Author: Wes Frahm

Gift to Blue Key Provides Solid Footing to Future of Winter Carnival Tradition

Pulicks with members of Blue Key.
Pictured (l-r): Aracely Hernandez-Ramos, Skylar Spitzley, Michael Pulick, Elizabeth Pulick, Joe Dlugos, and Sara Goheen.

When you think of Michigan Technological University, there is one tradition that stands out amongst the rest: Winter Carnival. Its reputation is second only to the University’s outstanding academic reputation and job placement rate.

Winter Carnival is organized and run by Michigan Tech’s premier student leadership organization, Blue Key National Honor Society. Blue Key’s mission at Tech is “to organize and coordinate Winter Carnival in a fair and equitable manner to serve the surrounding community.” The organization strives for excellence in academics, development of leadership, and service to the community. Student volunteers in Tech’s Blue Key chapter put their leadership acumen on display every year as they successfully plan, fundraise, organize, and execute the University’s most time honored tradition.

While the lack of snow certainly made this year’s edition historic, Blue Key and Michigan Tech had another milestone reason to celebrate Winter Carnival 2024. Blue Key recently received a generous gift from Elizabeth (Schumacher) Pulick ’88 and Michael Pulick ’86. The former Blue Key members know how important the student experience is to Michigan Tech Huskies. They wanted to make a gift to Michigan Tech that supported all students and the community by endowing Winter Carnival. The funds Blue Key will receive from the endowment will go directly to supporting the annual costs of putting on a major community event plus a scholarship for the Blue Key president.

“Blue Key was special for me,” said Elizabeth. “It allowed me to be a leader and hone those skills working with people.”

Michael added, “Blue Key put me into situations like managing a budget and meeting with community leaders and the media. It was pressure that I hadn’t felt before. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun.”

“This was a genuine surprise and absolutely wonderful,” said Joe Dlugos, a senior environmental engineering student and current president of Blue Key. “This gift will not only help Blue Key, but everyone who enjoys Winter Carnival.”

“We will be able to provide students with scaffolding, shovels, and lighting for snow statues,” said Dlugos. “We have plans to add fire pits for people to stay warm during the all-nighter. The possibilities are endless, and we couldn’t be more grateful to the Pulicks for their support.”

The Pulicks credit their experience in Blue Key and as Michigan Tech students for amplifying their personal growth. “We always talk to others about how special Tech is,” said Michael. “We want Winter Carnival to go on forever, and hope this gift takes some of the pressure off of students in Blue Key.”

Elizabeth echoed the sentiments. “We are really passionate about the student experience and wanted to pay back what we received. We’re excited to help Blue Key make Winter Carnival better for the whole community.”

Annually, Winter Carnival occurs the second weekend in February with events including snow statues, broomball, stage revue, royalty competition, human dog sled races, and Michigan Tech hockey. The event not only brings students, alumni, and the community together, but it also has a considerable economic impact on the Keweenaw.

Laura Bulleit, vice president for student affairs, underscored the significance of Blue Key and Winter Carnival. “The impact of Winter Carnival isn’t limited to just a fun weekend for our students. It’s so much more than that. It is a major draw for alumni, families, and tourists, and has an enormous impact on our local economy. Very few student organizations have the opportunity to plan and execute something as large as Winter Carnival. To know that it’s our students, and not faculty and staff, who are behind all of this really highlights the capability and excellence of our Michigan Tech students.”

Blue Key has put on Winter Carnival for 90 years. The Pulicks’ gift helps ensure that Blue Key has the resources to continue the tradition into the future.

“This endowment will preserve one of Tech’s most well-known traditions in perpetuity,” said Bill Roberts, vice president for advancement and alumni engagement. “I’m so glad the Pulicks have led the way with this gift that will ensure Winter Carnival for generations to come.”

Michigan Tech’s endowment is a collection of funds which were given by donors to provide support to Michigan Tech in perpetuity. When an endowment gift is received, it is placed in a long-term investment fund. The investment returns generated from that principal are used on a continual basis while the principal is preserved for the future. The endowment provides the University with future financial stability.

Others may join the Pulicks to further support the Blue Key endowment with a one-time or annual gift. Those interested can contact the Office of Gift Planning at 906-487-3325.

Impact of Philanthropy: Gary Sparrow Endowed Faculty Fellow

Jeana Collins ’16 ’18 is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Gary Sparrow Endowed Faculty Fellow. Her position is made possible by a gift from Gary Sparrow ’70 and impacts many students she teaches and leads in the Unit Operations Lab. Below is a Q&A with Collins.

Jeana Collins ’16 ’18

What are your responsibilities?
My responsibilities in the Chemical Engineering Department are teaching and service. This year, I am teaching the senior capstone laboratory sequence (Unit and Plant Operations), Computer-Aided Problem Solving (a chemical-engineering elective class), a new elective on programming in DeltaV (the distributed control system that we use in the UO lab; DeltaV is widely used in industry), and Material and Energy Balances (summer class). I also serve on and chair multiple committees within the department, as well as advise the Dance Team and AIChE student organizations.

