WebbNewsThe Webb Institute Magazine

Wi n t e r 2 013– 2 01 4

Volume 25 Issue 2

ZEIEN SALUTED AT ALUMNI BANQUET

QUALITY MEETS QUANTITY IN WEBB’S CLASS OF 2017

New Beginnings at Webb: R. Keith Michel’s Inauguration

www.webb.edu

WEBB INSTITUTE

R. Keith Michel ’73 PRESIDENT

George Campbell, Jr. CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Richard P. Neilson ’70 DEAN AND PROFESSOR OF NAVAL ARCHITECTURE

Kerri Allegretta DIRECTOR OF MEDIA RELATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS

Supervising Editor: Gailmarie Sujecki EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Editor: Christine Slattery

Editorial Contributors:Kerri AllegrettaDavid ByrnesJohn R. Carlson ‘14Jay P. Carson ‘73Nolan B. Conway ‘15Hampton K. Dixon ‘11John FerranteRichard C. Harris

John A. Malone ‘71R. Keith Michel ‘73William G. MurrayRichard P. Neilson ‘70Cody C. Owen ‘15Gailmarie SujeckiMatthew P. Tedesco ‘91Matthew B. Weklar ‘15

Photo Contributors:Kerri AllegrettaTJ Brackin ‘16John R. Carlson ‘14Gill PhotographyEric S. Harris ’14

Jennifer E. Lorenc ‘16Kelly O’Brien ‘16Gailmarie SujeckiAlexandra L. Wilson

Design:Lum & Associates

Webb News is published semi-annually in the Summer and the Winter by Webb Institute, 298 Crescent Beach Road, Glen Cove, NY 11542-1398 1-866-708-9322 (Webb) www.webb.edu

W i n t e r 2 0 1 3 – 2 0 1 4 Volume 25 Issue 2

WebbNews

M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N TTo prepare graduates for prominent careers by:

engineering

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FEATURES

1 From the President

2 Smooth Sailing for Family Weekend

4 Alumni Banquet:

Alfred M. Zeien ’52 Honored

6 Webb Institute’s 15th President:

R. Keith Michel ’73 Inaugurated

8 The Dean’s Corner: Round Three

10 America’s Cup Adventure For Webbies

12 Webb Freshmen: Big Class,

Great Expectations

13 Luckenbach Courtyard Gets a Makeover

Class of 1963 50th Anniversary Gift:

Henry Auditorium Technology Upgrades

14 Alumni Association Report

15 Homecoming Extended for Webb’s

125th Anniversary Celebration

16 Alumni Reunions

18 Alumni Spotlight: Ted Gurneé PG’68

20 Alumni Spotlight: George J. Berger ’66

21 New Media Relations and

Communications Department

Queen Mary 2: Good Investment or

Billion Dollar Extravagance?

25 Open House Packs The House

26 S.O. President: The Spirit Of Webb

At Work and At Play

DEPARTMENTS

22 Campus News

27 In Memoriam

28 Class Notes

44 Heritage Society

IN THIS ISSUE

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from the President

My first four months at Webb have certainly been eventful. We welcomed 27

incoming freshmen in mid-August, the largest freshman class in memory. A

couple of regional alumni events were held, including a wonderful get-together

in San Francisco preceding the America’s Cup finals. Webb’s presidential inauguration on

October 24th gave us an opportunity to celebrate Webb’s glorious past, take stock of the

present, and express our dreams and aspirations for the future. It was an uplifting and

joyous occasion, enjoyed by all who attended.

We commissioned Gary Jobson Productions to produce a documentary on Webb. First

shown at the inauguration, the film will now be highlighted at various regional alumni

events. A special thanks is extended to the trustees who helped fund this production.

We will be sending copies to each alumnus and friend of Webb. We encourage you to

show it to your friends and to prospective students, as we seek to spread the word

about our unique college. Webb has been called “America’s best kept secret in higher

education.” The film is a first step in our efforts to change that perception.

