Michigan Tech Alumni Association

"It all started with Michelob Dark on tap at the Dog House," says John Palmer '87. When the metallurgy grad moved to California in 1988, he couldn't find a good beer, so he started making his own. Thus began the current best-selling home-brewing book on Amazon.com.

Hold on Tight to Your Dreams

John Drake did that for the duration of his career - what he calls a "forty-four-year run." The ensuing success has put him and his wife, Cathi, in the position of being philanthropists.

A paratrooper and an army ranger, Hall was deployed to Afghanistan with 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. Hall was killed in action on July 31, 2007. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for heroism and the Purple Heart.

Sarah Rajala, who has pioneered the way for women in electrical engineering, graduated with a bachelor's degree in the field. She was recently named dean of Mississippi State University's Bagley College of Engineering. Prior to this, Rajala headed the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at MSU.

Alums Team up to Engineer a Better Beer

Chas Thompson '91, computer science, had a good reason for becoming a brewer.

"I was thirsty," he says, pouring beers from the Schmohz Brewery counter at the recent Grand Rapids alumni tailgate party.