Tell us about your background and how you came to teach at Michigan Tech.
I received my B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2012 and came to Michigan Tech for graduate school. I completed my M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Michigan Tech. During my graduate studies, I was also a graduate teaching assistant (GTA) for a variety of classes. I really enjoyed being a GTA, and found that I wanted to pursue a career in academics, focused on teaching instead of research. I joined the department as faculty in 2016.

Why is your position important?
Instructional track faculty are important because of our focus on undergraduate education. Because we are focused on teaching, we have higher teaching loads and can reduce the amount of teaching needed from research faculty. We can also take on classes that require more time than traditional classes. For example, the senior capstone lab requires 16+ hours a week in the lab with the students.

What does holding an endowed position mean to you?
I am honored to be the first Gary Sparrow Endowed Faculty Fellow. I feel that an instructional track endowed position really shows how much the Department and University care about undergraduate education. This position will provide more opportunities for me to go to workshops/training and conferences to continuously improve our program and share knowledge. For example, over the summer, I completed a week-long training on DeltaV at the Emerson Training Center in Round Rock, Texas. That training expanded my knowledge of DeltaV. I am using that to create a new elective course that I am offering for the first time this spring. The course will be focused on the DeltaV software. All of the chemical engineering students operate equipment with DeltaV in the capstone lab sequence, but this new elective will delve more into process and process control engineers’ roles with DeltaV in industry. With the endowed position, I will be able to continue expanding my knowledge and improving my classes, both core and elective.

Gary Sparrow ’70 (center) presents a check to now-retired Department of Chemical Engineering Chair Pradeep Agrawal (left) and Bryant Weathers ’10, Director for Charitable Gift Planning.

What takes place in the Unit Ops lab?
The Unit Operations Lab provides a hands-on education for students. Students first enter the lab in lower-level classes to look at real equipment and potentially see equipment relevant to their coursework operating (for example, the CM 3240 students come in to learn about distillation on the glass distillation unit so that they can see what is happening inside of a distillation column while they are learning about distillation in class). The first class that they operate equipment is during their junior year during their process control course. In process control, the students apply what they have been learning in lecture in the lab. In the UO lab, they complete step tests and tuning on a controller for the heat transfer experiment, are introduced to DeltaV (our distributed control system) on the flow measurement experiment, and tune a cascade control loop on the three-story distillation column. In their senior year, the students run multiple (at least four) of the unit operation experiments, as well as both of the pilot plants, applying concepts from all previous chemical engineering classes. For the pilot plant operations, multiple groups work together to operate the equipment. They get to experience shift changes, radio communication between the control room and floor, manual and automated operations, troubleshooting, and more. Safety is a huge part of the UO lab. A safety inspection, including asking other students safety questions, is completed every run day, each group has a safety check every run day before operating equipment, students prepare safety moments for each other, and we have a reporting system PAWS (prevent accidents with safety). PAWS is a comprehensive safety program that requires training, constant vigilance, and incident reporting and documentation, all with an eye toward critical review and continuous improvement.

How does the Unit Ops lab impact students and their futures?
The UO lab provides students with valuable hands-on experience that translates to their careers. They gain experience operating equipment, troubleshooting, communicating via radio, DeltaV, and safety culture, as well as experimental design and statistics. We also coordinate with industry representatives to teach the students about how the equipment relates to their industry. The students are able to draw upon their experiences in the UO lab when talking to recruiters (during career fair / during interviews).

Any specific stories of unique research or successes from the lab?
There is no research in the UO lab; it is only a teaching lab. When giving tours and discussing the lab with industry representatives/recruiters, they have been impressed with the experiences that the students are getting and the equipment that they are running.


What students have to say about the Unit Operations Lab:

To me, the Unit Operations lab offers the invaluable experience to put what we learn in the classroom into the perspective of an industrial environment, while still having the opportunity to make mistakes and grow from them. Being able to work on the floor and as a console operator not only helps us to cement our understanding of the technical aspects of our future positions, but to also foster an appreciation for the daily tasks and positions that make up a successful plant. 

Ana White

As a senior chemical engineering student with 15 months of hands-on experience in chemical manufacturing facilities, my time at the UO Lab at MTU has provided me with a unique opportunity. It allows me to operate industry-relevant equipment within a classroom environment. This experience is incredibly valuable as it bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. In the UO Lab, students have the freedom to ask questions and learn from their mistakes, making it an essential resource for those who lack industry experience. Ultimately, the UO Lab plays a crucial role in enhancing students’ practical understanding before they graduate.

Tom Morrison

The UO lab at Tech has provided me with experiences that have reinforced the theory and knowledge that we as students spend so much time developing throughout the entire chemical engineering curriculum. Those experiences create the industrial feel and give our students a head start over our peers as we enter into the industrial world.

Allison Swanson

Wickstroms Fund Scholarships in Their Father’s Memory

For some families, the impact of Michigan Tech can be felt generations later. That is the case with the Walter Wickstrom ’37 family.