This fall, we effected a number of organizational changes at Webb. The Department

of Public Affairs and Communications, created under the direction of Kerri Allegretta, is

responsible for outreach and communications to the media, updating website content,

and instructional technology related to online learning. Gailmarie Sujecki has assumed

administrative support for the Annual Alumni Fund, freeing up our advancement group

to concentrate on major gifts and other development activities. Gailmarie will work

closely with the co-chairs of Webb’s Annual Alumni Fund, John Malone and Stefan

Wolczko.

I continue to be amazed at the energy of our students. One weekend this fall our

students participated in four different regattas plus a soccer match. At one time, over 50%

of the student body were competing in intercollegiate sporting events. On another weekend,

Webb hosted 60 high school students at a FIRST Robotics conference. Our students organized

the event, provided instruction, and gave tours of the campus. Thanks to a generous gift

from Kitty and Norm Wallin PG’62, Webb students make frequent trips to New York City

to attend cultural events. And somehow they find time to keep up with their studies!

We are now in the planning stages of Alumni Homecoming 2014, which also

commemorates the 125th anniversary of the college. Homecoming will be expanded to

include a full weekend of events, beginning Friday with a historical symposium on William H.

Webb and his contributions, and continuing with a series of events on campus on Saturday

and Sunday. Save these dates: May 16-18, 2014. I look forward to seeing many of you as we

celebrate Webb’s first 125 years.

“ I continue to be amazed at the energy of our students…At one time, over 50% of the student body were competing in intercollegiate sporting events. ”

R. Keith Michel ’73 President

W E B B N E W S

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Smooth Sailing for Family Weekend

Family Weekend was again a big hit with

a record turnout. Some freshmen had a

retinue of family and friends attend to

watch them perform in what has become the

traditional Freshman Water Course Race. This year

the assignment was to build a “manually propelled”

boat from a specified set of materials. With the

specifications given, this meant propulsion would

be by paddles or oars. Additional requirements

were that at least two team members had to

be in the boat at a time, there would be two

laps of the course, and each team member

had to be in the boat for a least one lap.

With uncertain weather forecasts, the Dean

moved the race from Sunday to Saturday morning.

Much to the dismay of the upperclassmen, the

day started bright and essentially wind free. The

seven contesting teams arrived with a variety of

(mostly watertight) craft, eager to show all how

they had solved the problem. As the race started,

a period of adjustment—despite the sea trials

performed the previous day—was needed before

significant headway was achieved. One sleek boat

surged ahead and was never overcome. Other boats

started somewhat awkwardly, especially the one

catamaran, but once they got it together performed

admirably; one boat suffered propulsion system

failure, from which it never fully recovered; but all

boats valiantly finished the race. The participants

exulted in their successful result and then decided

it was time to see how many people they could

get in each boat. Seeing them interact that way

may have been the best part of the event.

On Sunday morning, the wind had picked up

considerably and there were whitecaps in the Sound.

A senior looked out at the choppy water wistfully

and said, “I wish the Dean hadn’t changed the day

of the race; we would have seen multiple disasters

out there today.”

Alex Dzinbal and parents.

Professor Royce and Kiayuh on The Patience.

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Webbies Present Award

at Zeien Home

On Saturday, October 19, Dean

Neilson and his wife Denise, WAA

Treasurer Victoria Dlugokecki

’89, and WAA President Matthew

Tedesco ’91 were graciously hosted

by the Zeiens, along with their son

Scott and their granddaughter, at

their home in Woods Hole, Mass.

Dean Neilson presented a book

containing bios and notes from the

Zeien Lecture Series; Matt Tedesco

read a letter congratulating Al,

expressing the appreciation of the

Webb Alumni Association, and

the William Selkirk Owen Award

was presented to Dr. Zeien. Eugene

Schorsch ’52 congratulated Al via

Skype on behalf of his classmates.

