number of states
represented in the student body. Gordy Everstine was my roommate in Drinker House, and Don Jackson was next door.
While I started in Engineering, I soon transferred to Business and Economics and managed to graduate cum laude with
a BS. Pledging a fraternity at our all-male school and winding up as a Sig Ep was one of the best outcomes of my
life. My years as a Sig Ep at Lehigh mostly living on Market St (where Jim O'Brien was my roommate) and the first
year of the new house Up The Hill were some of the happiest years I've had in a very happy life. My '56 stick Buick
provided reliable transportation for the brothers to get into New York City to visit places like McSorley's and to
take Rebel home with me for the holidays. The social life was great with few campus rules, great bands at the house
like Screaming Jay Hawkins, and charming dates from all over the East Coast even if my date did show up a week early
in 1963 for Spring House Party Weekend. My Sig Ep brothers have always meant a great deal to me, and I only regret
that seeing most of them again has been an infrequent event.
Dennis A. Domchek served as the Vice President for Finance and Administration at Moravian College
and Theological Seminary for thirteen years, retiring at the end of 2011. His responsibilities
included financial planning and operations, treasury, purchasing and risk management, human
resources, information technology and facilities management and planning.
The third photo shows our two children, son-in-law, and granddaughter. After Lehigh, I moved to
Indianapolis to work for Bell Labs and to attend Purdue U. for a master's degree in engineering.
Two years later I relocated to Providence, RI, and Brown University for a doctorate in applied mathematics
and, after a two-year interruption for the Navy, I finished in 1971. I then took a job as a civilian
research engineer with a Navy R&D lab in Bethesda, Md., where I worked for 33 years before retiring.
During that time I developed and applied computational methods for structural acoustics and shock
problems. In 1979, I also joined the adjunct engineering faculty at George Washington U. (Washington,
DC), where I taught graduate mechanical and civil engineering courses until 2014, at which point I
retired completely so that my wife Ginny and I could travel more. I was fortunate to meet Ginny when
I was at Brown, and we have two grown children and one granddaughter. Ginny is a retired nurse who
held various positions over the years, including administrator of an assisted living home. She and I
have lived in Gaithersburg, Md., for 48 years and last year celebrated our 50th anniversary.
Choosing Lehigh in 1960 was a no brainer after growing up on the south side of Long Island, New York –
a getaway from a Brooklyn suburb, joining Sig Ep, driving my little red MG, and studying Engineering
(BS). After three years with Gulf Oil, back to Lehigh for a Masters in Operation Research with Charlotte
putting hubby through! Eighteen years followed with Gulf at Philadelphia (refining), Pittsburgh (HQ
briefly), Houston (petrochemicals), San Diego (nuclear), and Denver. Ended up in Colorado for oil shale
and uranium projects (end of Gulf).
I was born in San Francisco, and my dad's job took the family to Chatham, NJ, where I went to high school.
Started Lehigh with class of '63 (roommate was Mike Dunham), but lost my sophomore year due to illness.
Got back a year later and graduated with M.E. with class of '64. The day after graduation, I was
travelling to California with a job in the LA area. That trip was with Don Jackson, in his '57 Chevy, and
John Somodi. We all got to see Dave Depew off to Viet Nam out of San Diego during that trip. The guys
headed back to the east coast, while I started my first job out of school.
I was born in Jersey City, NJ, and moved to Fair Lawn, NJ, at the age of 6. Attended public schools in Fair Lawn,
NJ, and met my wife to be, Barbara, in the 11th grade.
(The second photo shows granddaughter.)
After graduation, US Navy in Vietnam, MBA and IBM for 33 years which took me from LA to Atlanta, Princeton,
and Wilton, Ct,. where we have lived for past 34 years. Retired in 2002 and wife Julia (41 years) and I have
had a grand time traveling. Leaving Ct now for Cardiff, Ca near San Diego, where daughter, Katharine, husband
Jeremy and grand daughter Ellie live... we've been snowbirds there for past 5 years and are eager to become
permanent residents. Looking forward to more adventures from our new home base.
Immediately upon graduation I went to the U.S. Army Transportation Officers Course at Ft. Eustis, VA. Was surprised
to be posted to Germany, the country of my birth. Started running convoys of tanks and artillery pieces all over
Germany on very large transporters we called "Dragon wagons." Great fun! Then spent almost 2 years in Ludwigsburg
as an Operations Officer with 7th Army Transportation. Great fun and hated to leave the service.
(The third photo shows Doug with John Voorhees '65 at Masters.)
After graduation, Sandy and I lived in Virginia, Florida, and finally the Chicago suburbs. Sandy is an
alumnus of Moravian College and earned her Master of Education degree from Lehigh. I earned my MBA from
Loyola University of Chicago. I worked for IMC Global (now called Mosaic) for 27 years and retired in 1996.
IMC is an international fertilizer company with mines in Florida, Saskatchewan, and New Mexico. IMC also
had chemical, mineral, and animal products plants in the United States. My final position was Director of
Transportation, responsible for all transportation in the United States and Canada. Sandy retired from
Mallinckrodt Veterinary in 1997 after 20 years. In 1998 I started work with a steel company as manager of
logistics, with plants in Kansas City, MO, and Georgetown, SC. They moved us to Murrells Inlet, SC.
I retired from the steel company in 2002. Our two grandchildren live in Rockford, IL. I made my first
hole-in-one on May 14, 2019. We have been able to travel, including Calgary Winter Olympics, Super Bowl
in New Orleans where the Chicago Bears beat New England, Hawaii, the Masters with John Voorhees, and
concerts including Bruno Mars and Carrie Underwood.
