Welcome!
Welcome to the Class of 1960’s 60th reunion web page. It’s a special year for you! Eight classes, including yours, are celebrating a milestone anniversary in 2020. Communicate with your classmates by commenting below!
The first family of Michigan Tech football now has its name on the Huskies’ home football facility. At a dedication prior to the Sept. 28 Homecoming game, Tech renamed the gridiron “Sherman Field at Kearly Stadium” in honor of Ted and Tom Kearly.
The father and son are arguably the two most-successful coaches in program history. Ted served as Tech’s football coach from 1969-72 and held a 29-7 record. Tom was at Tech from 2000-16 including the last 11 years as head coach, where he put together a 70-44 mark.
Sherman Field has been the home for Michigan Tech football since 1981. Ted Kearly was Michigan Tech’s Athletic Director when it was opened. And over the last two decades, the Kearlys have been instrumental in the facility’s upgrades. Ted Kearly gave the lead gift that allowed for the installation of synthetic turf in 2007. Both men have been played a huge role in new stadium seating that was installed in 2017 and plans for additional seating and a new press box coming soon.
The renaming of Sherman Field made us curious as to the history of Michigan Tech’s football field.
According to records, the Huskies played at the original Sherman Field which was on lower campus next to Sherman Gym (now the location of the Rozsa Center). In the late 1970s, Hubbell Field (just west of the Student Ice Arena) served as the home gridiron.
Share your memories of where you watched the Huskies play.
Former physics professor and Michigan Tech alum, Donald Daavettila, passed away on July 31, 2019.
Don Daavettila graduated from Michigan Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics and a Master’s in Nuclear Physics. Following stints at Argonne National Lab and the Enrico Fermi reactor, Daavettila was hired to develop a nuclear physics program at Tech. He served as faculty in the Department of Physics for 40 years.
During his tenure, Daavettila received the State of Michigan Excellence in Teaching Award in 1991 and Michigan Tech’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 1994. He was a well-known figure in many Husky athletic programs, especially as timing official for home hockey games, and was inducted into the Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. Following his retirement in 2000, he continued to teach in physics and serve as Tech’s radiation safety officer.
Daavettila was the faculty advisor to student and fraternal organizations, volunteered for Tech’s centennial fundraising, and was honored by the Alumni Association with their Outstanding Service Award in 2005. As stated by Ravi Pandey, physics chair, Daavettila and his wife supported Michigan Tech in many aspects. He will be remembered for his cheerful and generous spirit.
Longtime Michigan Tech Social Sciences professor emeritus, Willie Melton III, passed on July 24, 2019.
Willie Melton grew up in Chicago graduated from Tilden Technological High School. As an undergraduate at Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, Illinois), his interests focused on sociology, family, social attitudes, and social identity. Here he also met his later wife, Gloria Brown. Following the completion of his bachelor’s in 1969, he began his masters, and later transferred to Washington State University, where he and his wife began their doctoral studies. He earned his PhD in 1976.
Melton taught for over 30 years (from 1976 until 2009) and retired as Professor Emeritus in Social Sciences. He served on graduate committees within social sciences, humanities, and forestry.
His research topics included marital stability, family economic and emotional stress, and the relationship between social values and attitudes on public issues. A Fulbright scholarship supported his travels and studies of modernization and technology in India during the 1980s and the East-West Center in Hawaii later provided cultural exchange opportunities in Hong Kong and southern China.
Over the past 40 years, Willie served on community boards of the Copper Country Sheltered Workshop (later Vocational Strategies), Dial Help, Copper Country Habitat for Humanity, and the Keweenaw Family Resource Center (and “Treehouse”), among others.
Former physics professor and Michigan Tech alumnus, Phillip Parks, passed away on September 17, 2019.
Following an impressive high school football career, Phillip Parks attended Michigan Tech on a football scholarship and earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Master’s in Nuclear Physics. He also attended in additional graduate work at the Kansas State University.
After graduating, Parks worked at NASA for five years before returning to Michigan Tech as faculty in the Department of Physics from 1962-1997.
