Thayer School

This year, under the direction of Associate Professor Robert Dean, the Thayer School is presenting a most stimulating weekly colloquium. This series of lectures provides an opportunity for students and staff to hear members of the faculty and visiting experts describe their engineering and research plans and accomplishments. Speakers from other campuses and industry, both here and abroad, have discussed not only modern engineering practice, instrumentation, and research techniques, but also new approaches in engineering education.

We are also fortunate in being able to participate in the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab colloquia presented by their scientists in the Thayer School. The increasing focus of attention on engineering research through laboratory projects and graduate theses at Thayer School has made the establishment of an instrument room necessary and has brought about considerable renovation of existing laboratory space. Mr. Barry Smith has joined the staff as equipment technician and laboratory supervisor.

Bill Kimball CE'29 reports that John Scoville CE'55 has had an active year traveling to London, Paris, Iran, and Pakistan. John is with the Harza Engineering Company of Chicago which he has been representing in work for the World Bank Industrial Waters Dispute Settlement Program. While he was overseas Liz presented him with twin sons bringing the Scoville count to three boys and a girl. John Moderwell TT'55 took time from his work in Chicago last fall to attend a course in Operations Research at Northwestern which Bill Kimball was auditing. The Moderwells, living in Evanston, recently added son number two to their family. Joe Wattleworth CE'60 also attended class with Bill at Northwestern. Joe is studying at the Transportation Institute for his Ph.D., and January presented a paper to the annual Highway Research Board meeting in Washington. I am sorry to have to report that Bill Kimball has developed a bit of back trouble which has forced him to return home and temporarily postpone his leave

Word received indicates that Joe GilchristCE'51> a supervisor in the Design Section of the Construction Division of Bechtel Corp., recently met, for the first time, Ran BaileyCE'57 who is in the Power Division of the ame company. Joe, in informing this column of the passing of Gus Ayers CE'06 in December, emphasized the tremendous impact of Mr. Ayers, particularly on young engineers, over the years. As a consultant to the Bechtel Corporation his judgment, experience. and warm personal interest made him widely respected and honored

Jon Kropper ME'55, with Polaroid in Westwood, Mass., reports that the Kroppers now have a boy and a girl. Bob Prasch D'59 also has a boy and a girl. He is representing the Armco Company in Lower Manhattan, New York, and at the World Fair Grounds. Also involved in the development of the World Fair are Mike Pender CE'50 who is Robert Moses' Executive Assistant, and Gordon Starkey CE'61 who was in the field there for Hazen and Sawyer before he was called into the U.S. Army. Gordon has now finished basic training and is headed for OCS.

Clark Griffiths ME'58 continues with Split Ball Bearing in Lebanon and was seen at the Thayer School running tensile tests on some impressive bearings he has developed. SteveOlko CE'47 has recently been in the news as a member of the planning committee for the New York annual meeting of the A.S.C.E. Steve sent us an impressive brochure describing his consulting engineering firm established in 1956. The company specializes in civil, soils, and structural engineering and has completed work both in North America and overseas. Joe Palermo ME'59 has joined Jim Browning's (D'44) Thermal Dynamics Corporation in Lebanon as Applications Engineer. Bill- Tindal CE'59 is a supervising Systems Engineer with Douglas Aircraft in Charlotte, N. C. He is mainly interested in Hercules installations and tests. The Tindals have two children.