Born in Pärnu, Estonia, on April 10, 1943, a perilous time caught between 2 armies at war — Germany and
Russia. My father and family fled in August 1944, the last boat out, while our city was burning. Just like that
we became Displaced People (DPs) in caravans, fleeing the Russian armies. With the help of German soldiers and
civilians, we finally made it to Vorarlberg, Austria, in February of 1945. Growing up in Austria, I thought we
were going to stay in the beautiful Alps forever, but, at age 6, my father, through great effort, plus help
from the World Lutheran Federations and the International Relief Organization, we were able to emigrate to
America in 1949 — thanks also to the Truman Doctrine, which opened up the US to 400,000 DPs like us. We had a
sponsor, so no Ellis Island, but direct to the Port of New York. So that was my first transatlantic voyage, with
831 other DPs, and my first view of the Statue of Liberty, through the early morning mist.
I grew up in Berkeley Heights, NJ, and graduated from Governor Livingston High School. Majored in
marketing at Lehigh. My first job was with Delta Air Lines in marketing and was based in New York City.
Uncle Sam decided that I needed to join the Army, and I ended up running airfield operations at
Robert Gray Army Airfield, Fort Hood, Killeen, Texas. I rejoined Delta for a few years and then took
a similar position at Qantas Airways in New York City. I was soon promoted to Sales Manager Eastern
Canada based in Toronto. Then, I was promoted to Manager Northeast US based in New York City. Needless
to say, that, while I was employed by the airlines, I was able to travel extensively. I visited most
of the states in the US and provinces in Canada. I also toured Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tahiti.
(Photo shows Randy, wife Becky, daughter-in-law Emily, sister-in-law Debbie, and son Randolph Jr.)
In addition to graduating from Lehigh, I was also commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army, and I came onto
active duty in July of 1966. I served two years in Germany, and my last assignment was as the Commanding Officer
of the 77th Transportation Company. I was discharged in August of 1968 and later attained the rank of Captain
in the Army Reserve.
Grew up in Ephrata, PA, and graduated from Ephrata High School in 1962. Graduated from Lehigh in 1966 with
BSChE degree. Roommates were Walt Mamchur '64, Jim Kilmoyer '67 and Buddy Swartz '68. Rebel was our suite
mate for all 3 years. Was Pledge Master my senior year.
Before Lehigh
• Grew up in New Hyde Park, Long Island, NY
• Played trombone only through high school and have regretted not continuing ever since
• No sports, except a dismal experience with lacrosse, which explains why I am an abysmal golfer
• Majored in marketing
• Served as Social Director at SigEp for two years, doing a better job with this than with my studies
• Met my wonderful wife of 40 years, Marianne, in 1964 on a Sunday after Spring House Party weekend, hitchhiking
from town back to campus with Phil Viola
• Graduated on time thanks to a few summer school sessions
• Two years in US Army (1967-1969), lucking out with one-year desk jobs at Ft. Knox and then Germany in the
middle of the Viet Nam era
• On a lark, interviewed with Combustion Engineering in April 1969 and walked out the door 41 years later
• Didn't set the corporate world on fire, but a rewarding career in a variety of positions finally ending up in
marketing only 30 years after majoring in it
• Marianne and I had one son, Derek, in 1967. Named him after our fraternity brother Derek White, as we liked
the name so much. Discovered years later after Derek White's passing that they were both born on October 28
• We lived outside of the Hartford, CT, area in Bloomfield and Windsor
• Marianne battled a number of health issues and, through them all, maintained the most positive attitude
imaginable. She passed away in 2006, two weeks short of our 40th wedding anniversary.
• Met my current wife Linda in 2007 via eHarmony. She had lost her husband in 2005 after 32 years of marriage.
• Linda was an elementary school teacher in Elmira, NY, for 22 years, retiring in 2012.
• We sold each of our homes and now live in Madison, CT, on the shoreline in the home Linda knew since she was
4 years old as a summer house. Winterized years ago, it now is going through a rebirth with a major renovation.
• Linda has two daughters, each having a boy and girl, and I have two grandsons. In a few weeks their ages will
be 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, and 4.
• Our life together is beyond wonderful, as we enjoy our family, our location, our winters in Florida, our
challenged golf, travel and our friends.
• Linda came to the 2014 reunion, but said three days with me and my buddy Rich Haas was too much to do it again
and elected to stay at home with her best Elmira girl friend visiting.
In my home town of Chicago, very few people, including me, had ever heard of Lehigh, so getting there
was serendipitous. When my mother pressed me to figure out where I wanted to go to college, I thought
I would just go to Princeton, since my father had gone there, and it was the only place I was familiar
with. Then she said I had to choose some other schools to look at in the likely event that Princeton
wouldn't have me. So, to make her happy, I found some other schools not far from Princeton to visit,
and that brought me to Lehigh. As I left Mr. Missimer's office, I knew, with great clarity, Lehigh was
where I was going to go, and I never applied anywhere else.
I grew up in Harrisburg (Central Dauphin HS) and came to Lehigh because it was the right distance from
Harrisburg. I didn't rush with the rest of the freshman class, because I didn't think I could afford it.
Also, it didn't help that the registrar (or whoever handles these things) had listed my first semester
grade average as 0.33 instead of 3.3. so no one was very interested in me anyway. I was brought up to
the Sig Ep house by Bart Cameron for a post-rush dinner and was invited to stay.