Three of Walter’s children, Betty Wickstrom Kendrick, Jean Wickstrom Liles, and Phil Wickstrom—none of whom are Michigan Tech alumni or live anywhere close to Michigan Tech—all fund scholarships in memory of their father and to support Tech, which they credit with setting up their family for success.

Photo of Carly Lindquist, Betty Wickstrom Kendrick, Phil Wickstrom, Jean Wickstrom Liles, and John Myaard.
The Wickstroms hosted two of their scholarship recipients for lunch at their family summer home in Christmas, Michigan. Pictured (l-r): Carly Lindquist, Betty Wickstrom Kendrick, Phil Wickstrom, Jean Wickstrom Liles, and John Myaard.

“I feel strongly that Michigan Tech prepared Daddy and, in turn, helped us become successful,” said Jean. “So supporting Tech is payback for what it did for us.”

Walter Wickstrom Sr. earned a mining engineering degree from Michigan Tech in 1937 (then called the Michigan College of Mining and Technology). The family moved to Alabama in 1947  where he spent a large portion of his career employed by the Tennessee Coal & Iron (TCI) Division of US Steel. He was captain of TCI’s mechanical mining team and later mine captain of the Jefferson County, Alabama-based Ishkooda mines.

“Michigan Tech helped him succeed and be ready to not only work in the mine but to advance into management,” said Phil.

Betty added, “My father went to school during the Depression. I put a scholarship in his name because I want to brighten the day for current students.”

In 2021, Betty created the Walter William Wickstrom Memorial Annual Scholarship to support junior or senior mining engineering students from northern Michigan. 

That same year, Jean and Phil established the Walter William Wickstrom, Sr. ’37 and Katherine Nelson Wickstrom Endowed Scholarship in memory of their parents. The scholarship goes to engineering students in the Upper Peninsula with preference given to those from Alger County, where the Wickstroms have a family summer home on Lake Superior named Camp Walter that was built by Phil. Walter Wickstrom bought the property back in the 1940s.

The three Wickstroms hosted two of their scholarship recipients at Camp Walter in late August. John Myaard is a senior mining engineering student from Hudsonville, Michigan who received Betty’s annual scholarship. Carly Lindquist, a senior chemical engineering major from Munising, Michigan, received Jean and Phil’s endowed scholarship.

“Receiving a scholarship provides a very real and immediate impact,” said Myaard. “I was excited when I first heard about it. It was right after I had spent my entire summer doing a field course for geology, so I wasn’t able to work that summer. I was very excited and grateful when I found out about the scholarship.”

“It’s awesome that we get to meet the donors,” Lindquist added. “It’s not just an amount taken off my tuition bill, which is really important, but it’s also much more personal and meaningful. I’ll always remember this meeting and what they’ve done for me.”

The chance to meet the students was also meaningful to the Wickstroms.

“We receive letters from each of the scholarship recipients and learn a little bit about them, but it’s a highlight to meet them in person and get to know them and their situations better,” said Jean.

“I save all the thank you letters I receive,” said Betty. “I’m very impressed by all the students I hear from. It is a real pleasure meeting John and Carly in person and hearing directly how the scholarships have helped them.”

While the three donors all cited the tax benefits of their philanthropy, their main motivation was the ability to help others.

“It really makes you feel good that you’ve helped somebody,” Phil said. “Meeting these students in person really drives that home.”

Pete Kero ’94 Helped Turn Old Iron Range Mining Lands into a Bike Park

Pete Kero
Pete Kero

Pete Kero is one of the first handful of Michigan Tech graduates in environmental engineering, earning his degree in 1994. He has spent 29 years doing environmental engineering consulting in the Upper Peninsula and northern Minnesota. Kero was the visionary behind the award-winning Redhead Mountain Bike Park in Minnesota which repurposed iron mining landscapes into recreational acreage. 

Recently, he wrote his first book titled Minescapes: Reclaiming Minnesota’s Mined Lands, which was released by the Minnesota Historical Society Press in May 2023.

Following is a Q&A with Kero on his ties to Michigan Tech and book.

Where are you from and how did you decide to come to Tech?
I grew up in Negaunee, and the short road to Michigan Tech was a well-beaten path for my family. My dad was a mechanical engineering graduate. My brother-in-law earned a civil engineering degree. My sister is a chemical engineering grad. I also have uncles who went to Tech.

What did you study?
I was part of Tech’s second-ever environmental engineering class in 1994. We were housed largely in civil engineering (now known as the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering). The department has grown and grown since I was there. It was a great choice for me.

Were there any memorable professors or academic stories?
Alex Mayer was the advisor for my environmental engineering design team. He was so patient with us as a rag-tag group of students. He took us to Las Cruces, New Mexico for a competition. I remember dodging tornadoes on the drive down. It was a really memorable capstone experience, and I appreciated that opportunity.

Talk about activities outside class while you were at Michigan Tech.
I loved skiing on the Nordic trails and mountain biking, even though there were no formal trails at the time. We’d bike the back roads and skid roads of the Keweenaw. One great memory is that my roommate and I had a competition to see how many Mondays in a row we could keep swimming in Lake Superior once the school year started. We made it to the middle of November. The last week we did it, there were people wearing snowmobile suits fishing on the shore.