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A Legacy of Achievement and Generosity

Alfred M. Zeien ’52 Honored

1 WAA President Matthew Tedesco ’91 presents the William Selkirk Owen Award to Alfred M. Zeien ’52. 2 Matt Tedesco, Rick Neilson ’70, Denise Neilson, Al, Joyce & Scott Zeien, and Vicky Dlugokecki ’88. 3 President Michel ’73, Eugene Schorsch ’52 and Matt Tedesco ’91. 4 Jacques & Caryl Hadler. 5 Sean Murphy ’13, Nathan Fast ’14 and Michael Klein ’11. 6 Rick Paradis, Carmen & Peter Weber ’74. 7 Stefan Wolczko ’09 and John Malone ’71. 8 Nathan Hagan ’12, Matt Tedesco ’91, Cathy Tedesco ’94, Gailmarie Sujecki, Vicky Dlugokecki ’88 and Rich Celotto ’73. 9 14 of the 15 seniors.

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Close to 100 alumni, friends and the entire senior

class attended the Alumni Banquet on Friday,

November 8, 2013, in Bellevue, Washington,

where Alfred Zeien was this year’s recipient of the

William Selkirk Owen Award. Introductory remarks were

presented by Zeien’s classmate Eugene Schorsch with

a display of photos of Al throughout the years. The

following is a reprint from the event’s Program:

The Webb Alumni Association is pleased to present the

48th William Selkirk Owen Award to Alfred M. Zeien.

Dr. Zeien is a 1952 graduate of Webb Institute of Naval

Architecture. After attending the master’s program at

Harvard Business School he joined General Dynamics and

later became Operations Manager of the General Dynamics

Shipyard in Quincy, Mass. He left the marine field to begin

a singularly successful career with The Gillette Company.

Alfred M. Zeien joined The Gillette Company, an

international consumer products company, in 1968. He

held various positions, including President and Chief

Operating Officer, and served as Chairman of the Board

from February 1991 to April 1999. During his tenure

Gillette acquired Duracell and introduced the Mach 3

razor and increased its market capitalization ten-fold.

Many institutions and companies benefited from his

managerial wisdom through his service on their boards.

Webb was proud to award Alfred M. Zeien an

honorary Doctor of Science degree in 1997.

Dr. Zeien endowed the Zeien Lecture Series in 2000.

The purpose of the lecture series is to enhance student

life by bringing in speakers on a wide variety of topics.

Then, in 2011, through an endowed gift, Dr. and Mrs.

Zeien created the Alfred M. Zeien Student Scholarship.

The proceeds from the Zeien endowment offset the

academic cost (tuition) associated with each year of the

designated student’s education until he or she graduates.

The Webb Alumni Association gratefully applauds

Dr. Zeien’s outstanding achievement and service to his

profession and his Alma Mater.

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ALUMNI BANQUET

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Webb Institute’s

15th President

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Mr. R. Keith Michel ’73 Inaugurated

Thursday, October 24, 2013, marked a particularly significant date in Webb Institute’s history:

the inauguration of Webb’s 15th president, Keith Michel. Mr. Michel, Webb Class of 1973,

for a number of years served as president and then chairman of one of the country’s leading

engineering and software companies, Herbert Engineering, headquartered in Alameda, CA. In

addition, he served as the Chairman of the Webb Institute Board of Trustees from 2011 to 2012.

The ceremony was hosted

by the current chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr.

George Campbell, who welcomed almost 200 guests

to the event. Dr. Campbell briefly reviewed Webb’s

“rich and distinguished history” and emphasized

its reputation for excellence. A number of speakers

welcomed Mr. Michel as Webb’s new president. The

Honorable Ralph Suozzi, Mayor of the City of Glen

Cove, commended the continuing excellence of Webb’s

academic program and graduates and declared Webb

one of Glen Cove’s greatest assets. Representing

Webb’s honorary alumni and trustees, Mr. Charles

Kurz II, Chairman Emeritus of Keystone Shipping,

asked attendees to remember all that the Webb

education has contributed to both individual success

and the nation’s maritime community at large, and

he urged those present to continue to develop and

to support “the culture of generosity at Webb.”