Following his retirement, he and his wife traveled and enjoyed the company of family.
Throughout his career, Parks published a number of articles in professional journals, conducted US military research, and contributed in writing a book that prepared engineers for their professional exam.
Parks also served as a zone leader for the Parks Society, and was a member of the Sons of the Union of the Civil War where served as an officer for several terms. He was also active in the Christian faith, contributing to Michigan Tech’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as a student, and later spent years as a deacon, Sunday school superintendent, and a youth leader.
What are your memories of Professors Daavettila, Melton, or Parks? Leave them in the comments below.
Sources: Physics Department at Michigan Tech, Keweenaw Report Obituaries
“Who else is ready for Winter Carnival?! This year’s logo is dino-mite!” on Facebook
“This actually looks more like a Reunion theme….😊” -Susan U.
“This is a great theme and an awesome logo!” – Brian W.
” If I was in the area, I would be. Fantastic idea, though. In my neck of the woods, we anticipate hurricanes. Hmmm… this time around, Dorian…” -Cynthia L.
“It’s only 104 degrees today here in Dallas……hard to think about snow.” -Will P.
“That’s a sick theme” -Christopher H.
“I seriously hope that this is not implying humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time…..uuggghh” -Michelle M.
“Looks like I have to go to WC this year” Nick H.
From “Today is both K-Day and 906 Day (Sept. 6)! What are your memories of K-Day?” on Facebook
“remember waiting to hear the whistle blow and being grateful for a “long weekend”.” Brian W.
“A lot of fun and love McLain State park..” – David C.
“My favorite k-day memory is being onstage with Sponge. What a day!” -Rayna E.
“K-Day was a whole lot of fun for us, a way to prepare for all the work and stress that was gonna pile up “real soon”. The older you get (57 now for me), the more you appreciate those days long ago. The kids there today are in the middle of some of the best days of their lives (and won’t realize it until they are old like me). Life is good. ” -Mike T.
“Mid-70s, K-Day was mostly just a day off. We waded across the mouth of the Montreal, climbed Mt. Bohemia fire tower, found an abandoned skip and rode it across the Presque Isle river, explored Redridge, etc. Usually ended with a burger at Luigis or at Schmidt’s Corners or one of the many Yooper bars. Best memories ever, with folks who remain my best friends. Thank you, Tech. ❤” -Betsy A.
“Doing the alligator at McLain! 🎶🐊🎶🐊🎶” -Margaret L.
“I remember that Lake Superior was VERY cold. I also remember diving into a giant pile/mound of can koozies that were being given out by the MTSF.” -Bridgitte R.
“K Day is a family tradition. My Dad, my Brother, Myself, both of my Daughters and my son-in-law have all experience K-day. It used to be quite the party at McClain Stat Park! -Gary J.
“My favorite memory is the year ADA’s had a button making machine. We had quite the selection of magazines to choose from for creative art.” -Natalie A.
“K-Day was a highlight of the year. Warm fall day, beer, more beer, friends old and new… I remember those days Doug! It was a great time!” -Scott L.
“I went to a few K-days at McLain but have few memories of them…strange.” -Mike M
“Sig Rho ruled K-Day in the 80’s….what a blast!” -Doug L.
“In the early 70s, K-Day really WAS Keweenaw Day — we went up to Fort Wilkins and had a blast.” -Candy G.
“Guinness world record lap sit at McLain fall of 1980, since been beat” -Pete J.
From “We’ve been gathering some of our favorite Tech memorabilia for display in the Alumni Blogs!” on Facebook
“I miss the big pink “MUB” mugs from the mid 90’s. 😂” -Mike E.
“Ooh! And maybe at least a picture of the EERC tree. It ran for student government one year I went there.” -Rayna E.
“Bowling shoes from the MUB bowling alley!” -Rayna E.
“Please tell me someone has a no drinking Carni sign as memorabilia” -Yolanda H.