How has your career progressed?
I’ve spent 29 years in environmental consulting, working for public projects, mining, and manufacturing. I got my start working in the U.P. at Sundberg Carlson and Associates. I moved to Minnesota and worked for various companies before joining Barr Engineering. What I like about consulting is there’s a different challenge every day. I see unique problems that don’t already have a stock solution.

How did Michigan Tech prepare you for your career?
Tech was a great school to prepare you for the real world—both the ups and downs. Tech was pretty hard, but work can be pretty hard. Tech taught me how to push through challenges and how to work with people and systems.

Have you been involved with Tech as an alumnus?
I make it back to campus from time to time and stay in touch with several professors, some of whom are former colleagues at Barr. I always follow with interest what’s going on at Tech. As I was writing this book one of the post-doctoral students from Tech contributed to my understanding of early tailings management on the Mesabi Range.

What advice would you give to current Tech students?
Slow down and enjoy your time. I blasted through college in four years, but a little breathing room gives you some time to sink your teeth into more things. It helps you be able to approach and understand the materials much better.

What spurred you to write the book?
I was personally involved as a volunteer and professional in this vast mine-disturbed territory in northeast Minnesota. It’s around 140,000 acres that have been flipped like a pancake to provide the iron ore that has built this country. Our goal was to see if there was anything we could do to attract people to this area. I volunteered to help create the Redhead Mountain Bike Park. We had to overcome so many roadblocks, including changing state law and changing perceptions about why people would be attracted to these old mined landscapes. So from my time volunteering working on the project, I had lots of notes. I wanted to set the story straight on how the bike park came to be. In order to properly tell the story, you have to go back in time. It’s really a history book. It tells the story of not only the bike park, but five generations of mine reclamation and repurposing in the area, told in a nonfiction narrative. 

What was the timeline and process for completing the book?
The book took four years. It started with a phone call to the Minnesota Historical Society Press. I expected to have them tell me no, but they encouraged me to propose the book and were fantastic to work with. Shannon Pennefeather helped me shape it, and many other people reviewed and edited the book. It was a journey that wasn’t easy, but it was gratifying.

What do you hope people take away from reading the book?
I hope they take away that there can be a full circular life to mine lands. The land can go through the creation of mine, active mining, and reclamation. It can be made valuable again through techniques that we used. Mining is a divisive topic, but just about everybody is in favor of mineland reclamation. It can be unifying and shine a spotlight on environmental operators and pioneers for this work.

Michael Woudenberg ’05 Authors Science Fiction Novel Exploring Advanced AI

Michael Woudenberg is a senior manager of software engineering at Chainalysis, based in New York City. He works remotely from Sahuarita, Arizona. Woudenberg graduated from Michigan Tech in 2005 with a degree in management information systems and was commissioned through the ROTC program. He spent six years in the US Army, climbing to rank of captain. Woudenberg went on work for Honeywell Aerospace, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and a variety of tech startups and has received several trade secret patent awards and innovation awards.

Michael Woudenberg
Michael Woudenberg ’05

Woudenberg recently completed his first novel, Paradox, a science fiction work exploring advanced artificial intelligence and what it means to be human.

Following is a Q&A with Woudenberg on his latest project and ties to Michigan Tech.

Q: What spurred you to write a book?
A: I love the exploration of what it means to be human especially when confronted with ever-evolving technology. Too often we lose focus of what gives us superpowers as we see old careers, skills, and capabilities being replaced or automated. This book is an adventure diving into these topics.  In the battle over advanced AI will we lose our humanity, or will we learn what really makes us human?

I’ve had the idea for this book since 2018 and it’s rooted in a group I was part of called Mixed Mental Arts which was focused on really learning what it means to be human. The original idea was to novelize these concepts to make them more accessible for people to pick up and enjoy while learning more about themselves.  When AI started exploding this past year, I decided to take a sabbatical and knock out the book since it was exceptionally timely. Letting it set for a couple of years also allowed some of the technology to mature to a point where the storyline is even more fun than I originally thought.

Q: What was the timeline and process for completing the book?
A: As I mentioned, the idea started in 2018. I then ruminated over the ideas for a few years. Last year I started writing professional essays on Substack at www.polymathicbeing.com where I explore everything from technology to psychology, leadership, biomechanics, health, and much more. This created some of the technical and contextual underpinnings I then pulled from to write the novel while having much of the research already done.  When I finally sat down and started cranking out the story it took me about four weeks of writing and another four of editing before I sent it off for professional review.  Two months of writing; Five Years of prep. 

What was the most fun was a comment someone told me as I started “Good writing should surprise the author.” I won’t deny, there were a lot of times as I wrote the book that I was surprised at how pieces fell together or plot twists emerged that naturally flowed vs. being designed in from the beginning.  What I like most is the interplay between the two main characters Kira and her brother Noah. I didn’t know how it would play out since Noah is anti-AI and Kira is the one developing it. What I loved was how their relationship tension results in a series of twists and tangles that really move the adventure forward.

