1978

Greetings! The theme for this column is people doing unusual things, i.e., not doctors, lawyers, or business types. To start, I called Jim Newman in Houston. Jim is a control and propulsion instructor for NASA crews and flight controllers for the space shuttle. I found Jim battening down the hatches and wrapping up NASA computers to minimize damage from impending hurricane Gilbert.

Jim's regular duties include training the 100 astronauts on the shuttle team, and the 100 flight controllers who work each flight. Despite the interruption of shuttle launches, Jim has been busy maintaining the skill level of the staff, and has found NASA to be enjoyable and exciting work. Jim earned his physics Ph.D. at Rice (in Houston) with an eye toward joining NASA. So far it only involves nonflying assignments. However, he is very accomplished in flying the shuttle simulator to Africa (if the shuttle does not reach orbital speed at launch, one "launchabort" landing site is Casablanca). Jim would be happy to hear from '78s visiting Houston and can help with arrangements to tour NASA. A ticket to fly aboard the shuttle is a bit more difficult.

Another interesting career is Lisa MartinTunnell's in Atlanta. Lisa is head of Life Link of Georgia, a non-profit organization coordinating organ donations. As one might expect, decisions about organ donations are made by families during times of great stress. As a result, only a small percentage of transplantable organs are donated. (Lisa's challenge is to increase the level of donations through publicity and education. Life Link received a great deal of media attention last spring, and Lisa was prominently featured on local television.

Marc Farley is an associate with the New York law firm of Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett (not so unusual). But Marc was also recently featured in a fall-page, full-color clothing ad showing what the successful Yuppie will be wearing for fall. Another interesting (and long distance) move was made in August by Anne Bagamery, who moved from San Francisco to Londonwith a stop in Hanover to help with ALPS and to research an article for DAM. Anne's husband, Alan Hoffman, is starting a oneyear fellowship in international law at the London School of Economics.

As my supply of interesting jobs started to dwindle, I shifted my focus to people with interesting names, and called Arvo Oopik. Fortunately, Arvo's wife, Jennifer Brown, was home in Evergreen, Colo., with lots of news. Arvo is working as a cardiologist for the Indian Health Service, a division of the U.S. Public Health Service. Arvo screens patients on trips to Indian reservations, but the heart surgery and recovery is handled at his home base in Colorado. This allows Arvo more time at home with his family, which now includes daughters, Krista 5 1/2, and Krisanna 18 months. Jennifer, a ColbySawyer grad, is administrator of a hospital in San Francisco. She works at home by computer three weeks per month and spends one week per month in San Francisco. Jennifer passed on news of Tom Osterag, who is one of three lawyers working in the office of the Commissioner of baseball (on Park Avenue, no less). Jennifer also said Steve McGrady is living in San Francisco and working as an executive for Pacific Bell.Steve and his wife, Pat Towers, were expecting a daughter on September 24.

Amy Kolan of Northfield, Minn., was recently tenured as an associate professor of physics at St. Olaf College. Amy and her husband, Craig Feathers '76 are expecting their first child on January 1. She said nine years of marriage was long enough to wait! Finally, Jennifer Hands actually wrote me with news! She married Richard Frick Jr. in Montclair, N.J., last March, with David Jacobson in attendance. Jennifer and Richard are living in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. Jennifer also sent news of Nancy Luebbert, who married Jim Wallis in December 1986 in Idaho. Nancy and Jim have also become Californians, residing in Dixon. Well, that's the news!

Catherine A.Cates, 34 Ivy Chase, N.E., Atlanta, GA 30342