(The last photo shows Johnson, Kilmoyer, and Cameron at Joe Power's funeral, 2018.)
I just read my biography from the 2007 reunion — thanks to Gordy for saving these. Rather than repeat all
that history, I'll take it from the end of that bio.
I had no business going to Lehigh. I wasn't prepared academically or financially or psychologically!
My small, rural, unified high school, Southbury, Ct., 63 seniors, was a month behind my previous,
progressive school, Naugatuck, when we moved there in February of my freshman year. Same county, New Haven,
same books, but small ... rural, behind. My grades were decent, my SATs uninspiring. But I was
"well-rounded," participated in sports, student government (Boys State), drama club. and year book.
So ... first semester, I flunked calculus, took it again, got a D. Same with Accounting 1 and 2; F ... D.
Did really well in Macro. Show me the big picture!
I was born in Pittsburgh May 12, 1945. I grew up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Brentwood and was the
eldest of 4 children. My father was a heavy steel fabricator who owned a business called PESCO, where
I worked in the summers. I was an eagle scout. When it came to choosing a college, I thought I
wanted to be an engineer, like my father before me, and I thought I would play football, which led
me to Lehigh. Ultimately I did neither, graduating with a business major.
I was born at a very young age in Lebanon, PA, and have been headquartered here ever since.
After graduating from Lehigh in June 1969 (BSEE), I moved to Rochester, NY, to start work as a Field Service
Engineer for General Dynamics, focused on the F-111 airplane. My fellow Sig Ep, Bob Shattuck, was my roommate
there, as he was working for Kodak. With a fairly low draft number, I decided to enlist in the Army National
Guard to avoid being drafted into the army. Upon returning to Rochester after my 6 months active duty,
General Dynamics had closed their Rochester facility. I then moved to Greensboro, NC, and joined Western
Electric Co. working as an engineer in their Printed Circuit Board Operation that was just staffing up to
"seed" a mfr. plant being built in Richmond, VA. During my initial time there, I was sent to Naperville, Ill,
to work with Bell Labs for a year. While there, I roomed with another '69 Sig Ep, John McLean, who was
employed by Bell Labs. After the year, I returned to Greensboro for a short time, and then moved to the new
plant in Richmond, VA. During my time there (1975-1980), my two children (Shannon and Mark) were born, and I
also found time to go to night school at Univ. of Richmond and received my MBA in 1980.
Major: Social Psychology after spending 2.5 years in Metallurgical Engineering
Spouse/Partner's name: Marilyn (photo 2)
Hometown (Summer/Winter): Pittsburgh, PA
Children: Cameron and Nazia (wife) (photo 3)
Grandchildren: none
In 1969, I returned to Pittsburgh, married an amazing life partner, Marilyn, and began my education career
teaching high school math and woodworking as an art course, and later, after earning a M.Ed. remotely from
Antioch University, managing high school staff. This education focus took us to Amenia, NY, Groton, MA, and
Whitehouse, NJ. Shifting careers, I applied technology and data science to automate metals and chemical
producers, parts manufacturers, and government for 33 years. Just prior to 9/11/01, I started my own
e-business technology firm. Volatile business conditions took me back to teaching socially-challenged
students, co-managing the Pittsburgh School District's 90-person IT Dept, and applying technology for the
Mayor to improve day-to-day city operations. I enjoy re-purposing existing buildings, re-rehabilitating
houses, and increasing inter-faith and inter-racial relationships among young people.
Lehigh was a fun place to learn about independence, one's ego, and coming of age in the late '60s. Living
at Dravo House and Sigma Phi Epsilon, changing from engineering to liberal arts, and enduring all those
losing Fred Dunlap football seasons as equipment manager taught me to put "joy of pursuit" ahead of "being #1."
Coach Dunlap epitomized how to lead, manage, and deal with conflict. Our Sig Ep pledge class only endured
the hazing right-of-passage to achieve, once inside, institutional change and progressive "calls to action."
The Sig Ep and Lehigh environment showed what it takes to emerge from college as a leader. It allowed me to
see more value and joy in social and business problem-solving rather than becoming a professional engineer.
I grew up in suburbia on Long Island. I graduated from Lehigh in June 1969 with a BS in Mechanical
Engineering. At Sig Ep, I was the Scholarship Chairperson in charge of note and test files and trying
to keep decorum/quiet (sometimes impossible) in the dorm area during study hours.
I came to Lehigh planning to become an engineer, which made sense at the time given it's an engineering
school. I discovered, however, that majoring in engineering required working hard and knowing stuff.
After a detailed analysis focused on finding the easiest possible curriculum, I changed my major to finance
as a sophomore and also met my dearly-beloved future wife Claire that year. It was a very good year!!
I came to Lehigh from high School in Rhode Island. I had lived in probably 10 different locations before
attending Lehigh, so my time there ended up being the longest I had lived anywhere before then. I graduated
with a BSME and started full-time work life in Rochester, NY, with fellow Sig Ep Bruce Fitcher at Kodak.
After 8 weeks Kodak closed the operation I was assigned, and I was out of a job (welcome to the real world!).
Fortunately, Bruce was employed at General Dynamics, which was hiring, and I lost little time in getting
back to the workforce. But that ended 13 months later when they closed and moved operations to California.
(real world again ...).