A lot of people ask whether I used AI to write a book about AI and the answer is Yes, but… I used ChatGPT to help kick me off of a blank page. It worked great as a collaborator in helping with character development, counter-arguments, descriptions from other perspectives, and more. The first chapter was started by ChatGPT but its a terrible writer. It did get me going and 22 chapters of my own writing later, I went back and ripped out all the AI-authored content because I had found my own voice.  AI helped as an assistant but I learned that AI can’t replace good, unique, and insightful writing. (Just another part of what makes humans unique)

The cover art is AI-generated. Originally by me and then, with the prototype, perfected by my friend Matt Madonna. Like the writing, AI is a collaborator and it takes a lot of human effort to get it to work right. The cover is a compilation of four different images which we blended. The fun part is creating art beyond my expertise but being able to use my expertise with AI to do it. We did use Adobe Firefly to ensure the ethical use of art from licensed sources.

Q: What do you hope people take away from reading the book?
A: I’d really like people to walk away wondering which side they’d pick between pro or anti-AI. I’m still not sure if I’d be on Kira’s or Noah’s side. There are compelling arguments for both. I’d really hope that readers walk away with a better understanding of what really makes us human and what that means for us in the future as AI continues to be developed. 

Q: Why did you choose to attend Michigan Tech?
A: The computer science program

Q: Tell us about a memorable experience you had with a class or about a favorite professor
A: And interesting experience was with Dr. Christa Walck on business psychology which I didn’t enjoy… Until years later. I remember buying the same book she had us use and then starting to study human psychology like crazy. I took a couple more of her classes and enjoyed them greatly.

Q: Now, how about a memorable experience outside of class?
A: For 5 years I lived at Michigan Tech, making the Keweenaw my home. I was highly involved with snowboarding, mountain biking, and all things outdoors. One summer I camped out in the woods outside Copper Harbor while working and biking.

Q: How well did Michigan Tech prepare you for your career?
A: Tech provides a unique experience that completely differentiates us from other engineering schools. It’s uniquely elite.

Q: What was your first job after graduation and how has your career progressed?
A: I commissioned from ROTC and went into the US Army. From there I’ve worked at Honeywell Aerospace, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and a variety of Tech Startups.

Q: What are a few of your career highlights and notable achievements?
A: I’ve been awarded several Trade Secret patent awards, numerous innovation awards, and have been published and given numerous symposium presentations across a variety of topics.

Q: Why do you share your time, talent, and treasure to support Michigan Tech students and/or alumni or volunteer in your community?
A: I’ve volunteered as a math tutor and keep myself busy with pro bono career coaching among a variety of other volunteer activities because being helped by others is how I was able to succeed in my undergrad and career in general.

Q: What advice on being successful would you give to Tech students and young alumni?
A: Be adaptable and agile in your studies and careers. The increasingly complex problems in technology and society will be solved by cross disciplinary and cross domain collaboration and not individual specialization alone.

In Memoriam

July 1 – September 30, 2022

Class Full Name Degrees
1929 Cmdr. Edwin C. Davis, U.S.N. (Ret) BS Mining, MS Metallurgy
1938 Edward A. Maki BS Mechanical Engineering
1940 George B. Darling BS Mining Engineering
1942 Robert J. Racine BS Chemical Engineering
1943 Edgar W. LeBoeuf BS Chemical Engineering
1947 William C. Bleimeister BS Civil Engineering
1947 Arthur A. Dorffi BS Mechanical Engineering
1948 Charles J. Haslam Jr BS Mining Engineering
1949 Dee L. Dibble BS Chemical Engineering
1949 Arthur R. Tinetti BS Metallurgical Engineering
1950 Grant K. Cornell, P.E., USAFR L/C BS Mechanical Engineering
1951 Fransis J. Siller BS Civil Engineering
1952 John B. Eisenlord P.E. BS Engineering Physics
1953 J. James Brozzo BS Chemical Engineering
1953 LtCol Kenneth B. Dungey Ret. BS Forestry
1953 Norman E. Pietsch BS Civil Engineering
1953 Erich B. Rabe BS Mechanical Engineering
1953 William A. Richards BS Mechanical Engineering
1953 Donald I. Rohrbach BS Mechanical Engineering
1953 Garland J. Tartaron BS Chemical Engineering
1954 Frank J. Klima BS Mining Engineering
1954 Jacqueline A. Rabe BS General Science
1954 Capt. Albert R. Socha USN (Ret) BS Civil Engineering
1954 Ronald W. Whiton BS Mining Engineering
1955 William C. Schwarting BS Forestry
1958 Claire R. Enerson BS Forestry
1958 Robert E. Wiele BS Mechanical Engineering
1959 John F. Lundberg BS Forestry
1959 Daniel L. Rivard BS Mechanical Engineering, HON Hon Doctor of Engineering
1959 Col. Thomas K. Sheldon (Ret) BS Metallurgical Engineering
1959 Robert P. Youngquist BS Electrical Engineering
1960 Galen H. Harrison BS Electrical Engineering, MS Electrical Engineering
1960 Dr. Lee P. Hunt, Deacon BS Chemistry, MS Chemistry
1961 Ronald E. Evans BS Mechanical Engineering
1964 George A. Mackey P.E. BS Civil Engineering, MS Business Administration
1965 John C. Garland BS Civil Engineering
1967 Richard J. Kirkbride BS Metallurgical Engineering
1970 Walter J. Justice Jr. BS Mechanical Engineering
1970 Michael F. Wilmers AAS Civil Engineering Technology, BS Business Engineering Admin, BS Civil Engineering
1973 Wayne H. Neumann BS Chemical Engineering
1977 David R. Puvogel BS Mechanical Engineering
1979 Eric J. Vial BS Electrical Engineering
1980 Charles L. Joffee BS Business Administration
1984 David C. Aittama AAS Civil Engineering Technology
1988 Thomas N. Lamb BS Civil Engineering
1989 Mark R. Caron BS Electrical Engineering
2008 Jed E. Hammond BS Business Administration
2019 Collin J. Hagan BS Forestry

