The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/65892
classnotes sons are in the energy business with engineering and finance degrees. "The third son is still in college, not far behind." Ian Cannon '79 is program manager, Engineering Services, for Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. He recently returned to Mas- sachusetts after 33 years in Southern California and currently lives in Beverly. Thomas Dinan '79 writes, "In October 2010 I went to work in San Jose, Calif., for Twin Creeks Technologies, an equipment company that supplies the solar industry. I help them with process development for customer applications." Ken Fast '79 is a principal engineer at Electric Boat in Groton, Conn. Over the last 20 years he has been developing visualization and virtual reality tools for submarine design and supporting advanced manufacturing technologies. He and his wife, Linda, and their three children live in "beautiful Ston- ington," he says. "Our oldest son, Nicholas, will graduate from WPI this May with a degree in mechanical engineering." Sigifredo Gonzalez '79 retired from GL&V; USA in Septem- ber 2010 and moved to Caracas, Venezuela. Steve Kapurch '79 is working at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., as program executive for engineering pro- grams. "In the past I was the lead for systems engineering and was co-author of the NASA systems engineering hand- book," he says. "I've been married to Kim for 28+ years, and we have four children. While serving as a panelist at an NDIA conference in October, I ran into some WPI reps for continuing education." Mary Farren McDonald '79 has been able to catch up with several friends during her travels, including Michael Neece '78, Allison Avery Powell '80, Beth Driscoll Kinney '79, and Karen Chesney Honold '78. Phil Rubin '79 is currently vice president for supply chain at Sealed Air Corporation. He and his wife, Lynn, recently moved to the Atlanta area, where they are enjoying the milder winters (having left New Jersey behind), and the great nearby outdoor activities. They alternate holiday time between Bethany Beach, Del., where they enjoy fishing, kayaking, and the beach, and and Park City, Utah, where skiing and skating con- sume their time. John Booth '80 writes, "In 1996, after 26 years of service, I retired as a colonel from the US Army Corps of Engineers. I spent the last 15 years as general manager for two compa- nies providing installation support services to the Army at Fort Monmouth, N.J., but the post was closed in September because of BRAC (base realignment and closure). It's now time to reinvent myself, as I am not ready to fully retire. As a volunteer, I am the founder and steering committee facilitiator for the Fort Monmouth Chapel Alumni Association, which has over 180 individual and family members. I remain active with the Society of American Military Engineers and the Associa- tion of the U. S. Army, and serve as chair of the Combined Professional Association." Chuck Dyke '80 works at Worley Parson in Bellaire, Texas, as senior principal consultant for infrastructure and environment. Steve Gilrein '80 is deputy director of the Enforcement Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in Dallas. He is married and the father of three, with two sons in college (University of Texas and University of Arkansas). "My beautiful baby daughter is still in high school," he writes. "And, yes, unfortunately, I've become a Cowboys fan." Jeff Hebert '80 has joined DataGlance as vice president of business development. Gareth Kucinkas '80 has been appointed college coun- selor at College Alpin Beau Soleil in Villars sur Ollon, Switzer- land. He continues in his roles as physics teacher and houseparent. Allison Avery Powers '80 reports, "We've been living in Hudson, Ohio, for the past seven years (on the east side, be- tween Cleveland and Akron). The city has a very New England feel, with a clock tower that plays carillon bells. Hmm… what else do I know that has a clock tower? I've been very active in a newcomers-type group of 150 women called New Cleve- landers. I used to be more quiet and shy but I'm over that and love meeting new people. My husband, Jim, has "retired" from First Energy and is now consulting in the nuclear power field for Powers Energy Solutions of Charlotte, N.C We plan on moving there sometime in the next year or so. I haven't had a paying job in a while but every time we move, I get involved in something else, so who knows? I'm on LinkedIn if you want to connect." Martin Rowe '80 writes, "Coming up on 20 years as senior technical editor with Test & Measurement World. Much has changed, including the magazine/website, which changed hands twice in 2010. We're now part of UBM Electronics, which includes EDN and EE Times. A lot has changed in tech- nology, too, but—believe it or not—a lot hasn't changed. Randy Byrne '81 writes, "I am VP of marketing with Malvern Instruments, living in nearby Grafton, Mass., with my wife, Donna." Thomas Connerton '81 is founder and CEO of Safety Tech- nologies LLC in Simsbury, Conn. He previously served as an expert in high-performance coating systems and polymers for the protection of notable structures in the United States, Europe, and the Far East, including Jubal Industrial City in Saudi Arabia. Later in his career, as international architectural product manager for Chemfab Corporation, he worked on the roof of the Georgia Dome, The Denver Airport, and the Millen- nium Dome in London. "It was all about the projects and the responsibility for completion of those projects at WPI that got me to take my wonderful journey!" he says. Thomas's present company develops intellectual property for the safety and medical device industry by combining structural engineering and polymer engineering to create products such as dispos- able surgical and exam gloves with a very high resistance to puncture, cut, and tear. "In many respects it is the same areas of concern that an engineer or architect would have when specifying a roof membrane. It is all structural! I have been blessed with being involved in a game changing technology!" Elvis Osei-Bonsu '81 writes, "I am trying to bring WPI's education system into Ghana. Africa needs the WPI Plan to influence the development agenda." Valerie Boynton Plummer '81 says, "I have recently cele- brated my 30th service anniversary as a manager at Verizon Communications. My triplet sons turned 18 and all started college this past fall. One is a freshman at WPI!" James Connor '81 is director, engineering, technology and environmental management, at UC Berkeley Extension. "WPI alumni in the greater San Francisco/San Jose Bay Area inter- ested in part-time adjunct teaching for UC Berkeley Extension are welcome to contact me," he says. 7 Frank Polito '81 is department head for electronic and computer engineering technology at NHTI, Concord's Com- munity College (formerly New Hampshire Technical Institute), where he also runs Animation and Graphic Game Program- ming departments. He has served as selectman and as town moderator of his home town, Atkinson, N.H. His son, David, is junior at WPI studying biomedical engineering. Scot Robertson '81 started a new position as executive business manager for smart grid products and powerline communications at Maxim Integrated Products. He lives in Newport Beach, Calif. Fred Rook '81 writes, "I graduated from WPI with a degree in chemistry, but at Virginia Tech I changed direction and received my MS in electrical engineering. I worked as an engi- neer at a couple of companies but eventually left engineering entirely. I've worked as an estate and financial professional for over 13 years now. I live in Richmond with my wife. Our three children are all adults now and out on their own." Kristi Thompson '81 writes, "Our daughter, Sierra, gradu- ates this year from Union College. I have been an indepen- dent consultant for almost 14 years, and my husband, Mark, continues his work as a manufacturing engineer." Jeffrey Smith '81 recently joined Data Computer Corpora- tion of America as SVP. DCCA is based in Columbia, Md. 72 Spring 2012