Shortly after graduation from Lehigh with a BS in Engineering Mechanics, I went into Air Force pilot training
at Vance AFB in Enid, OK. Prior to graduation from pilot training, I married my college sweetheart, Arlene
Forest (Momo Class of '70). Our adventures took us from Oklahoma to Laredo, Texas, and then to Selma, Alabama,
where I served as an instructor pilot in the T-37 (a small twin engine jet trainer). We had wonderful
experiences while in the Air Force and then exited in 1975. I returned to college at Penn State to pursue a
passion in Horticulture, where I received a second BS degree in 1977. I worked in landscaping and garden
center management for 6 years. By that time, Arlene and I had two sons, and we moved to Madison, CT, in
1979, returning to where Arlene had grown up. We built a home there that was back in the woods but a short
walk to the beaches of Long Island Sound.
(Alanna, Josh, Jack, and Susan Wielar, Madera, Italy, 2019)
In my sophomore year, I joined Tom Barr and several other Sig Ep brothers working as a waiter in the Faculty
Dining Room, serving both lunches and dinner. I did this until the start of 2nd semester senior year, when it
became time to punt.
Lehigh was very, very good for me. I do hope it was for all of us who passed through its hallowed halls.
I guess I knew that science or engineering was my path in life, and I can't discount the good high school
preparation that Haverford public school system provided me. It certainly helped me get through freshman
year without too much sweat. My introduction to Lehigh life came the previous summer, just before classes
started, when I attended "band camp" with the Lehigh marching band — a season warmup of marching
band drills and routines located at a 5-day off-site in the Poconos. I immediately realized that college
life was different from any high school life that I knew. Band camp started out with a hangover that I
remember to this day. Although the football season was not anything to remember, two years with the
Marching '97 was a great way to participate in the fall activities.
I've been living in same house since 1975 in Spring City, PA, which is near Valley Forge. Married to Lehigh-times
sweetheart Robyn (Banks) Burckhardt since 1973 after Robyn's graduation from Kutztown (Art Education). We have two
daughters, Molly in Norwalk, CT, and Jesse in nearby Gilbertsville, PA. Molly is a 2000 (Journalism) and 2001
(Political Science) Lehigh grad who is married to Brodey Crosland, also a Lehigh grad (Marketing). They have two
kids, Charley and Lucy. Jesse is a 2001 Philadelphia Textile and Sciences (Fashion Design) graduate who is married
to Shane Mayer, also a Textile Grad (Architect). They have two kids, Jonah and Sadie.
PERSONAL
Married to Melanie for 46 years
Two children, four grandchildren
Recreational interests: Boating
EDUCATION
MS in Mechanical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), 1976
BS in Engineering Physics, Lehigh University, 1970
Honorary fraternities: Phi Beta Kappa, Tau Beta Pi
SIG EP
Roommates: Art Abriss, Bill Barter, Ned Locke, Jim Dorris
Office: Scholarship Chairman
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
From 1988 until retirement in 2013, I was a Federal Project Officer for the US Department of Energy
responsible for monitoring and managing federally funded energy-related research, development and
demonstration projects. From 1977 until 1988, I held various engineering positions at General Electric
Power Systems. I performed heat transfer analysis and aerodynamic design of advanced gas turbines.
As an Application Engineer, I coordinated engineering activities to support marketing of utility and
industrial gas turbines. From 1970 until 1977, I worked as a Design Engineer at Hamilton Standard
Division of United Aircraft.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
Volunteer experience includes active membership in the Gideons International and New Life Church.
I grew up in Rahway, New Jersey, about 20 miles outside of New York City. Attended the normal 4 years at Lehigh,
living 3 years in the Fraternity House. Right after graduation, I went in the Peace Corps in Thailand as a
construction consultant in a rural public works program, assisting with small village-level flood control and
irrigation projects. Shortly after returning, I moved to the Boston area, where I continue to reside today.
(The last three photos are from 1967, 1975, and 2019.)
I was born in Wheeling, WV, grew up in Ohio, and later eastern Pennsylvania, and graduated HS from Pennsbury HS
in Fairless Hills, PA, in 1966. I entered Lehigh in 1966 in the Engineering Physics department. During my freshman
year I was lucky enough to be selected as a member of the Lehigh French Engineers. This program was funded by
the federal government with the goal of introducing a bunch of engineers to the world before they were lost to
their slide rules and textbooks. The program required a year of French language study at Lehigh during our
freshman year and leading to 3 months attending special language classes at the University of Nice, in Nice, FR.
We stayed in the University dorms when not attending classes downtown Nice within a block of the pebbled Riviera.
Rough duty, but I and my fellow Lehigh engineers managed to survive. This exposed me to the world of travel
including Paris, Italy, and the Côte d'Azur. I still speak a bit of "Fran-glais," and I have returned to France
multiple times over the last 50 years. I graduated 1970 with a BS in Engineering Physics, Summa Cum Laude, and a
member of Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Beta Pi honorary societies. Lehigh exposed me to the rigors of engineering and
introduced me to physics research as well as the world of hard partying on weekends.
(Photos: 1-3, Bob & Cindy; 4, with sons & their wives at marriage of older son; 5-6, grandkids, 2018 & recent)
Jersey Boy. Childhood challenges. Slow starter at Lehigh, but caught on quickly, earning BS & MBA in five
years. Got married and attended law school. Divorced — Let's just say it wasn't her fault,
but, with a marriage lasting less than one year, judge sentenced me to seven more years for more misbehavior.
