1976… I dressed up as a Texas Instrument 51 (TI 51) calculator. Don’t have picture, but I painted a rectangular box black, added function keys, and fabricated an adaptor with foil-wrapped prongs and a cord attached to the calculator. I labeled myself as ‘Tech’s Instrument’. Ironically, I went to MTU on probation for my math competency and did not even know how to use these “modern” calculators. Sad, but true, my friend (who became my husband) took me to the Library (bar) to teach me how to use the TI 51 for a Math test. I mastered the functions over a beer…went to take the test, and fell asleep after writing my name on the test form (low alcohol tolerance). The proctor woke me up with 5 minutes left and I scribbled random answers for each problem. It turned out that I got an A on that test…the only math A in my college career!

Nancy Masnado Bloch, 1980

Thanks, Nancy: Now I know my future plan for any potential math test—a beverage, a nap, and then whatever answers I like! –Kevin