Joel Tacey '01
Fresh out of Tech, Joel Tacey '01 was not enthused by his first marketing or sales rep option. So, he gave himself an ultimatum.
"I told myself, if I could make the same kind of living by doing magic as my friends did in traditional jobs, I would stick it out," he says. "It's been the best decision of my life."
David C. Tarsi '59,
David Tarsi began his career with Consumers Power Company (now Consumers Energy). He worked for Consumers for five years and was chosen to participate in a power system research project at Purdue University. While at Purdue, Dave earned a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. Returning to Jackson, Michigan, he continued to work for Consumers, rising to Manager of Transmission and Distribution Engineering. After his early retirement from Consumers, David formed his own engineering corporation, specializing in transmission and distribution system engineering. David is a member emeritus of the Electrical Engineering Department’s External Advisory Committee.
Lina Taskovich (Tormen) '52
Lina Tormen Taskovich ’52 studied chemistry and chemical engineering at Michigan Tech almost thirty years before Sally Heidtke, and she has some words of wisdom for women students too: “Study a field you like—you have to spend all your life working in it. And go for the top degree in the field of your choice. Also, do not go for the most lucrative job, but for the job you would love to do.”
Charles G. Tebelman Jr. '38, '38
Retired Assistant to Vice President of Administration, Bethlehem Steel Corporation
Charles Tebelman earned BS degrees in Mining Engineering and Metallurgical Engineering, with honors, from the Michigan College of Mining and Technology in 1938.
After graduation, he joined Bethlehem Steel Corporation as a candidate of their “Loop Course” management training program. In September, 1938, he was assigned as Foreman to the Bethlehem’s Limestone Quarry in Bridgeport, PA. In 1947, he was offered the position of Mining Engineer in the office of the Vice President of . . .
Dr. Dennis Teeguarden '53
Dr. Dennis Teeguarden earned a bachelor's degree in forestry from Michigan Tech in 1953. After service in the US Navy, he earned a master's in forestry and a doctorate in agricultural economics, both from the University of California, Berkeley, where he has served as chair of the Department of Forestry and Resource Management, and as associate dean of the College of Natural Resources.
Janice K Tervonen '80, '80
After leaving Michigan Tech, Jan Tervonen joined the Eastman Kodak Company as a Programmer/ Analyst. In 1986 she left Kodak and took several years off to raise her children – two of those years were spent in Paris. She returned to the work force initially as a consultant, and then in 1993 accepted a position with Mammography Reporting System, Inc. (MRS) as a Senior Programmer/Analyst. MRS is the leading provider of mammography information systems in the US. She worked her way through the ranks as a Product Manager, Technical Director, and ultimately became the Vice President, Technology.
Duane M. Thayer '62, '59
Retired
Michigan Technological University
Materials Science and Engineering
BS EMY 1959, BS EMY 1962
Duane “Dewey” graduated from Michigan Tech with both his B.S. & M.S. degrees in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering in 1959 and 1962. Also served 3 years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Dewey retired from Michigan Tech in January 1997 and became emeritus professor in the fall of 1997.
In his spare time, Dewey enjoys gardening and an occasional visit to the “Dog House” to reminisce with old friends and former colleagues. He and his . . .
Chas Thompson '91
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. Jim Schwerin '87, owner and brewer at Schmohz (pronounced shmoes), had a similar reason. "I couldn’t find a beer I liked," he says.
Otha Thornton '01
Otha Thornton came to Michigan Tech as an ROTC officer and left as an alumnus. As Major Thornton, he served three years as an Assistant Professor of Military Science. As student Thornton, he earned a Master's in Rhetoric and Technical Communication, with his research focusing on the Army's officer evaluation system.
Camiel E. Thorrez '70
Camiel Thorrez graduated from Michigan Tech with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1970. In 1970 he served a one year, apprenticeship in Tool Engineering, in 1972 became General Manager of C. Thorrez Industries-Concord, and in 1988 he became President of C. Thorrez Industries-Jackson.
He received the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award in 1975 and was a member of the College of Engineering Industrial Advisory Board. He continues his interest in technical education issues through his professional and community . . .
