The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/95644
classnotes Martin for 27 years, 20 of which were with the Hanover Team. I'm looking forward to the much shorter commute as well as the interesting work being done by the GTL team." 10 Andy Davidson '79 writes, "I recently became a grandfather two more times. Abilgale Stella Hayslip was born Jan. 16, followed by Isaac Anthony Davidson on April 25." Mary Farren McDonald '79 says, "My son, Brendan, has graduated from high school and will be going to St. Andrews in Scotland to study astrophysics—so I'm looking for consult- ing work in the UK now!" Laurel (Wiljanen) Holland Hajek '79 writes, "What a jour- ney! WPI seems so many lives ago. I have a private practice as a holistic life coach. During my adult life I have focused on being mother to three fantastic individuals, earned a graduate degree in counseling psychology, studied energy medicine, and worked in various part-time jobs that helped groom me for what I do now—and I love what I do! I have written two manu- scripts and am exploring the human experience in a depth that brings me true fulfillment. I have a website (laurelhh.com) and a blog (laurelhh.wordpress.com), where anyone can learn more about my work and connect with me." 11 Steve Rusckowski '79 was named president and CEO of Quest Diagnostics in Madison, N.J. Chuck Dyke '80 works for WorleyParsons in Bellaire, Texas. His employer's name was misspelled in the previous issue. Tom Horgan '80 is senior director of licensing at Digimarc Corp. His son, Chad, graduated from Lincoln High School in Portland, Ore., and will attend the University of Denver this fall. Gareth Kucinkas '80 says, "I am living in Villars sur Ollon, Switzerland, and teaching at the College Alpine Beau Soleil. I am also college counselor and RoundSquare representative. Unfortunately, I have made little progress in my skiing. Both my son and my wife ski much faster than I do." Richard Welch '80 writes, "Continuing as VP and COO at Unirac/Hilti in Albuquerque. My entire career has been in technology companies (nuclear, aerospace, semiconduc- tors, etc.); at Unirac we design and manufacture aluminum and steel mounting structures for photovoltaic solar panels. Our product offerings range from small systems (a few kilo- watts and up) for residential rooftops thru multi-megawatt utility-scale projects occupying hundreds of acres of ground space. I travel frequently between our homes in Albuquer- que and Mt. Laurel, N.J., and between the U.S. and the rest of the world. I have attended WPI's past two annual student project presentations in Santa Fe (great projects stemming from the training provided by the Plan). Unirac will be con- tributing the solar racking to WPI's Solar Decathlon effort in 12 Datong, China, in 2013; the design effort is just now getting under way with the WPI/Unirac team selecting the solar panel/racking combination for the house to be constructed for the project." 12 Bruce MacLeod '81 says, "Still working and living in Gorham, Maine. I have my own consulting practice and work with my wife, Lynne. We celebrated our 30th anniversary in 2011. Recently met up with Jocelyn Kent Smyth '81, as our daughters are dating boys from the same family (small world). I just started working with George Thorng '81 to expand services into Southern New England." Rick Rykosky '81 reports, "I'm working for Valero Refining Corp. in New Orleans as facility superintendent. Orlene and I have four children—Luc, Arlie, Breane, and Dylon. I received an MBA from Loyola University New Orleans in the mid-'80s. I spent 17 years at GATX Corp. and then worked for Valero for 13 years. Our main focus now is getting the kids out of college!" Dennis Wysocki '81 shares, "The thought of winning a baseball hat caused me to reflect on my baseball days at WPI. Led by the fearless Charlie McNulty ("the Dean of Col- lege Baseball"), our squad was very competitive, although we never really managed to have a special season. We did have many special moments, however. One of the most memorable for me was the time we had to play an away game at Brandeis (a perennial powerhouse that was riding a record 26-game winning streak) on Spree Day. I don't think Spree Day is still around, but at the time (1979) it was a day that all the students looked forward to: no classes, live bands on the Quad, free beer everywhere. And here we were, heading off on a bus to face a likely defeat. But rather than feel sorry for ourselves, we found a way to salvage the day. Don Maki '81 pitched a wonderful game, we scored a few early runs, and then held on to win a very exciting ballgame, snapping the Brandeis winning streak! Though we didn't have a chance to enjoy that Spree Day, we found an alterna- tive celebration." Philip Guerin '82, selected as a Champion of Change by the Obama Administration, was honored in a White House ceremony for his work in bringing solar power to Worcester's water treatment plant. He is director of engineering for the Worcester Department of Public Works and Parks. John Kemp '82 is now president and CEO at Barry Controls ("market leader in developing solutions for noise, vibration, and shock," he notes) in Hopkinton, Mass., and Ithaca, Mich. John and his wife, Barbara, live in Millbury, Mass. Jay Koven '82 says, "I have just completed my master's de- gree in computer science and will be starting a CS PhD pro- gram at NYU-Poly in the fall. My daughter Belle completed her MS in systems engineering at USC, son Robert completed his BS in electrical engineering at the University of Arizona, and son William completed his BS in engineering with a concentra- tion in computer engineering at Harvey Mudd this year. That leaves one to go: daughter Rose is in general studies at Drexel with a concentration in STEM. Oh, yeah, and my wife, Margery, and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary. One heck of year!" Arne Salonen '82 completed the MBA program in design strategy (DMBA) at California College of the Arts. He says, "The DMBA program seeks to create leaders who integrate design innovation and business thinking with environmental, ethical, and social responsibility principles to manage in today's complex business environment. The program is built on real-world collaborative engagements with partner and client organizations to create innovative business strategies." Patrick Guida '83 shares, "After nearly 30 years of practic- ing mechanical engineering in industry, I have recently ac- cepted the position of senior program development manager with WPI's Corporate and Professional Education group. I am excited by the new and different prospects of this position, and this dynamic group of people is great to work with. If you are on campus, give me a shout and we can catch up. And if 78 Fall 2012