In Memoriam for April 1 – June 30, 2022

Remember Professors Beck, Mendenhall, and Stottlemyer

Donald Beck

Donald Beck

Donald Richardson Beck passed away at his home in Greer, South Carolina. He was 82 years old. He had emergency surgery in March and spent several weeks in the hospital and in a rehab facility before returning home on May 10.

Don was born in Patterson, New Jersey in 1940 to Richard and Eleanor Beck. He and his family lived in several different places in New Jersey and summered in Island Heights near grandparents. Don graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dickenson University with a major in Physics. He then went to Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, where he earned a doctorate in Physics in 1968. The day before, he married Susan M. Gilbert of Allentown. They were the loves of each other’s lives.

During the summers that he was in school, Don worked for the Navy in Bethesda, Maryland. When he finished his doctorate, Don and Susan headed to Boulder, CO, where he went to work for E.U. Condon at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics at the University of Colorado. When E.U. Condon retired, Don went to do teaching and research at Yale University in the Chemistry Department. During the Yale period, his son, Richard, was born. After several years, Don became an assistant professor at the Yeshiva University in New York City, maintaining contact with colleagues at Yale. In 1976, Don moved his family to Athens, Greece where he was employed by the National Hellenic Research Foundation to train young scientists and to continue his research. He was an instrument for positive change there. In 1978, he moved to Champaign, Illinois to teach Physics at the University of Illinois.

Finally, in 1980, he found a home in Houghton, Michigan at Michigan Technological University. Much of his work at Tech centered on computational atomic physics applied to transition and rare-earth metal ions. He was passionate and persistent about his research. He was an MTU research awardee in 1999 and named a fellow of the American Physical Society in 2001 in recognition of his seminal work on relativistic correlation methodologies in electronic structure theory. He published over 150 scientific papers over the years. He received funding from many sources, perhaps most notably for his ongoing work on Lanthanide ions which received continuous NSF funding for over 30 years.

He always played an active role in the department, college, and university. Most notably, he helped to develop, and provide leadership for, the graduate programs in the department. As principal advisor, he graduated ten PhD and six MS students. His students remember him for his humor, his stories and, even more, for his humility and kindness. He served on the MTU Senate, where he was an advocate for the library and for improved faculty benefits. Over the years, he was a friend, colleague, and mentor to many in the Physics department and beyond. He retired in 2016, a Professor Emeritus of Physics.

Don loved the Upper Peninsula of Michigan—particularly South Range. He served on the Village Council for thirty-three years, and always thought that the council was a wonderful balance of people who truly cared for their community. He loved his wonderful neighbors there.

Don was a great dad and an amazing GPA for his grandchildren who enjoyed his company. He was always a hard worker who had unusual insights into nearly any situation. He was a positive example for academic achievement, being a global citizen and kindness to others. His grandchildren call him a “master of history” and a “master of Go Fish.” He loved most music, but particularly enjoyed the music of Buddy Guy and other rhythm and blues virtuosos. He loved a good murder mystery.

Don is survived by his wife, Susan, best friend and love of 54 years; his greatly valued son, Richard (Esther); his three wonderful grandchildren: Skyler, Mason, and Mia; also, by his sister, Marylin “Lin” A. Beck (William “Bill” Pardee) of Westport Point, Massachusetts; as well as his cousin, Janet Arnold of New York City; niece, Katharine ”Katie” Barbee (John Eric), great nephew, Elijah “Eli,” great niece, Madelin “Maddy,” of Clancy, Montana; niece, Caroline ”Carrie” Klute, of Cascade Locks, Oregon, and niece, Laura Cahoon (Brendon), and great nieces, Thea and Amelia Cahoon of Austin, Texas; brother-in-law, R. William “Bill” Gilbert of Bethlehem, PA. He is preceded in death by his sister Virginia “Ginny” Kluthe, his brother, Stephen “Steve” Beck, and his parents, Richard, and Eleanor.


David Mendenhall

David Mendenhall died June 9, 2022 in New York City at the age of 77. He was born to George and Eathel Mendenhall February 12, 1945 in Iowa City, Iowa. Since his father was in the US Navy at that time, he did not meet his father until he was almost one year old.