Henry Jansen ’14, speaking on behalf of Webb’s

Student Organization, thanked President Michel for

his appreciation and support of the Webb Student

Organization. Matthew Tedesco ’91, President of the

Webb Alumni Association, echoing the sentiments

of the Webb family at large, noted the high regard

in which President Michel is held and reported

how thrilled the Webb community was to learn of

his selection as Webb’s fifteenth

president. Dean Richard Neilson ’70

concluded the introductory remarks

with a humorous “warning” about

unexpected challenges that the

new president might meet at a key

time in Webb’s history, as Webb

implements a new strategic plan and

engages in a capital campaign, but

expressed complete confidence in

President Michel’s “proven leadership

ability, his intellect, and his calm

approach to solving problems.”

In his comments President Michel reminded the

audience of William H. Webb’s vision, his generosity,

and his legacy. For almost 125 years Webb Institute

has maintained its focus on educating young people

to become the best prepared naval architects and

marine engineers possible. Webb continues its

“uncompromising commitment to excellence” with

a faculty dedicated to mentoring students, through

an academic program that connects the theoretical

and practical by means of both classroom and

internship experiences, in an environment built on

a strong moral and ethical foundation. President

Michel pointed out that despite the challenges of a

very rigorous academic program, Webb ranks number

one among colleges and universities in the U.S. for

graduating students in four years. Moreover, he added,

Webb has been described as “America’s most loved

school,” as evidenced by the highest rate of alumni

giving of any college or university in the country. In

addition, 100% of Webb graduates “get jobs, very good

jobs,” and many go on to earn graduate degrees.

Webb continues to provide a full-tuition scholarship

to every student; it is now the only engineering

college in the country to do so. So, as Webb looks at

its past, there is much to be proud of. At the same

time, of course, President Michel declared, “This

is no time to stand still, or the world will pass us

by.” With their yearning to make the world a better

place, their sense of personal and professional ethics,

and their desire to further the development of the

maritime industry, Webb graduates will be important

citizens of the U.S. and the world in the future.

When the inauguration ceremony ended, the

attendees shared a reception and then dinner. During

the dinner all viewed a documentary on Webb Institute

created by Gary Jobson, as well as a short film on the

2013 America’s Cup victory by the U.S. team. To use

that old cliché, “A good time was had by all.” —Richard Harris

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I believe I have lost my sobriquet with

the arrival of new President Keith

Michel. We all welcome Keith and

Peggy to campus and wish them great

success in their tenure here. We knew we

were getting a new boss, but we didn’t

know it was going to be of the four-

legged, cold-nose variety. Boss Michel

has certainly made his presence known,

bounding into the classrooms whenever

things get too boring for him. All the

Michels are settling in well, and they are

looking forward to the challenges ahead.

We have set at least a modern record

for the number of freshmen admitted with

the 27 members of the Class of 2017: four

women and 23 men. The Dean and his

wife tested their singing ability during the

campus familiarity tour, assigning each

group of freshmen a different children’s

song with which to serenade the Michels

at their next stop. According to Peggy

and Keith, it was a tossup between “I’m

a Little Teacup” and “Head, Shoulders,

Knees, and Toes” for best performance

of the evening. Apparently this exercise

inspired the freshmen, because they have

swelled the complement of the WooFS

who have benefited not only from their

numbers, but their talent. They have

also enthusiastically joined the sailing,

soccer, and basketball teams. We have

79 students on campus plus three at the

University of Southampton this semester.

President Michel and I estimated that

there were 40 Webb students involved in

different sporting events one weekend,

not counting those providing crucial

support to the on-campus regatta. These

kids do things. We’re very proud of them.

Because of some changes in

the curriculum at the University of

Southampton, we have been concerned

about whether or not we could continue

the exchange program, but we have

managed to soldier on. Professor Ed

Wiggins has gone the extra mile in

teaching the Thermodynamics course

through our Advanced Learning Center

and making arrangements for additional

“chat” sessions through the Internet.

Because of Board member Dr. Stephen

Payne’s intervention, this is the

second year that our students going to

Southampton have been able to make

the Atlantic crossing on the Queen Mary

2. We expect four students to come to

Webb from Southampton in the spring.