“A little late to the game, but my refillable Campus Cafe mug, 1991-1992 (freshman year)”
“In 1985 I was a freshman in DHH. Our hall was “Esquire”, middle of the 3rd floor. Our RA held a vote to change the name to “Bloom County”, and I drew up a new logo for the hall. I painted over the “Esquire” sign with the new mural from the drawing below, and our RA had t-shirts and hoodies printed. I think I have a couple of pictures of the mural somewhere.
“I believe the name lasted maybe 3 years before it was changed again and the mural was painted over.” -Joe A.
“Wish I still had the rock sample, shoulder bag that was used as a book bag. Most everybody carried one” -Louis C.
“Recruiting poster from the early 70’s.” -Herman M.
“Campus ID card with stickers to show you were registered for that quarter.” -Robert L.
“NO! NO! Not punchcards! The nightmare returns!Unisuck 1110.” -Courtney F.
“One year, I want to say it was maybe 98, they got the bright idea to put up anti-drinking posters but the background was a close up of a glass of beer and the tiny black print was barely visible so it really just looked like an “enjoy this delicious, frosty beverage” ad. I might still have one somewhere. ” -Danielle B.
“Oooooh those punch card days….70’s in Fisher Hall then EERC…..some baaaad memories. Talk about frustrating!!!” -Mark Z.
From “Check out Word of the Day from Merriam-Webster”
“A fellow died suddenly and found himself at the Pearly Gates. St Peter welcomed him but apologized and said he had to run a few quick errands and would be back in a while. While he was waiting, the man noticed Beelzebub off to the side casting souls down into the fiery pit. Every once in a while he would put one to the side in a stack. Curious, the man went over and asked Satan why he was stacking some souls off to the side. Satan replied, those are Yoopers. They’re too cold and wet to burn.” -Darrell J.
From Cover Photo Update on Facebook
“Looks a lot different from when I was last there in 1984!” -Wendy W.
“How do you get down to the Metallurgy building from main campus, without driving or falling down a hill?” -Courtney F.
From “Favorite Tech Memorabilia” in the Alumni Blogs
“I know a guy who has an old sheet metal “Unload Here” sign from Mt. Ripley, hanging proudly in his bathroom.” -Carl C.
“Definitely the Book Bag!” -William W.
From “What Was Your First Day Like…” in the Alumni Blogs
“I arrived on campus in September 1965 after driving 360 miles, on my motorcycle, from my home town in the Lower Peninsula. It rained most of the way and I was soaked to the skin. My parents arrived about an hour later with my stuff and we stayed overnight at one of the local motels. The next day I was able to move into my dorm, Douglas Houghton Hall. There was a housing shortage that year, due to a lot of last minute applications to the university in an attempt to avoid the draft (I immediately enrolled in Army ROTC) and so for the first couple of weeks I was stuck living in what was normally a one-person room with TWO other people. It was a mess, you could barely stand-up (you almost had to take turns getting dressed). After attrition started to have its affect, I was moved to a normal two-person room up on the 3rd floor of the dorm (DHH).
Anyway, it was a big adjustment for me since I came from a very small town (there were only 30 in my high school class) and not only did I have to adjust to the rigors of my classes, I was also experiencing a bit of culture shock, suddenly being thrown together with people from around the globe. I quickly learned that a college education went well beyond just what you were exposed to in the classrooms, but also having to make new friends with individuals from places which for me had previously only been names on a map somewhere. Looking back on it now, I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” -John B.
“Moved into a Wadsworth Friday. Saturday 8:30a.m. Intro to Chemical Engineering – slide rule class.” -Paul G.
“My first day at MTU, and my first real trip to the UP from Oakland County MI, I met my 2 roommates – One from Munising MI, and one from Iron Mountain MI. My roommate from Iron Mountain MI had such a strong UP accent I thought he was a foreign exchange student!!! haha!!! We all became great buddies, and forged a bond, and experiences that made me who I am today.” Ernest K.