David, as he was known to friends and family, was the eldest of five sons, and lived in Springfield, Ohio until his parents moved permanently to Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1952. David excelled in his academic pursuits in high school and college; earning a national Merit scholarship, winning the southeastern Michigan High School science fair, and was the high school class salutatorian. During his high school years, he performed basic chemical work at Parke Davis in Ann Arbor, and was proud of the fact that he bicycled to work, a distance of over 12 miles one way.

After high school he attended the University of Michigan, obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry in 1967. After matriculating from the University of Michigan, he pursued a PhD in chemistry from Harvard where he received his degree in 1970. After receiving his PhD he obtained a post-doc fellowship to work at the National Research Council in Ottawa, Ontario, where he met his future wife, Yvonne Hendricks, whom he married in 1972. The couple then moved to California where he worked at the Stanford Research Institute and moved to Columbus, Ohio to work at Batelle Labs in 1975. His two children, Catherine Astrid and George Stuart were born in Columbus.

In 1980, David received a professorship at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan, where he taught and performed research until 2001. After retiring from teaching, he founded Northern Sources, a chemical manufacturing and research company based in Hancock, Michigan. Shortly after this venture was started, his wife Yvonne of 28 years died of cancer. David’s next chapter was a move to New York, where he renamed his company “Eastern Sources” and married Ying Dong in 2006. His life-long fascination with chemical preparations continued in his manufacturing of compounds and materials that were too complicated and complex for most other companies to make.

David’s keen mind and analytical skills were second to none. David developed multiple myeloma and various other afflictions in the last three years which impacted his company’s production. The successive treatments for his cancer led to a stroke earlier this year, and then he was overwhelmed with an infection which eventually led to his death. David will be remembered for his keen mind, wonderful wit, generosity, and charming personality.

As the member of Emanuel Evangelical Lutheran and the tallest member of the Chinese church that he regularly attended with his wife, David was fondly remembered by the congregants. He was an internationalist, having lived in Jerusalem, Jordan, Freiburg, Germany, and having travelled frequently to China and east Asia. As a professor, David mentored hundreds of students in chemistry whose careers were impacted by his generosity and insight.

David is survived by his wife, Ying Dong, children, George Stuart of San Diego and Catherine Astrid (Brownstein) of Boston, step-daughter Jennifer Schumacher and her husband Scott Schumacher, son-in-law John Brownstein, grandchildren Jackson and Caroline Brownstein, and brothers Lauri, Stanley, Gordon, and Stephen.


Bob Stottlemyer

John Robert (Bob) Stottlemyer, a faculty member at Michigan Tech from 1979-1990, died unexpectedly of natural causes May 31 on a research expedition at a remote field site along the Agashashok River in northern Alaska. 

He is survived by his dear friend of 43 years, Carla (Char) del Mar, and his sister Laura. He remained an adjunct professor with the Department of Biological Sciences until his death.

Stottlemyer’s three decades of research at the Agashashok River site were just a small part of his remarkable career studying environmental issues in northern landscapes and his incredibly full life of eight decades.

He was born in Hagerstown, Maryland, on June 19, 1940, and grew up in a family with two brothers and a sister. His boyhood was spent running around the local woods, while family trips to national parks set the stage for his professional focus. He majored in forestry at Pennsylvania State University, with summer jobs fighting wildfires as a smoke jumper in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California and working as an interpreter in national parks. He studied forest ecology for his Ph.D. at Duke University under the supervision of Professor Bill Ralston, focusing on forest soils and water quality. His Ph.D. research at the Fraser Experimental Forest in the Colorado Rockies was one of the first to combine the hydrology of mountain streams with water quality and nutrient budgets, an approach that persisted in his research over the next five decades, providing some of the best long-term records of forests and streams in the world.

After graduating from Duke, Stottlemyer voyaged the world as a professor with Semester at Sea (then called World Campus Afloat), and then joined the freshly created White House Council on Environmental Quality. The CEQ was responsible for documenting the state of the nation’s environment, providing the core information needed for implementing new environmental laws, including the National Environmental Protection Act, Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.

Stottlemyer transitioned from the CEQ to become the lead environmental scientist in the Washington office of the National Park Service, and then served as the regional chief scientist for the Philadelphia office of the NPS. His heart was more in science and research than administration, and he relocated within the NPS to Houghton, beginning decades of collaboration with Michigan Tech. He focused on hydrology, chemistry and processes influencing water quality in remote watersheds from Calumet to Isle Royale National Park, Denali National Park and Noatak National Preserve.

Stottlemyer’s commitment to science was so strong that he self-funded his research for decades following his retirement. His scientific legacy goes well beyond his impressive long-term records for watersheds — he influenced the lives and careers of many colleagues, postdoctoral scientists and students. All of Stottlemyer’s projects served as schoolhouses for his collaborators and students, providing unique experiences that shaped careers and continue to bring insights to environmental issues. His legacy also includes a vast trove of professional photographs documenting the beauties of wild landscapes and some of the changes that developed through his long life.