The Dean’s Corner: Round Three

Richard Neilson ’70 Dean

W E B B N E W S

Professor Bob Brier teaching his Egyptology class. Professor Matt Werner.

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Last year we hosted our inaugural

FIRST Robotics Conference. The program

attracted 64 high-performing high school

students interested in engineering, who

had never been to Webb before. As a

result of that conference, our visibility

within the FIRST Robotics community

has been significantly raised. In order to

continue this momentum, we held our

Second Annual FIRST Robotics Conference

on November 3. In addition, we offered

a one-time $500 scholarship to any

incoming student accepted at Webb

next year who has participated in FIRST

Robotics. This offer, in addition to the full

tuition scholarship offered to all admitted

students, will allow us to host a table at

the FIRST Robotics National Finals, display

a banner, and receive special mention

in their program. Our FIRST Robotics

activities are the result of an initiative

begun and sustained by one of our juniors.

The juniors have selected three courses

for their elective this semester. Professor

Matt Werner is teaching a course in

Economics; Ms. Carol Bentel, a full partner

in the firm of Bentel & Bentel, is teaching

Modern Architecture for the second time;

and Dr. Bob Brier is teaching Egyptology.

Prof. Werner’s courses are always well

received by the students. Because of her

schedule, Ms. Bentel is again holding

her class in two 90-minute sessions

starting at 8:30 a.m. Last year’s course

was very well received by the students,

and Ms. Bentel’s energy and enthusiasm

are much appreciated. In the first four

weeks of the semester, she had already

organized three field trips. Dr. Brier is a

world-renowned expert in his field and the

primary author of the book “Secrets of the

Great Pyramid,” which was the basis of

the National Geographic television special

of the same name. Dr. Brier has taught at

Webb before with rave reviews. He invited

his co-author, Dr. Jean-Pierre Houdin,

to a class, encouraging his students to

challenge some of Dr. Houdin’s theories

because, “Just because he’s smart, doesn’t

make him right.” My wife, Denise, audited

this course and enjoyed it tremendously.

It is the start of Work Term season, and

the juniors in particular have been very

active. Both the juniors and seniors are

pursuing a wide variety of opportunities

with more and more of them investigating

opportunities in the offshore industry.

We are grateful to all the companies and

alumni who support the

work-term program. The

most common comment I

receive from firms employing

Webb students for the first

time is: “We didn’t expect to

make money off them, but

we did.” It is amazing how

many of our students, even

freshmen, are offered summer

jobs with the same company

after their work term.

The 15 seniors have

selected 10 different thesis

topics this year. They are “A Computational

Fluid Dynamics Analysis of the Effect

of Bottom Contour Height on High-

Performance Surfboards,” “Trimaran Roll

Damping: Analysis of Varying Side-Hull

Geometry on a Prismatic Hull Form,” “The

Development of a Velocity Prediction

Program,” “A Computational Fluid Dynamics

Analysis of Lift-Producing Daggerboards

for High-Performance Yachts,” “The Effect

of Tubercles on Wind Turbine Blades,” “A

Comparative Analysis of Conventional and

Circulation Controlled Sailing Yacht Keels,”

“The Development of a Dual-Fuel System

for the Detroit Diesel Series-60 Engine,”

“Structural Analysis of Various Stool

Configurations of FPSO Topside Models,” “An

Economic Analysis and Feasibility Study of

LNG Projects in the Arctic,” and “Simulation

of a Pipe-Laying AUV.” No doubt you’ll

agree that is quite a range of subjects.

All 16 members of the Class of 2013

took the Fundamentals of Engineering

examination last spring and all passed.

In all topics the Webb students' average

exceeded the national average.

I want to leave you with another story

about the students. All alumni recall Beaver

Days with a varying degree of fondness or

dread. One day this semester, the faculty

and administration were presented with

a piece of fresh baked apple pie. It turns

out it was a Beaver Day assignment, the

source of which we were not supposed to

know. The consensus was “Best Beaver

Day ever.” The last day of classes of mid-

term week, we were presented with a

piece of cheesecake, again freshly baked.

