1965
It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.
It is Olympic time again, and no matter how the media play up national interests and competition or regardless of how many medals each nation wins, the games still come down to the individual doing his or her best. Much as in pro football, where the losing team in the Super Bowl has a lot more to live down than any of the teams that didn't get that far, "losing" Olympic athletes seem to have to carry a heavier burden than those who didn't make the team. I was pleased to see athletes talking about individual effort and the thrill of participating, and there were many personal best efforts which did not earn medals. Dartmouth made some points, too, with a fine representation and several good interviews.
Dartmouth gets some exposure of a different sort in the other direction, west San Francisco, to be exact. For those of you looking for a good watering hole/eatery while in the "City by the Bay," try the Dartmouth Bar and Grill at 3200 Fillmore at Greenwich. It has been in existence about three years, was started by a group of alumni, and still boasts several Dartmouth connections. The atmosphere is informal and definitely "Big Green," and the food and drink are good in the San Francisco "grill" tradition. A good place for a West Coast mini-reunion!
Mention of food leads me to ask: Have you ever wondered if Betty Crocker really exists? The person who knows is Stephen Demeritt of Minnetonka, Minn., recently named VP and general manager of the marketing services division of General Mills. In this position, Steve will have responsibilities including advertising and promotion services, marketing research, consumer and public affairs, the Betty Crocker Food and Nutrition Center, and Betty Crocker Enterprises. Steve, formerly marketing director in the Golden Valley division, joined General Mills as a marketing assistant in 1969. He served as assistant product manager and product manager on several brands before being named a marketing director in 1976. In addition to his Dartmouth undergraduate degree, Steve also has an M.B.A. degree from Amos Tuck.
Perhaps we should have asked Steve Waterhouse to verify Betty's existence, since last fall he joined Whitehead-Mann, an international executive search and consulting organization. Steve is senior U.S. partner and comanaging director of the U.S. operation of this United Kingdom firm. Whitehead-Mann is the largest executive search firm founded in Britain and one of the few British firms to establish a network of successful operations outside the United Kingdom. The company is engaged primarily in executive search work on behalf of client organizations, but also does management consulting in areas such as organization assessment, strategic planning, and acquisitions. Prior to joining Whitehead- Mann, Steve was group executive and vice president with Thomas Tilling Inc., where he managed several U.S. subsidiaries. Prior to that he directed the European operations of Revlon, residing in London and Paris. Steve spent many years in various executive tions with Avon and Procter and Gamble after graduation from Dartmouth and Amos Tuck.
Dr. Don Askeland, on the other hand, works with people before they emerge into the working world. He is professor of metallurgical engineering at the University of Missouri at Rolla, and he believes "that not all teaching takes place in the classroom. . . . He practices an open-door policy for students, and he spends a lot of time with them. 'After all, students are the reason we are here. . . .
The interaction with students getting to know them individually is what I like most about my job/ he said." The students evidently appreciate his in- and out-of-classroom style of teaching, for they voted him one of UMR's most outstanding teachers and he is one of two faculty members who received AMOCO Foundation 'Outstanding Teaching Awards" for the 1982-83 year. Don has also been writing a book, The Science andEngineering of Materials, which will be published this spring. Don said that he sort of "fell into" being a metallurgical engineer and later into teaching. As a freshman at Dartmouth, where he received B.A. and M.S. degrees in engineering science, he didn't know what career he wanted, but decided on an engineering major. Later, work in metallurgy in chemistry class intrigued him and, as a senior, he started work on a project in that field which evolved into a master's thesis. While working on his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, he was introduced to teaching when he got a chance to teach two labs and a recitation section. He thought that was fun and as soon as he had an opportunity to teach after receiving his degree in 1970, he took it, and he has been at UMR ever since.
Don's "student-oriented" career has extended to working with high school students interested in an engineering career. He has been on the UMR faculty committee for National Merit Day (a special day for high school seniors who are high scorers on the.National Merit Exam). For three years he was director of an "Elements of Engineering Course" taught in St. Louis for high school students interested in learning about engineering (it is now a summer program on the UMR campus). For "five years or so" he taught in a summer science training institute for high school students. And, from 1976 to 1981, he
"spent a lot of weekends in shopping centers" with UMR's traveling engineering exhibit. Besides all that, Don has been advisor to the UMR student chapter of the American Foundrymen's Society for 12 years. When he has time, one of his favorite hobbies is another spin-off from his career making metal sculptures!
To end up on a different, but supportive note, I am sure that Bill Webster, our favorite class agent, would like me to remind you that as you read this, the Alumni Fund drive is getting under way; Bill would be the first to encourage all of us to "Go for the Gold in '84!" 'Nuff said. Keep the faith!
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