2nd marriage much better — 40 years this coming August. 2 great sons, 2 delightful daughters-in-law, and
2 adorable, life-altering grandkids. Ran out of access to scholarships + loans after eight years of
post-secondary education, so finally had to go to work. Get quickly bored tackling the similar types of
challenges, tasks, and environs, so I've had far too many careers to remember. Have no recall, but somehow
my bride raised two fine sons without much assistance from me, as my foolish attempts to grab the brass ring
had me on the road traveling domestically and internationally most of the time. Thought I was important;
turned out I just was a bad speller. Still don't know what I want to be/do when I grow up, so I run college
reunions for a bunch of old farts who apparently never grew up as well. For the most part, however, it's been
a great ride! See you next week.
Answer to most common question: Why do I spend so much time on silly reunions? Simple, unbeknownst to my
fraternity brothers and just about everyone else, I grew up a bipolar kid with an irrationally raging father
who regularly beat me and locked me in closets with no legitimate precipitating cause (as if there could be).
Sigma Phi Epsilon was the very first place I felt I had a safe home among people I trusted, a real home.
My SigEp experience changed my life forever. With no disrespect to my loving mother, who was also a victim,
I suspect one's first real home is important to each of us.
Raised in Joisy — first Joisy Cidy and den Montclair. Father beat good grades into us. Not many friends,
as afraid + embarrassed to bring friends 'home.' Waz one of da few who entered Lehigh directly as a bidness
major to avoid taking a fern language, had nuf truble with ingish. Got off to slo start (I can assure you
SigEp didn't rush me for my 1st mester grades). Joisy boy figured out da system after dat. Being bipolar,
didn't sleep butt 4 hours, so wood register fir 8 am + Saturday classes. Doze two tings wuz probably worth
close to an extra grade in my cumulative average cause I'da show up and half da class woodn't. Discovered
early that in scool — as in life — half the time you just have to show up to get ahead.
Maticulated #1 marketing student in class; not saying much — believe dare wuz only 17 of uts, and most
of dem slept in. Wuz House Treasurer.
I parlayed my education and my experience working as an honors legal intern underneath Secretary of State Henry
Kissinger (I seriously doubt he knew my name) into my first real job as a corporate associate with Cravath,
Swaine & Moore, a prestigious Wall Street law firm, where I specialized in corporate securities offerings.
After several years, I made a lateral move from Cravath to what is now known as Kilpatrick Stockton & Townsend,
one of the premier Atlanta-based law firms, where [again] good timing would have me become one of the nation's
most active merger and acquisition attorneys over the next five years, an experience that put me on the road
45 weeks a year but honed my skills and reputation in a newly booming specialty.
My legal experience at the highest level of major corporate transactions placed me in good position to make
a desired switch from the legal side to the business side. After a brief hiccup where I took a short-lived
position as Director of Corporate Development for what was targeted to be a revolutionary new joint-venture
between IBM, Sears, and Comsat (the satellite company) in direct broadcast satellite TV in late 1979 (about
a decade too soon), I ended up on my feet almost by accident as head of mergers and acquisitions for then
Fortune 50 Beverly Hills-based Litton Industries, the largest and most diverse conglomerate enterprise in
American business history. It was a dream job, and I was barely 31. Spending the next five years on the road,
literally flying out of LAX almost every Sunday evening over the cap to Europe or cross country to New York,
Boston, or elsewhere, I likely bird-dogged, negotiated, and closed more transactions than all but about five
to ten other individuals in the world at the time. What a ride, but again, outside circumstances had something
else in mind. Over dinner late one evening in Paris, the CEO of a division of Litton that I was in the process
of selling asks me if I would assist him in putting together a leveraged buyout of an orphan company that
remained from a larger public company acquisition I had just completed for Litton. It was a flattering offer,
but I had five valuable years in with Litton, and I wanted to leverage that into my then goal — run a
Litton operation. Well, one thing led to another, and, low and behold, Litton persuaded me to be part of the
LBO management team (I say they persuaded me — they actually suggested I keep doing deals, which was not
what I wanted to do). So we buy the company from Litton. Flipped the company (Itek Graphix) 29 months later
in a sale to General Electric PLC in one of single highest equity return turnaround transactions of the 1980s.
And, yes, there I had been begging Litton to keep me on board with them rather than go with the LBO. As I said,
rather be lucky and at the right place at the right time than smart.
That transaction gave me some flexibility (and the CEO and I were let go at closing), so my wife and I moved
back to Atlanta. I spent the next several years assisting with some turnaround opportunities in Michigan,
New Jersey, and Atlanta, in which our equity partners in our LBO company had troubled investments. However,
living out of hotels and airplanes got old quick, so I was looking for something different. Low and behold,
a golfing buddy was running for U.S. Congress. Knowing nothing about politics and even less about political
campaigns, I ran his campaign. And, in a year hardly any GOP candidates won (George H.W. Bush took about every
GOP candidate down with him breaking his "read my lips, no new taxes pledge"), we won. So, quite by surprise,
my boss took office in January 1993, and he and I became part of Newt Gingrich's inner circle. While my wife
and two sons remained in Atlanta, I got an apartment on Capitol Hill and commuted back and forth weekly to DC
in order to serve as chief of staff to my boss, who not only was at the center of the planning for the Republican
takeover of the House of Representatives in 1994, but also becoming Chairman of the National Republican
Congressional Committee as a consequence of our efforts. The so-called 'Republican Revolution' was an exciting
time, but unfortunately the opportunity was fumbled by the party. Even before the ball had been fumbled, I had
left politics, not because of anything to do with my boss, but because I was witnessing ethical issues
involving others I was working with at the highest level of congressional leadership that I simply could not
be a part of (enough said). Sadly, such reprehensible conduct exists on both sides of the aisle — an
indictment of both parties and our system.