Stottlemyer’s loss leaves emptiness in many lives, but each time he comes to mind, we all find ourselves smiling with so many grand memories of our unique colleague and friend.

In Memoriam

April 1 – June 30, 2022

Class Full Name Degrees
1950 James A. Johnson P.E. BS Civil Engineering
1950 Gordon J. Voelz BS Mechanical Engineering, MS Mechanical Engineering
1951 Robert L. Knutilla BS Civil Engineering
1951 John C. Linton P.E. BS Mechanical Engineering
1952 Marshall G. Pierotti BS Civil Engineering, MS Civil Engineering
1954 Felix Mickus BS Mechanical Engineering
1955 Charles D. Knauer Jr, PE BS Mechanical Engineering
1955 John F. MacDonald BS Civil Engineering
1956 Charles L. Lamoreaux BS Mechanical Engineering
1957 Dr. Richard J. Arsenault BS Metallurgical Engineering
1957 Raymond L. Merrifield BS Metallurgical Engineering
1958 Janet A. Locatelli BS Medical Technology
1959 James R. Falge BS Forestry
1960 Theodore M. Kero BS Mechanical Engineering
1960 William J. Lubitz BS Electrical Engineering
1960 Bruce P. Mitchell BS Chemistry, MS Chemistry
1960 George W. Phillion BS Geological Engineering, MS Geological Engineering
1960 Raymond A. Reynolds BS Business Administration
1961 Rodney L. Hartung BS Mechanical Engineering
1961 Allan A. Johnson BS Civil Engineering, MS Business Administration
1962 Alan R. Besola BS Electrical Engineering
1963 David C. Anderson BS Business Administration
1963 Maj. Gary C. Atkins BS Business Administration
1963 Paul F. Haertel BS Forestry
1964 John P. Goudreau BS Civil Engineering
1964 Dr. Wayne Holbrook BS Electrical Engineering
1964 Norman P. Wimmer BS Business Administration
1965 James A. Pietila BS Forestry
1965 George M. Pintar BS Business Administration
1965 David W. Stallard BS Electrical Engineering
1966 Robert E. Brooks BS Business Administration
1966 David E. Brusseau BS Business Administration
1966 Thomas W. Immonen BS Forestry
1966 Edward J. Strong BS Metallurgical Engineering
1970 Samuel A. Leonard BS Electrical Engineering
1972 Thomas M. Neuville BS Chemical Engineering
1972 Gerald F. Riutta BS Mechanical Engineering
1974 Dr. Jeffrey G. Ronn BS Biological Sciences
1976 Karen B. Hawke BS Mathematics
1977 L/Col.Kenneth R. Moser  MS Business Administration
1978 Lawrence W. Albaugh BS Forestry
1978 Edward M. Mills BS General Engineering
1979 John M. Kelly BS Business Administration
1981 Terrance L. Horvath BS Electrical Engineering
1983 Prakash K. Mirchandani MS Metallurgical Engineering, PHD Metallurgical Engineering
1984 Jody A. Miller BS Electrical Engineering
1987 Todd R. Rose BS Mechanical Engineering, MS Mathematics
1989 Robert M. Bouwma BS Mechanical Engineering
1989 Charles J. Christy BS Civil Engineering
1990 Dianne Maynard BS Metallurgical Engineering
1998 Donald D. Arnold BS Mechanical Engineering
2008 Thomas W. Ernst MS Electrical Engineering

In Memoriam for January 1 – March 30, 2022

2016 Alumnus Spends Summers Leading Adventures in the Keweeenaw

Tyler Sykes is a senior kayak guide for Keweenaw Adventure Company. His work includes spending time on the water and trails in the Keweenaw.

What was your major/what did you study at Michigan Tech?
I majored in Mechanical Engineering, then came back to get a teaching certificate to teach secondary science.

What was your favorite class or professor at Michigan Tech?
I enjoyed a lot of the biology classes. Casey Huckins was a favorite. He taught a marine biology oceanography class that was engaging and relatable.  

How did Michigan Tech prepare you for working at the Keweenaw Adventure Company?
I’m from Grand Rapids and chose Michigan Tech after high school. I got into kayaking in and around Lake Superior. It’s just a perfect setting to get out and explore. Once, I kayaked from Houghton to Copper Harbor with some college friends over a few days. It drove me to explore the sport more.

I currently have a job as seventh grade teacher in Calumet and work at KAC for the summer. It’s a good balance to do both. Calumet is a great part of the state to teach science as its relatable with the local ecology, history, culture, and biology.

What do you want people to know about what you do?
I’ve spent seven summers guiding kayak tours, five of those at KAC. My favorite tours are the Agate Harbor and Bette Gris tours, as well as Isle Royale.

As part of the team at KAC, I have guide bike tours, fix bikes, and work in the shop. This year, you’ll most likely find me on the water or driving the bike shuttle to Brockway Mountain.

My favorite mountain bike trail in Copper Harbor is the Red Trail.

When not working, I like to bike and kayak with old college friends that have moved back to the Keweenaw.