It turns out this is due to a new Beaver

Day assignment initiated by the students

called “Random Acts of Kindness.”

I just thought you should know.

Ms. Carol Bentel is teaching Modern Architecture for the second time.

America’s Cup Adventure for Webbies in San Fran T

his past September, six students and two professors had

the good fortune to travel to beautiful San Francisco

for the opening weekend of the 34th America’s Cup. The

weekend began with a fundraiser hosted by Webb aboard the

historic SS Jeremiah O’Brien. The ship was open to explore, and

traveling through the (still fully operational) engine room alongside

Professors Gallagher and Royce made it all the more fascinating.

Webb alumnus Halsey Herreshoff ’55 presented an excellent

summary of the Cup, from its beginnings to the present.

Halsey’s presentation provided the perfect yardstick for just how

impressively the new technology has progressed to reach the AC72

class. Gary Jobson brought the event to a close with a discussion

on the 34th Cup and a viewing of the trailer for the soon-to-be-

released Webb documentary.

The America’s Cup Final began on Saturday in good breeze

and with spectacular racing. On that first day Emirates Team New

Zealand won both races handily. It wasn’t until day two that Oracle

Team USA managed to pull off their first win. From the cliffs of

Alcatraz Island, the boats appeared out of the fog in a matter of

seconds and disappeared almost as quickly. Seeing 72-foot boats

fly through the bay was a sight none of us will ever forget.

On behalf of the students who attended, I would like to thank

both President Michel and Dean Neilson for organizing our trip, as

well as Herbert Engineering for sponsoring the event.

– Matt Weklar ‘15

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Professor Royce, President Michel, Matt Weklar ’15, Randy Neureuter ’14, James Codega ’14, Gary Jobson, Halsey Herreshoff ’55, Wesley Yland ’15, Lauren West ’16, Nathan Fast ’14.

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Webb Freshmen:

Big Class, Great Expectations

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“Twenty-seven?” was the question everyone was asking this fall.

An unprecedented 27 freshmen from

14 states were accepted to make up

the incoming Class of 2017. This group

includes four young women and 23 young

men, and though extra preparations had

to be made, everyone was excited to

welcome this large and unique class.

Despite the unusual size of the Class

of 2017, Webb continues to accept only

the most qualified applicants. On the SAT

Reasoning Test, the average critical reading

score of the incoming class was above 700,

while the average math score was an even

more impressive 750.

Being gifted in math and science

isn’t the only thing that makes for a

good naval architect in training, and all

these students have excellent resumes

outside the classroom, as well. All of

them have talents; some enjoy working

with their hands and have a flair for the

artistic. They have constructed sets, made

origami, designed yearbooks,

built a kayak, and done

woodworking. More than

70% of this year’s Webb

freshmen are musicians;

several are robotics

enthusiasts, and a handful

are Eagle Scouts.

Along with the usual crop

of amateur sailors, almost all

of the students participated

in sports—so we have high hopes that

these rookies will lend their talent to our

athletic teams. Beyond the traditional

sports, this class includes a first-degree

black belt in karate and a nationally-

ranked fencer.

Before the students got into the grind of

the semester, they were able to enjoy a fun

and informative orientation. The 2017ers

let loose with nighttime activities such as

capture the flag and ultimate Frisbee; and

enjoyed trips to The Intrepid Sea, Air and

Space Museum; Six Flags; and New York City.

Their competitive natures were challenged

with team-building exercises, a campus

clue run, and a scavenger hunt.

Dean Emeritus Roger Compton was

gracious enough to return to his alma

mater to conduct the freshman drawing

class; the knowledge he imparted will

no doubt come in handy for their Naval

Architecture lines project.

We look forward to this class in

succeeding at Webb and adding

something special to the culture. In

numbers, talent and fun, their impact

on our small community has already

been seen.

– David Byrnes

The freshman class at the Six Flags trip.

Freshmen in Times Square.

Freshmen challenge and competition.

