Scott,

As a follow-up to your request for stories about favorite professors, I saw that a couple of alumni mention Dr. Chimino (featured photo) but they failed to note one of his truly awesome skills. He had this amazing ability to draw perfect circles on the chalkboard of any size needed, be it only a few inches in diameter to ones that where three or four feet, and he only used a piece of chalk and what seemed like a double-jointed elbow and/or shoulder. The first time he would do that, there would be a collective gasp from the students in the lecture hall. It was truly a sight to see.

John R. Baker, BSME, ’71

- Thank you, John. Would like to have seen that feat. -SB

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Scott,
You asked for favorite profs, and I just wanted to add my three to the list. I needed one of the other letters to have the proper name of one: Prof Worble from Physics. I was unable to fit any physics into my HS experience, so when I needed to take the 100 series at Tech, I was nervous. Prof Worble loved his subject with enthusiasm and animation at times that just made physics fun! I specifically took his “Physics of Photography” class just to have him one more time as an instructor. Prof Fred Erbisch and Dr. Bert Whitten were other very influential teachers in my life at Tech. As a biology major their command of their subject areas, and openness to answering questions with very open offices made it possible for me to excel. I still remember much of what I learned in the classes I took from these men. About 20 years ago I was able to locate Whitten and Erbisch and sent them snail-mail letters of gratitude. They were both surprised at such a contact … examples of the humble men they were. Especially the anatomy/physiology lessons Whitten instilled have helped me as I understand and take care of my hubby as he fights his non-classic Parkinson’s disease.

Anita Uhlir
1977 Bio Sci

- Thank you, Anita and all my best to your husband. -SB

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Hi Scott,

Wanted to take a moment and say thanks for compiling such a wonderful collection of memories of Tech Profs, what a great tribute to truly amazing people throughout the years. It’s also really cool as a more recent grad to read of some of the “classic Tech” days that are still whispered about in hushed reverent tones today. Additionally, thanks to all of the alums who took the time to submit their tributes. I sure do miss Tech every-darn-day, and although these memories really tugged at my home sickness for Houghton, having something so amazing to miss is definitely worth it 100x over! Tech is one of the most special places I have ever experienced, and I am so proud to say that I am a Tech alum.

Thanks again, and go Huskies!
Jenna Edwards ’15

- Glad the stories brought you home, Jenna. Hope you’re able to make it to Reunion August 3-5, 2017. -SB

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Hi Scott,

I wanted to mention my favorite professor at Tech: Tom Vichich – what a great teacher! I had him my first semester at Tech and kept trying to get into one of his classes again, but I never was able to make it work. He was welcoming and helpful when I visited him in his office. He was energetic, enthusiastic and tough, but his tough techniques kept us on task. He could explain calculus concepts in ways that seemed to reach everyone. My all-time favorite!

Shawn Rathbun
Computer Science ’82

- Making difficult concepts accessible to everyone is a real gift. Thanks for writing, Shawn. -SB

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Hi Scott – Thanks for the recent edition of the newsletter. I really enjoyed the comments of many alumni who wrote about their favorite profs. I recalled a lot of them as I took courses from many of them. Here are a few of my remembrances.

Floyd Doane – I had him for some chemistry lab, maybe P-chem. He referred to all of us in the lab as “peckerwoods”. We enjoyed his many stories including spraying pesticides on Texas cotton fields in an old bi-plane. However, one day I wore my Kappa Delta Psi sweatshirt to class. He took one look at it and said, “Come into my office”. I had no idea what I could have done wrong. Well, nothing. He just asked if I was a Kappa Delt and when I said yes, he gave me the secret handshake. That was when I discovered he was one of our KD faculty advisors. From then on, I was one of the few kids in his class that he called by my first name!

Ed Vandette – I decided to take Russian History one term as one of my electives. Ed was our Professor. This was during the beginning of Nixon’s Watergate fiasco. He encouraged all of us to discuss current events for the first half-hour of each class. Wow, did we get into some heated discussions with lots of class participation, but I wondered how we would ever learn anything about Russian history. That’s when I found out just how fast he could lecture and deliver an amazing amount of information in a short time. My hand would just about cramp up from taking notes for that last half hour of class but I really learned a lot about the history of Russia from him.