“Fall 1972. No one to help move in, had to find my room on my own. Placement tests for chemistry. Car registration. Only two suitcases. Group went to a bar, but I was still 17. Pre printed computerized schedules. Had to negotiate in a hectic ROTC building at booths for changes. Meeting roomate for first time. Orienation lectures in Sherman Gym. Walking assembly line through Admin Bldg to get the administrative details taken care of, including writing a check for tuition and room and board. Figuring out what books I needed and buying them. Then came the first classes with a full lecture and homework assignments the first day. It was a hectic first three days that I still remember.” -Bruce K.
From “Reunion Recap” in the Alumni Blogs
“My 50th anniversary of graduation & my first MTU reunion, my wife & I sure enjoyed ourselves. The MTU staff & the Alumni House did an outstanding job of planning events, presentations & meals and it was appreciated by all; I saw nothing but smiles & heard nothing but positive comments. If you’ve never attended a reunion at Tech all I can say is go, it’s a fun event & it’s great seeing old friends & classmates. I’ll be back & this time I won’t wait 50 years!” -Tom H.
“At the ripe old age of 91 I probably would probably not recognize anyone nor would they
recognize me! I lead a fairly active life in North Carolina – still driving a car with a license
renewed for five years.
My family adore the pasties I make for them when they visit me.” -Barbara H.
From “What You Said in July about Tech” in the Alumni Blogs
“The first full day was the Monday of Orientation Week and I was disoriented, nervous, maybe even scared, definitely overwhelmed. But I got over it. The trip to the bookstore was shocking and navigating the Wadsworth cafeteria was a challenge. Got over those too.” -Gregory W.
From “Mobile Escape Room” on Facebook
“The Forestry Alums who work wildland fire will have no issue getting through your escape room.” -Matt O.
From “See How Many Bucket List Items You Can Check Off” on Facebook
“34. And nearly half didn’t exist when I graduated in ’82. 🙂” Dan H.
One of the many Michigan Tech icons is the environment, more specifically, our wonderful (and extreme) winters!
Within this blog we’ll be creating a visual timeline of the Houghton area’s color change, from fall through winter, with help from the Michigan Tech Webcams.
Check back here every Monday to see updates. Click on any image for full size.
College Avenue Mid-Campus Mont Ripley
Monday, August 26th
Monday, September 2nd
Monday, September 9th
Monday, September 16th
Monday, September 23rd
Monday, September 30th
Monday, October 7th
Monday, October 14th
Monday, October 21st
Monday, October 28th
Monday, November 4th
Monday, November 11th
Monday, November 18th
Monday, November 25th
Monday, December 2nd
Throughout Michigan Tech’s history, there have been a great number of unique items representing the University and its culture. Below are some of our favorites!
Send us your favorites to be showcased on Social Media at alumni@mtu.edu or @mtualumni on Facebook.
Beanie
Bell
Belt Buckle
Coaster
Punch Card
Growler/Jug
Dining Hall Food Tray
Glass
Your Memorabilia Submissions
“I still use my HP 15C…..36 years later” -Scott L.
“Recruiting poster from the early 70’s.” -Herman M.
“Remember the Carhartts !!” -William D.
“Graduation announcement” -Cathy P.
“Varsity Awards Banquet” -Cathy P.
From Javier P.
“All my WMTU shirts and bumper stickers.” -Joe A.
“Homecoming button. 1971” -Cathy P.
“Duffel bag from our days on the cheer team/stunt squad. Still serves me well 20 years later!” -Kelly G.
“In 1985 I was a freshman in DHH. Our hall was “Esquire”, middle of the 3rd floor. Our RA held a vote to change the name to “Bloom County”, and I drew up a new logo for the hall. I painted over the “Esquire” sign with the new mural from the drawing below, and our RA had t-shirts and hoodies printed. I think I have a couple of pictures of the mural somewhere.
“I believe the name lasted maybe 3 years before it was changed again and the mural was painted over.” -Joe A.
“Some nifty artwork” -Frank G.
“Commencement program 1972” -Cathy P.
“Receipt for application fee from 1967” -Cathy P.
“Mike Erickson did someone say “pink MUB mug”?” -Joe A.