Leaving politics, I re-entered the corporate game, as EVP for Equifax, a major information services company,
and, over the next two years, divested major segment of the business and split the remaining balance of the
company into three public companies through a series of planned transactions increasing its market
capitalization many times over. That successful reorganization resulted in being recruited by National Data
Corp. to do likewise for it by engineering its highly successful public spinoff of its Global Payment merchant
& transaction processing operations. Once again, exhausted with the corporate world, I returned for a third
time to the public sector, serving the ensuing seven years as Chief of Staff of Kennesaw State University,
now the 2nd largest university in the 36-institution University System of Georgia higher education network,
where I had primary responsibility for planning, coordinating, and driving the wholesale transformation of
what was, at the time, a small, nontraditional-age, non-residential commuter college to a full residential,
traditional student age, PhD-granting, comprehensive Division I institution. Despite the challenges of
working with and through faculty members who were/are unaccustomed to budget and rapid decision-making and
have a penchant for an unending series of kumbaya meetings, my seven years in higher ed were the most
rewarding of my career journey. Upon the retirement of my university president, I departed higher education.
Over the past dozen years, a series of health issues have slowed down my pace of work, with my focus switching
more to occasional assignments in the areas of corporate development and serving as in-house general counsel
for several enterprises.
As mentioned, been married now going on 40 years this August. Those who have met my better half, Cindy, can
attest I far out-kicked my punt coverage — again proving my life adage — rather be lucky. When we
first met and, early in her career, Cindy was a corporate paralegal with a specialty in music publishing.
After taking some time off to raise our two sons until they entered school, Cindy returned to school to gain
her interior design certification and has been engaged in various aspects of the interior design and
décor industry for the past 20 years, specializing in remodeling and room redesign of high-end
residences. Going on 32 months ago, Cindy and I took up a new and enjoyable hobby — that of being proud
grandparents. Our older son Ryan (age 33, owner of a small construction company here in the Atlanta area) and
his wife Brady have a darling 33 month old son Grayson Leo Varga, who has a motor that does not stop. And our
younger son Kyle (age 31, an IT professional in Austin TX) and his wife Elizabeth Ann have a 26 month old
princess named Valerie Adelina Varga, who is as cute as cute can be. We were a bit late to the parent game,
as well as late to the grandparent game, but we are enjoying spoiling those two little ones rotten, and, in
my case, no doubt attempting to make up for all the time I didn't spend with our boys that I should have.
Sadly, we don't get do-overs in that realm.
(The photos show "then," 2004, and now.)
Inspired by Sig Ep brother Jim Hall's tales of Peace Corps adventures in Thailand, and with the aid of various
natural stimulants, I decided to forego graduate school and a life of academia in favor of adventure and
satisfaction of my ingrained wanderlust. Denied my first choice, India (Ravi Shankar, Sergeant Pepper,
Maharishis, and Yogis), I spent the next 2.5 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Brazil, returning home in 1973
with my once, future, and current bride, Iélnia.
Art grew up at the Jersey Shore and went to Manasquan High School before coming to Lehigh and meeting his
freshman roommate, Bob Weiss. He majored in Social Relations and went on to do all of his graduate work at
Lehigh, after being awarded a research assistantship. This eventually culminated in a Masters and Doctorate
in Psychology. While at Sig Ep, he first roomed with Chuck Half, followed by rooming with Rick Woodruff,
who spent most weekend nights in his van, which was very convenient for Art, since by then he had met his
future wife, Britt, who was a student at Moravian. There were a variety of Sig Eps who dated a number
of Clewell Hall women at that time. I won't go into details. While at Sig Ep Art served as social chair,
signing a local band, Reign of Iron, to play for multiple party weekends, organizing a bus trip into New
York City to see "Hair", and arranging for a house party where we filled the house with flowers, including
multiple archways designed by a few of the engineers in our group. This was quite a departure from previous
Greek "between the sheets" house party weekends. Art also held the office of Recorder in Sig Ep.
I was born in Glasgow, Scotland. The last of four, each of us came into the world on different continents.
At age eight, we moved to Pittsburgh, PA, where I went to the Falk School; and six years later, to Montclair,
NJ, where I graduated from Montclair Academy. My best memories of Lehigh were rooming with Klaus, and then
Bim, and frequently wandering 'further up the hill.'
(The second and third photos show children and grandchildren.)
I assume none of this constitutes a legal document.
As graduation from Lehigh approached, the weighty issues of job placement and marriage that many of my
classmates faced were not on my radar. Maybe it was just my futile attempt to prolong that golden
four-year experience of campus and fraternity, but I spent the year after graduation attending law
school at Villanova during the week and attending weddings of my buddies on the weekends. The law school
thing continued two more years, but the weddings tailed off and so did contacts with Sig Ep classmates,
other than a couple of road trips with Jon Pearce.
Some folks move from job to job, company to company, while building a career or walking their own path.
Not me, I stayed in one place while the world swirled around me. Here is a brief history of the businesses
I have supported, running side by side with life stuff for the last 47 years.