Professor Bredekamp – I was one of Brede’s Unit Operations students in the early 1960’s. And not the not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He ran that lab under the strictest terms. You never got away with a thing. He would interview our three-man lab team before each experiment and if he found us lacking in any way, he would instruct us to get back to library and come back when we knew what we were talking about. No exceptions. If we missed the 8-hour lab that day, too bad. Make it up on another day. Also, when grading our 40 and 50-page reports, he would close his door and no one was allowed into his office. It was easy to tell he was grading a report as his office down in the UO Lab had large windows to observe him at his old typewriter. I recall those critiques fondly although his grades on them terrorized us into thinking we would all fail the class. They were single-spaced, margin-to-margin of acerbic comments. I won’t even mention the actual grades we received. At the time, we all feared him. It took a long time for me to realize what we were learning about excellence, timeliness, and accuracy among other things. Eventually, I came to be proud of surviving UO taught by Brede and finally being able to appreciate him for what he imparted to us.

That’s enough of my recollections. Thanks for asking

Bill Deephouse, BS Chem. Eng. 1963, MS Biological Sciences 1971

- Those are great tributes, Bill. Thank you so much for sharinga all those details and checking in with us. -SB

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Scott; thank you for the picture of “K” Spiroff in today’s TechAlum newsletter. Prof. Spiroff was probably at the top of the list of my favorite Tech professors (mid-1960s), along with Dr. Willits (who saved my bacon in the Fall 1964 introduction to Integral Calculus – probably the best “teacher” of the Math department), Dr. Pollock (Geology & Geological Engineering; the Mineral Deposits course), and of course Doc Berry (as much for his habit of leading Agate-hunting expeditions around Keweenaw Point as for his skill in teaching Freshman Chemistry).

One facet of Prof. Spiroff not mentioned by my classmate Neil Foreman was his decision to be the academic advisor for every woman student who majored in geology or geological engineering (including the young lady who became my bride). In an era at Tech when women were proactively discouraged from a career in engineering or science, Prof. Spiroff was a notable exception.

Two other interesting facets of this complex, fascinating man: 1) He informally adopted every Tech hockey player, having them to his home for home-cooked meals and fellowship (who can forget his leaning over the Center Ice rail at every home game in Dee Stadium?). 2) He was proud of his large and productive garden, which unfortunately reached its peak yields in the brief Copper Country summers when 95 percent of his students were absent. (My wife and I got to enjoy fresh sweet corn during Alumni Reunion at the 5th anniversary of my graduation.)

Prof. Spiroff was also on the founding Board of Directors for the Quincy Hoist Association; the fruits of their labor can be visited above Hancock as one element of the National Historic Park. In the fall of 1966, he recruited about 20 of us from the student section of the Tech chapter of the American Institute of Mining Engineers to begin the process of cleaning the surface of the grounds. The smoke from our burning the accumulated trash of decades laid flat owing to a strong north wind. As a treat, when we finished for the day, he opened the door to the Shaft House and let us look down the uppermost part of that 13,000-foot incline.

Memories of a great man and a great professor.

Pete Dohms, ’67

- Hi Pete. Based on all of the memories and accolades, it sounds as if he was truly remarkable. -SB

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Scott,

I add my admiration for Art Weaver. I always marveled that he would get all those daily quizzes returned so quickly and with corrections and notations as if I was his only student. Another favorite was Joe Kirkish. His freshman English class was enjoyable enough that I later took some lit classes as electives. The great part is that my kudos for him are not just in the past tense. He still sends a word a day – along with its meaning and usage – plus a movie recommendation each week. And if I reply with a comment or two, he responds in minutes – sometimes with a Copper Country snow report. These still are the good old days.

Walter Pearson, BSME ’62

- That’s great, Walter. Loved hearing that word a day story. -SB
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Good Morning Scott:

I don’t always get to read the newsletter in a timely fashion, so I hope this comment is not too late.

It is funny. I just remembered a professor I had my first year at Tech. He taught me basic electrical circuits, which is really an applied math class. His name was John LaRue. His nickname was “Slash” because he did not give partial credit.

Circuits, at that time, was a three-quarter (yearlong class) and I had Professor LaRue for all three quarters. I hated the fact that he did not give partial credit for problems on tests. His reasoning was that there is no partial credit during the practice of engineering in the ‘real world’. I got a D the first semester learning that.

Forty-one years later, I look back on the experience and the lesson of ‘no partial credit in the real world’ was one of the most valuable things I learned at Michigan Tech. John has long passed away. He was a suit wearing, white shirted, narrow black tie, chain-smoking anachronism back in 1979. We need more like him teaching that lesson today.

Thanks

Gerald Wirth, PE ’78

- Great tribute, Gerald. You know a profess is tough when their nickname is “Slash.” -SB