“Old logo hockey puck” -Jacob G.
“Graduation announcement” Cathy P.
“Autographed Calendar from the glory days” -Richard D.
“Campus ID card with stickers to show you were registered for that quarter.” -Robert L.
“Old sticker I have at work!” -Paul P.
Welcome to Tomorrow Needs Tech, a series of podcasts with President Koubek and prominent Michigan Tech alumni, discussing topics like computing, leadership, industry, and diversity.
Listen below, or you can also find Tomorrow Needs Tech on the following platforms: SoundCloud, iTunes, Stitcher, and TuneIn.
Podcast 1: Tomorrow Needs Computing
Michigan Tech President Rick Koubek sits down with alumnus Dave House ’65 to talk about Michigan Tech’s future as a leader in computing and technology.
From “What are some of your favorite Keweenaw Camping Spots” on Facebook
“Silver Mountain and walking from Wads downtown for stress relief at shoots & ladders” -Ericka H.
“We used to rent canoes from Wads and camp on a rough 2 track on Lake Fannie Hooe. Never saw another person unless we canoed by the fort.” -Joe N.
“Camping on the White City beach near Jacobsville” -Kirk O.
“Camped on Rock House Point several times. (Off limits now, I think.) Also Keystone Bay was great camping, and I think it’s been off limits since the fire out there 10 years ago or more.” -Christopher H.
“McLain State Park for camping, the Breakers at McLain for beaches” -Kayla G.
“5-Mile Point, where we’d swim and have bonfires in the 80’s and where I proposed to my wife in ‘95 😀…which is now private property with lakeshore houses and “No Trespassing” signs” -Pete M.
“Back side of the Great Sand Bay Dunes” -John C.
From “Here’s a quick tour of campus” on Facebook
“I got 2 years until I come for the reunion…. Probably a visit next year for good measure.” -Richard L.
“I love you and I miss you MTU” -Monica W.
“Things have changed in 60 years. For the better.” -Richard M.
From “Any memories from this Michigan Tech historical building? Hubbell Hall.”
“Learned Something new today about campus!” -Denise L.
“That building was still in use when I attended MTU in 1966…….Bill P. MTU alumni, BS Math, 1966.” -Bill P.
“That’s where I was on the day President Kennedy was shot. Classes were dismissed and we all went back to the dorms (DHH for me) to listen to the radio broadcast.” -Wayne T.
“My math major home 60-64. Fisher Hall was under construction my senior year and opened for classes the Fall after I graduated.” -Andrew P.
“Was the Administration Building when I began at Tech. Registrar on first floor and library in basement. Still have this building on my Balfour class ring.” -John D.
“Took a number of math classes in the building in the mid 1950s – mostly pleasant memories.” -Patrick D.
“Historical old building but open central wood stairs fire trap. Remember the coils of rope near top story windows” -Dick W.
“I was going to tell the story of the rope fire escapes but you beat me to it. As a frosh the window well was my assigned seat until enough dropped out to get a real desk. Was most happy to not have to be the one to kick the window out if necessary. Back in the day as they say…..
Class of ’64.” -Bud P.
Class of ’64.” -Bud P.
“I graduated BS Met Eng in 68. We were promised that, because of its historical significance, it would never be torn down. Bloody shame.” -Bob S.
From “Dave Chamino passed away on July 5th” on Facebook
“Dr. Chimino was a good prof. His teaching style was excellent. The tests were very tough, even though he swore he didn’t intentionally put answers on the multiple choice that were results of miscalculation. I learned a lot from him.” -Tim B.
“Great professor, one of the many at Michigan Tech. I remember Dr Chimino, the Physics class I took was what we called “Physics for Majors”. I was not a Physics major, but Dr Chimino was the one who taught me we have no room for error in the “major” class, of course because every answer I would get was a choice on the sheet (he would calculate wrong answers based on typical errors in the calculations, making you think the answer was right). Funny thing, when I went on to teach at MSU and in industry, I did the same thing, and people hated it. 😂😂😂. RIP Dr Chimino.” -Mark T.
