The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/277771
58 Spring 2014 class notes 1975 Doug DeWitte follows his poem in the Summer 2013 issue with this: It's interesting Is it? Sing, I invite you! Gerald "Dutch" Forstater writes, "I wrote the lead article for a cover story in the January issue of Homeland Security magazine. Bob Horner reports that he continues to enjoy his public policy and lobbying activities for the Illuminating Engineer- ing Society and does not miss corporate America one bit. In June, Bob's son Jim will be getting married. His younger son, Daniel, graduated with a degree in economics and now has a job. "Both sons on their own…life is good!" Paul Varadian is founder and CEO of AlumniBridge. See his story in the Wπ section at the front of this issue. Dave Westerling ('95 PhD) writes, "I have been elected to the board of directors of the Association of Inspectors General. Recently, while on sabbatical leave from the Civil Engineering Department at Merrimack College, I served as interim inspector general for the City of New Orleans." Jon Wyman was appointed associate vice president of facilities management at Mount Wachusett Community College, managing operations for the existing 500,000-square-foot main campus. He will also play an instrumental role in construction of a $41 million science and technology building for the Gardner, Mass., campus. Wyman served in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps for 24 years. After retiring from the Navy in 1999, he worked with contractors to provide facilities support at military bases nationwide, most recently as general manager of facility management, construction, engineering, and operations for IAP Worldwide Services at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Mass. 1976 Brian Mellea reports that 2013 was a good year. "Consulting business booming in Silicon Valley. Family prospering. But 2013 ended on a down note with the extreme lack of snow in Tahoe for our skiing. But 2014 will be a big year for us. An 8th grader 'elevating' to 9th grade, a niece off to Penn, a son running a TEDx event, and myself leading Boy Scouts at Philmont—in addition to our 2.5 weeks in mid- and northern Italy and the Dolomites. Suggestions for what to see and do in Italy would be appreciated!" 1977 Merrick Cohen (MS EE) writes, "After graduating with my master's, I married a beautiful native Bostonian. Her name is Marlene. That cemented my tie to Massachusetts, and I settled in Chestnut Hill. We have two sons, ages 18 and 21, who are pursuing professional degrees in law and medicine. I had a long career at AT&T; Bell Laboratories as a forward-looking technology planning manager, and I now am retired. Traveling, consulting, and involvement in community affairs keep me busy. We recently adopted Cosmo, a beautiful Goldendoodle. Walking him daily is a new experience and thanks to his energy, he keeps me in shape. To any of my classmates who may remember me: send a note to mlcohen@rcn.com. I would enjoy hearing from you." 1978 Ian Cannon asks, "What are the odds of three different WPI class representatives being in the same place at once?" Ian, Andrew Bruce '88, and Ed Minasian '92 met up in Stavanger, Norway, at the International Association of Drilling Contractors' Advanced Rig Technology Conference, where they were part of a larger dinner gathering at the end of the frst day of the conference. Ian and Ed are with Shell TechWorks in Cambridge, Mass., and Andrew is with National Oilwell Varco in Houston. Ian was a contributing author for the conference presentation titled "Culture and Change in Upstream Oil & Gas Business in Acceptance of New Technology." John Hannon worked for DuPont for 32 years and retired in 2010. He writes, "My work included frearms manufac- turing (Remington arms), nylon spinning R&D;, mechanical development, pharmaceutical packaging, medical devices, Corian manufacturing (including technology Joel Loitherstein registered for his 20th Pan-Mass Challenge—a 200-mile bike ride that last year contributed almost $40 million to Dana Farber's Jimmy Fund. "Although I used cycling for transportation around WPI, I was not a real cyclist back then. (Actually, motorcycles were more my speed.) When I moved back to Boston in 1981, I realized that bicycling was a better form of transportation in the city. Did my frst Pan-Mass Challenge in 1995, to honor my father and my mother-in-law, who had both fought cancer. Since then, I have become an avid cyclist and did a cross-country ride in 2002. I now do about 10 charity rides a year, including the Livestrong Ride in Austin, Texas, where I get together with fellow WPI AEPi alumni who live in that area." In 2011, Joel closed his environmental frm and joined Tata & Howard Inc., a frm founded by Donald Tata '75 and Paul Howard '82. Joel lives in Ashland, Mass., with his wife, State Senator Karen Spilka, and their dog, Brisco. They have two sons—Jake is a WPI '11 management engineering grad who works at a construction frm in Boston; Scott went to Union College and is a teacher in the Bronx, where he heads up the history department. '73 WPI_classnotes_final.indd 58 3/9/14 2:42 PM