Robert Thresher '67, '62
Bob Thresher earned a B.S. Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Tech in 1962. He returned to Michigan Tech after working for the Boeing Company to receive a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1967, followed by a Ph.D. from Colorado State University in 1970. After completing his doctorate, he worked as a Program Manager for the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington D.C. He then spent four years as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Oregon State . . .
Mr. Bob Todd '51
Bob Todd sums up his 38 year career by saying, “All in all it was a good career, working with and meeting hundreds of people from Florida to Alaska and Oregon to Kentucky in diverse political, social and environmental communities.”
That career began in 1951 after Bob’s graduation from Tech. He headed to Idaho for a summer position with the Forest Service doing Blister Rust control on the on Kaniksu National Forest.
Kristin Tolentino '01
Alumna finds her dream and her niche. When she was but a youngster, Kristin Nelson Tolentino, of Ashland, Wisconsin, had a dream of working at Disneyland. So where does this 2001 alumna, age thirty, work these days? At Disneyland, of course. “I’m sort of amazed by it,” she says.
Steven L. Tomsovic '80
Steven L. Tomsovic graduated from Michigan Technological University in 1980 with a BS in Physics. He continued his education at the University of Rochester and in 1987 received his PhD in theoretical physics. That was followed by two years near Paris, France at the Institute for Nuclear Physics with a Joliot-Curie Fellowship. There, he became fluent in French and began a lifelong association with what has become the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics and Statistical Models.
Amy Trahey '94
Michigan Tech is known as a very successful engineering university. It is also known for its male-dominated population. Despite the fact that women are a minority on Tech's campus, it is clear that they, like men, can find success, even in the field of engineering. Amy Trahey, a 1994 civil engineering graduate of Michigan Tech is living proof of this fact.
James A. Trethewey '67
Switching from mechanical engineering to business worked out very well for Jim Trethewey. The Ironwood native was inspired to switch by legendary accounting professor Sam Tidwell and never looked back. Beginning his career with Copper Range, a local mining concern, he soon joined Cleveland-Cliffs (now Cliffs Resources) and advanced through management positions over the years.
From Ishpeming to Ontario to Cleveland, Trethewey worked in positions of increasing responsibility and became vice president-controller and chief accounting officer. Along the . . .
Samuel B. Treves '51
Sam received his B.S. in Geological Engineering from Michigan in Tech in 1951. He then went on to earn an M.S. in Geology from the University of Idaho in 1953 and a Ph.D. in Geology from Ohio State University in 1959. He was also a recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship to New Zealand between 1953 and 1954.
After completing his Ph.D., Sam began a life-long academic career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While here held positions including . . .
Mr. Gordon C Trombley '52
After serving in World War II in England, France and Germany as a commissioned officer in the Army Air Corps as a pilot with the 87th troop carrier squadron, Gordon went to college and completed the two-year forestry program at the Sault Ste. Marie Branch. Gordon went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in forestry at Michigan Tech.
Donald J. Truax '65
Chevron Corporation
BS EMY 1965, PhD 1970
Don graduated from Michigan Tech with his BS degree in Metallurgical Engineering in 1965, and received a PhD degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1970. Don then embarked on what turned out to be a lifelong career with Chevron Corporation in Richmond, CA, serving in several capacities until his retirement in 1999.
In 2001, Don established the Don Truax Professional Development Program within the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. This program was established . . .
Jessica Turino '94
Following graduation, Turino began her career in procurement - working in the private sector of Forestry. In 1999, she accepted a position with Weyerhaeuser Company based out of Grayling, Michigan, where she continues her work in procurement. She is responsible for supplying raw material to the Grayling Oriented Strand Board mill and hardwood sawmill located in Lewiston, Michigan.
Dr. Kimberly Turner (Passerello) '94
Besides being a professor at UCSB, Turner is also the Sensors Task co-leader in a collaboration involving UCSB, the California Institute of Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Army Institute for Collaborative Biotechnology.
William A. Turunen '39
Bill Turunen joined General Motors in 1939, after graduating from Michigan Tech with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. After four years with the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942-46 and earning a MS in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University in 1946, he spent his career in various capacities at the GM research laboratories before retiring in 1979. Beginning as a research engineer, he was promoted to head the mechanical engineering department in 1948, became head of the . . .