Getting a ChE degree from Lehigh prepared me for the real business world. And joining the Sig Ep fraternity
made me much more adept socially. Some might remember that I was a Fight Night wrestling champ with one of my
victories in memory of my father, who passed away suddenly our junior year. It was this tragedy which forced
me to abandon getting an advanced degree at MIT so I could join Procter and Gamble (PG) in Cincinnati. To this
day I remember all the support from my Sig Ep brothers as I recovered from my father's death. Thanks to all.
My first job was decided for me thanks to the first draft. But Zan Heir won the Sig Ep pot with a #3. I only
got a #4. Vietnam wound down after a few years, and I went into aerospace as an operations manager, making
large forgings for all the major aircraft suppliers. As that career downsized to nothing (early retirement),
I consulted for a few years, was "drafted" again, but into teaching math and science, advanced to the university
level, and now hold the rank of Doctor of Management. (Gee, just like my LU degree but a few steps higher.)
Born in Greensburg, PA; Attended Central Catholic HS; Currently live in Virginia Beach, VA.
Anne and I met at the Lehigh Sig Ep house in the Fall of 1970, were pinned in February 1970, and were married
in July 1972, a month before I attended Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. At Sig Ep,
I served as Pledge Class President, Assistant Pledge Master, Table Waiter, Bar Tender, and Vice President,
and attended the Sig Ep National Grand Chapter Conclave in 1969 in Dallas, TX. Anne attended Marywood College,
was elected Sig Ep Sweetheart in 1972 and was the undefeated, two-time Lehigh Greek Week Bed Race Champion.
Our oldest son Charlie (Lehigh Civil/Structural Engineer)) is a Commander in the Navy in Port Hueneme, CA,
is married to Heather, and has a daughter Azalea (13) and a son Alder (10). Our daughter Katie (Wake Forest
Business) is a Sales Manager for Lincoln Financial Group in Greensboro, NC, is married to Brad, and has a son
Liam (10). Our youngest son Andy (Penn State Civil Structural Engineer) is a Bridge Engineer in Anchorage, AK,
is married to Georgia, and has a son William (6), a daughter Helen (3), and a son Edward (1).
I earned a BS in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University in 1972 and an MS in Structural Engineering from Lehigh
in 1978. I graduated from the Wharton Advanced Management Program in 1995 and received an honorary Doctorate of
Engineering from Lehigh in 2011. During college, in addition to pledging Sigma Phi Epsilon social fraternity,
I was selected into Phi Eta Sigma, Tau Beta Pi, and Phi Beta Kappa honorary fraternities. I also played Solo
Cornet in the Lehigh Marching and Concert Bands and participated in Air Force ROTC my freshman and sophomore years.
After receiving #12 in the first draft lottery, I enlisted in the Navy Reserves in September 1970 and was
commissioned as an Ensign after graduating from Navy Officer Candidate School. I served in the Navy Civil
Engineer Corps from November 1972 through January 2005, including duty in SE Asia, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean,
the South Pacific, Hawaii, Guam, California, Washington, DC, Virginia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan. I retired
as a Rear Admiral in 2005, after Commanding the Navy Seabee Division, including service with the FIRST Marine
Expeditionary Force during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom from 2002 to 2004. Upon retirement
from the Navy, I served as President of ECC International, a design-build international construction company
until 2012, at which time I founded Kubic Engineer Group and continue to serve as its President, providing
world-wide consulting engineering services.
I have lived in, worked in, or visited 98 countries, 7 continents, and 49 States (ND will be #50). I enjoy
skiing, scuba diving, running, and golf. After becoming an Eagle Scout in high school, I have continued to
volunteer as a Boy Scout Leader, and currently serve as the Bayside District Chairman in the Tidewater
Council in Virginia Beach. I also serve as a member of the Adelphoi Foundation Board serving at-risk youth
and families from its main campus in Latrobe, PA. And I am the National Vice Chair of the Society of
Military Engineers Joint Engineer Operations Committee. I was selected as a White House Fellow in 1985 and
served on the Domestic Policy Council staff during the second term of the Reagan Administration, and, in 2016,
I was selected as a National Security Policy Advisor to Presidential Candidate Donald Trump.
Greensburg, PA, Bethlehem, PA (2x); Souderton, PA; Newport, RI; Port Hueneme, CA (2x); Bangkok, Thailand;
Camarillo, CA; Rota, Spain (2x); Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Roosevelt Roads, PR; Burke, VA (2x); Madrid, Spain;
Agana, Guam; Virginia Beach, VA (2x), Washington, DC, Pearl Harbor, HI; Norfolk, VA; Kuwait City, Kuwait;
Baghdad, Iraq; and Kabul, Afghanistan.
Wrote/published a book, Bridges to Baghdad (2009), chronicling the U.S. Navy Seabees in the Iraq War.
In August 2013, I was honored to receive The Sigma Phi Epsilon Citation for "distinguished service and
outstanding contributions to his chosen field" at the National Grand Conclave in Dallas, TX.
After growing up in Stratford, Connecticut, I headed to Lehigh where I roomed with Frank Kerrigon sophomore
year, John Mahoney junior year, and off-campus senior year with Bob Pim and Bruce Mulder.
I grew up in upstate New York, near Saratoga, and went to Hotchkiss for high school, as the high schools
near me were not set up for college prep. I started at Lehigh as a civil engineer, but quickly realized
the school's predilection for low grades ... hence a move to the Arts College for History, which quickly
became a Finance major.
Here's a moderately edited and updated version of the bio that I wrote for the 2007 reunion. A few things
have changed since then — fortunately all for the better.
