Thayer School
Considerations of Thayer School curriculum and staff took your correspondent to the west coast during spring vacation and my only regret was that I couldn't take the time to get together with the many Thayer alumni who live in the areas I visited, perforce, so very briefly. I did take advantage of the hospitality of Chay and Don Pyke, our former assistant dean, who is now with the Ramo Wooldridge Corporation in Los Angeles. The Pykes have recently moved into their new home at 5210 Via El Sereno, Torrance, Calif. While there, I also had a good visit with Peg and Ed Bergethon ME'48 who are now living at 217 Chateau Street, Playa del Rey. Ed is now Director of Engineering for the Reed Instrument Bearing Company in Los Angeles.
In the Bay Area, I was entertained by Doris and John Fondahl CE'47 in their new home at 935 Spencer Way, Los Altos. John is assistant professor of civil engineering at Stanford. I didn't have time for a visit with Buff Williams '42, but a number of people mentioned the success of his ice-skating club in Palo Alto.
Good news was received not too long ago from John Scoville CE'55 who is presently serving his time in the Army on assignment to the Snow, Ice and Permafrost Research Establishment in Wilmette, Ill. John writes, "Liz presented me with one of the century's truly geat babies on January 5, a boy named John Allen 3rd. The numbering system is to tell us apart, though as yet there has been little confusion."
Jim Decker CE'54 was recently discharged from the Army and has been vacationing with his parents in Venezuela.
Incomplete statistics, but accurate as far as they go, on Thayer alumni in the armed forces indicate that they make out pretty well in competition with their peers from other schools. For example, Tom Tyler ME'56, Bill Pierce EE'56 and Bob Johanson TT'56 have finished first, second and third in the military training programs to which they were assigned following graduation, and Pete Dwight CE'55 made the newspapers by achieving a perfect score in a Navy examination.
Not too recent word from Ed Quinn ME'55 indicated his location last winter at Fort Polk, Louisiana, where he was Armament Mainte- nance Officer of the 13th Tank Battalion, Ist Armored Division. He has participated in Exercises Sagebrush and Sledgehammer. Suzanne (Mrs.) Quinn and their six-months-old son Edwin Jr. have been with Ed in the deep south.
Bert Melcher CE'54 was a visitor at the School in February but unfortunately I missed seeing him and can only report that at that time he was in this country. He had previously been serving with the Navy Civil Engineer Corps in England.
Dick Eitel TT'52 has brought us up to date on his experiences since graduation and I wish space permitted the inclusion of his complete story which is a fascinating one. The saga begins with two years at the Spokane, Washington, rolling mill of the Kaiser Aluminum Company. This was followed by a year of travel which started when "a friend of mine and I bought an old jeep and started off on a wonderful trip driving south through Mexico, Central and South America. From there we went to Europe "After an interval of work in Spokane, "I interrupted these activities for another unusual chance to travel, this time as navigator and crew member of a 64-foot racing yawl to enter a sailing race from Los Angeles to Tahiti, then to cruise some South Sea Islands and bring the boat home. Needless to say we had a ball and before we knew it six months had flown by and we were back in the United States." When last heard from. Dick was contemplating an extended trip to Argentina. I hope he will supply us with the next chapter before too long.
We have been saddened to learn of the death in Jamestown. R. I., of Edward Higbee '11 on March 11. Before his retirement. Mr. Higbee had been associated with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.
A letter from John Conway ME'55 enables us to report that he has left the Maine shipyard and has gone back to school somewhere in the Carolinas and this time to study for a decree in electrical engineering. Perhaps he will provide us with more information to supplement this rather generalized statement.
A recent publication of the Westinghouse Company introduces the purchasing staff of the Air Conditioning Division, Staunton, Va. Says this article, "A key man in the whole program is Tom Porter (TT'52), one of Mr. Wolf's buyers. He buys copper, aluminum and major components. Porter is secretary of the Cost Reduction Policy Committee. In this capacity, he works closely with the various task forces. In many cases, he actually guides their activity, helping to shape projects so that they can be presented to the committee as recommendations. He presents all pertinent data on projects as meetings of the committee, which are called at his discretion."