“His syllabus always started out with us behind. He was great.” -Sarah W.
“Sad Day for a superb Professor.” -Robert M.
“He could draw a perfect circle on the blackboard. Consistently.” -Ken H.
“The famous perfect circle AND every possible wrong calculation on a test being one of the possible multiple choice answers.” -Gary M.
” If asked how he drew perfect circles he would reply “Maintain a constant radius”” -Ed E.
From “The 2019 Alumni Awards are Here” on Facebook
“I can’t wait to get there for my 10 year reunion in 2021!!” -Richard L.
From “Are you ready to take on our Mobile Escape Room” on Facebook
“The Forestry Alums who work wildland fire will have no issue getting through your escape room.” -Matt O.
From “What are your favorite Keweenaw camping spots” on Instagram
“The hidden ones you can only really explain by taking someone there” -wherin_the_world_is_erin on Instagram
“Beta Gris hands down” -dogsma02gkk on Instagram
From “Exploring the Keweenaw” in the Alumni Blogs
“There is certainly no shortage of memorable and adventurous places in the MTU area. Several of my Forestry program friends and I (Bill R., Bill T. and Lee G. – all ’64) made a point of visiting many of them. My favorites, however, were those which brought a combination of adventure, exploration and solitude. I think of places quiet and isolated, and places once occupied by a past generation, and now abandoned. To stand there in 1960-64, as the sun was setting, was to imagine those past times and life events. I recall particularly Red Ridge and Freda, the Cliff mine, and Keystone Bay at the tip of the Keweenaw. In more recent years I have re-visited some of these sites with family. While still intriguing, I’ll probably never recapture the nostalgia of some 55 years ago.” -Ted R.
From “Remembering Professor David Chamino” in the Alumni Blogs
“His physics demonstrations were THE COOLEST and for a visual learner like me, permanently ingrained the lessons in my brain.” -David P.
“Dave Chimino was a definite inspiration to me. In my own career as a physics professor, Electomagnetic Fields was always my favorite course to teach, but I could never draw those perfect circles. I did use a lot of colored chalk though.” -Robert L.
“Dr. Chimino was the very best instructor I had while a student from 1968-1972. He made physics come alive for me, and took it from a dry, calculation-driven world into a place where I eventually developed a true sense of wonderment. I will never forget when he was drawing a complex system of circular motion, and laughter broke out in Fisher 135. He turned and said, “What, did I make a mistake?” And the answer from someone in the front row was “No, it’s just those perfect circles! How do you do that?” Dr. C answered, without hesitation, “Well, I just keep R constant.” Perfect!” -Michael A.
“Once when asked how he drew those perfect circles, his reply was “Keep a constant radius.” His demonstration with the spinning bicycle wheel and a stool with a swivel seat is also memorable.” -Gregory S.
“Dave Chimino was a personal friend as well as a mentor. We worked together on his idea of video taped lectures as I had a background in broadcast video when I came to Tech. One summer many years later, when Dave had an internship at Lawrence Livermore Labratories, we met and toured their nuclear fusion project. Dave’s reaction? “That’s what I call mega-buck physics”.
R.I.P. my friend.” -Jon W.
R.I.P. my friend.” -Jon W.
“Professor Chimino had that magic gift of teaching, on often difficult to understand principles, to hard-headed physics students like me such that we actually learned the stuff. Yes, he could draw well on the chalk board, and that helped, but he also had that rare ability to explain, even show us, what the “things,” or abstract physics ideas, in his lectures, were all about. We actually learned, thanks to him.And, thanks to Professor Chimino, and a few others like him, a lot of us physics types made it and, perhaps, even helped move the science forward a mm or two. Only time will tell. But what is for sure, is that no one was ever better at lecturing Physics than Professor Dave Chimino.” -C. John U.
“The spinning bicycle wheel was great. We laughed about it for weeks, but we got the message. I also remember him writing on the board with one hand while he erased with the other. Better be quick at taking notes!” -Dave S.