Richard, aka Woody, is a former senior executive with almost 30 years experience as CFO and CAO in
Telecoms and Financial Services. I have a BS and MBA from Lehigh University, ultimately graduating in
1973. Upon graduation, after reading The Drifters, I traveled to Europe for an extensive time
on my Triumph 650, doing 14,000 miles throughout Europe — it inspired me and stayed with me. Upon
returning to the United States, I entered the corporate world utilizing my business degree from Lehigh.
After a few jobs — with Doubleday, Citibank, and Chase, primarily in NYC — I moved to Europe
in 1980, being sent there by Chase. My most recent position was as CFO for Belgacom (Belgium's national
telecommunications service provider) Fixed Line business, in addition to CAO during a 9-year tenure with
the firm. Before Belgacom, I worked as CFO in the financial services industry with 10 years at Chase
(Europe Area) and 5 years at Clearstream (HQ in Luxembourg). Additionally, I served as Arthur Andersen's
firm-wide expert on euro implications and also served as an executive director on a number of company
boards. I returned to the United States in 2011 and chose Santa Fe, NM, as my new permanent residence.
Professional Overview:
After graduating Lehigh with a BS in Business & Economics in 1973, I joined Hurdman, Cranstoun, Penney
& Co, CPAs (which later became Main Hurdman and then KPMG) in New York City. After spending five years
at "H&C" and becoming a CPA, a client, Avon Products Inc., invited me to become Avon's head of
Worldwide Accounting. After joining Avon in 1978 and spending four years there, Avon asked me to become
VP & Controller of Tiffany & Co, which they had acquired in 1979. This became a major turning point in
my career, which resulted in me spending the next 35 years of my career in the fine jewelry and luxury
goods industry.
After Lehigh, I moved to New York City briefly and then lived in Westfield, New Jersey, for several years.
I met my wife Suzanne while we both worked at Tiffany & Co in 1985. We married in 1989 and lived in both
Mendham, New Jersey, and Manhattan. We will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary on October 28 of this year.
We have one son, Alex, who is now 29. Alex has lived in New York City and has been in the Global Industrials
Investment Banking Groups of Goldman Sachs and UBS for the last seven years and is now embarking on a career
with the Private Equity firm of Comvest in West Palm Beach, Florida. Alex is pictured above with us and his
lovely girlfriend Gill, whom we adore.
Classmates may remember that I majored in Metallurgy and Materials Science. Following Lehigh graduation in 1973,
I pursued a Doctorate of Engineering Science degree in Material Science from Columbia University. That set me on
an R&D track with Argonne National Laboratory (a DOE lab) just as the energy crisis of the '70s was in full swing.
We pursued all manner of energy sources and energy conservation, including nuclear fission and fusion, biomass,
fuel cells, and batteries. But when OPEC essentially fell apart, and Three Mile Island killed any appetite for
nuclear, I switched into the chemical industry with Celanese Research Company.
After a brief stint in NJ banking, where I met and married my wife of 44 years (3 grown children), Bonnie,
I moved to Baltimore for a fascinating 30-year career as a partner in a hedge fund. We specialized in
trading commodity futures using computer-based quantified trading models. In 2003, I started a foundation
(www.ospreyfdn.org) and retired in 2007 to concentrate on giving back. Through the foundation, I now
focus on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in the developing world, advancing the use of improved
cooking stoves, social justice, and ecumenical and interfaith relations. A confirmed environmentalist, I
was an early adopter of the Tesla (#127 Roadster, #38 Model S) and proudly live in the 3rd LEED Platinum
home built in NJ (on LBI). Sailing, skiing, chasing full solar eclipses, and visiting children (CA, WI, MA)
occupy any off-time that happens to come my way!
Professional Matters:
After graduating from Lehigh back in '73, I began my professional career with Deloitte, Haskins & Sells in their
N.Y.C. office. I worked there for 3 years, servicing primarily Wall Street and commercial banking clients.
During this period, I took courses and studied for and passed the CPA exam and became a New York State CPA.
After college I moved back to Long Island and rented an apartment with a lifelong friend of mine in Queens, NYC.
I met my wife Nancy back in 1979 out at Martell's in the Hamptons. It was my second night in my first group house
that summer. When we first met, she told me she had graduated from a small college in PA that I had probably
never heard of. I said I went to school in PA also and just might know it. It turned out to be Cedar Crest.
We got married in 1985 after a long engagement period and have no children. We now live full-time in Stamford,
CT, with a vacation home out in Easthampton on Long Island, which we will move into full-time eventually.
I graduated from Lehigh in 1974 with a degree in Accounting and went to work for Price Waterhouse in
New York City. My major audit clients included IBM, General Foods, a water utility, and an offshore
investment firm. I was also temporarily lent out to the Nova Scotia office in January, where I first
experienced temperatures 20 degrees below zero and two-foot snow drifts. I even had a two-week
assignment at Bethlehem Steel headquarters in Martin Towers in Bethlehem. In 1975, I sat for and
passed all four parts of the CPA exam, earning my CPA.
The four years at Lehigh were among the best years of my life! Great times, great friends ... and a
little hard work once in a while.
When I graduated from Lehigh in 1975 with a BS Chemical Engineering degree, I had to choose between working
for an oil company on the east coast or heading to the midwest to work for a chemical company. I chose the
chemical company, so moved to the Akron, Ohio, area to work for BFGoodrich. After three assignments with
their corporate training programs, I ultimately settled with the Chemical group in their R&D facility in Avon
Lake, Ohio, suburb of Cleveland.
Rev. 6/11/19