“I thought of Prof. Chimino often during my career as his Electrical Measurements course was very much like what my early job tasks were like in the nuclear power field. The lab for that course was two credits and was the hardest two credits I ever earned but the lessons were life long. I was also lucky enough to take his general astronomy class. At that time he was in the planning stage of his observatory. People like him made Tech the special place it is.” -Tom M.
“Prof. Chimino had the knack of turning an equation into a tangible reality, which made it enormously easier for students to grasp the principle embedded in the equation. I’m sure that ping pong balls and strobe lights were never used so effectively in a physics class anywhere else. While I am saddened to hear of his passing, his presence still looms large; in a very beneficial way.” -Paul M.
“Dave was my adviser 1958 -1962, and gave us an oral final exam in Electricity and Magnetism, which I think he had a photographic memory, because when asked a question during our problem solving lab, replied “go to page 207, and in the middle of the page…….”. This petrified most of us with an oral final pending, No BS gonna happen.” -Sam L.
“My wife and I both enjoyed a pretty spectacular time in Tech History when we had the one two punch of Chimino for Physics, and Berry for Chemistry. Sadly, both have now passed. While Berry made us all quiver with fear, Chimino’s class was a blast- he always had demo’s- Block sliding down planes, the spinning bicycle wheel, perfect circles, and other oddities that kept our attention and made us remember the concepts. And I remember quivering with fear after waiting in Fisher Hall to see the posting of the exam grades. Ten questions 100 points. And every possible answer you could come up with if you took the wrong direction in your thinking. For instance, the square root of the answer, or the negative, or whatever mistake you were most likely to make. His lessons will always occupy a smiling part of my brain.” -Steve A.
“Professor Chimino would often draw circles and other curved surfaces in his optics classes. What was really amazing is he would draw a seemingly perfect circle freehand in one motion, then he would check it using a compass.
One of his best projects was undergraduate physics lab in the basement of Fisher Hall.” -Ned E.
“I had Dr. Chimino for an optics class. He made learning fun and yes the perfect circles were scary cool. RIP” -Reid S.
“Taking PH204 and PH205 from Professor Chimino was one of the best experiences I had in my early career at Tech (next to ME223). The ability to draw a perfect circle free-hand was, as others have noted, absolutely legendary. As was the vaporizing screwdriver / capacitor demo. But he was much more than a great lecturer with interesting presentations. He had a reputation of being a ‘tough’ instructor but a very equitable one as well. And a dry sense of humor. I remember an exam where he stood watching me use my LEFT hand to do right hand rule vector cross product directions. I realized what I was doing about the same time I realized he was watching me – with a huge grin. I’m sure he was thinking ‘I got another one of those MEs’!!! He’ll be sorely missed…” -Gary H.
“Of course the circles and bike wheel. But he was the one who ‘calibrated’ me to prepare for Tech when on day one he said, “Hope you remember your lessons, we start in Chapter 3.” He will be missed. Hope you are circling the stars!” -Paul S.
“Two memories that pop into my head from time to time: (1) 8 am lecture, middle of the winter, bleary eyed and sitting in the Fisher lecture hall. All of a sudden music comes blaring over the loud speakers (don’t remember exactly what, but that it had a catchy acoustic bass line). Just as suddenly the music stops and Chimino walks in like nothing happened and starts his lecture. (2) discussion about F=ma and units, he pulls out a metric kilogram weight to illustrate inertial mass and then without the slightest change in expression hoists a concrete cinder block out of nowhere to illustrate the imperial slug.” -Dave R.
“40 years later and I still remember those perfect circles! Excellent professor. I REALLY learned Physics and it was enjoyable.” -Stephen K.
“An appreciation of physics is at the core of every engineering student’s tasks. Many thanks to Dr. Chimino and happy memories of his guidance.” -Al C.
Students are preparing to move back on campus for the start of the fall semester. Comment below and tell us the story of your first day at Michigan Tech.
Lode Articles (Courtesy of Michigan Tech University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections)