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After years of neglect Luckenbach Courtyard was in need of rebuilding, so on

Founder’s Day students got started on the rebuild. They removed the rotting

railroad tie retaining walls for the flower beds and assorted dead plantings.

The project continued throughout the fall. The

Facilities Department, in conjunction with a hired

mason, installed new block retaining walls for the

flower beds; bluestone walkways were reset in a

new bed of mortar and failed mortar was removed.

The area surrounding the wishing well was

leveled and seeded; two white dogwood trees (one

donated by the Class of ’63) were planted. Planting

of the flower beds is all that remains before a new

and more beautiful than ever Luckenbach Courtyard

is restored to its original splendor.

Thanks to the generosity of the Class of ’63, Webb installed a

contemporary, integrated technology suite that enhances

the quality and functionality of the auditorium. This new system

creates a more professional space that improves presentations for

both audiences and presenters. Upgrades included a high-definition

projector, an HD-format motorized projection screen, a lectern-

mounted touch-screen master control panel, a centralized technology

station housing all presentation tools, and an integrated audio and

video recording station. These upgrades will facilitate high-quality

video capture of presentations and distance learning courses while

preparing the space for the later integration of internet streaming and video conferencing capabilities.

As the primary gathering space for the entire Webb community, the Henry Auditorium is a valued asset that

is continually seeing increased use by students, faculty, staff, and guest speakers. Webb’s academic program

stresses the importance of communication skills with the penultimate experience being the senior thesis

presentation made in the Henry Auditorium in front of the entire campus community. Significant changes in

presentation technologies have occurred in the 40-plus years since the auditorium was built and continue to

occur at a rapid pace. Future demands for live streaming and multi-way video conferencing are not far off.

Luckenbach CourtyardGets a Makeover

50th Anniversary Gift from the Class of 1963Henry Auditorium Technology Upgrades

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W E B B N E W S

Alumni Association Report: Alumni Gearing Up for 125th AnniversaryCelebrations

We kicked off our 125th anniversary in Bellevue, Wash. at our Annual Banquet, which provided attendees with an

overview of what to expect in 2014 and a look at a new documentary video produced about Webb Institute.

This promises to be a busy year as we celebrate the 125th anniversary of Webb, and there are a variety of ways in which alumni can become involved. I encourage all of you to look at 2014 as an opportunity to strengthen your connections with one another and with Webb. One of the first of these opportunities is Homecoming 2014, which will be an expanded affair kicking off Friday, May 16 and spanning multiple days.

Our regional coordinator organization, led by Jennifer Ryan, is working to organize events close to home to celebrate the anniversary for our alumni. Our regional coordinators are volunteers who assist Webb with local alumni outreach and planning. Our current volunteers include: Maine, Russ Hoffman ’74 Boston, Doug Slocum ’10 New York, Michael Klein ’11 District of Columbia/Annapolis, Kathleen Cain ’07 S. Va., Jennifer Ryan ’99 Texas, Tom Koster ’67 N. Calif., Cameron Baker ’07 Pacific North West, Jared Harlan ’12 S. Calif., Michelle Adam ’97

If you would be interested in helping to plan a local event, please contact your regional coordinator and let him or her know of your interest. Remember that it is important to keep your contact information up to date on the Alumni Portal. You can access a directory of alumni and update your details at: alumni.webb.edu.

The Webb Alumni Association has funded the development and production of a book updating Edwin L. Dunbaugh’s “A Centennial History of Webb Institute of Naval Architecture,” published in 1994. The “125th History” documents the 20-year period from 1994 to 2014, including key events related to students, faculty, administration and facilities. Similar to Professor Dunbaugh’s book, bios are being solicited and published from all living alumni, with particular emphasis on obtaining information from graduates of the Class of 1994 and after. Our target is 75% participation from alumni, and the deadline for submitting your bio is January 1, 2014. Even if you already had a bio published in the previous book, you are encouraged to provide an edited (or entirely new) bio for the 125th anniversary book. Bios of 250 words may be emailed to Michael Klein-Urena ’11, who is coordinating development of this section of the book, at 125th@webb.edu. Book orders can be placed through the Webb bookstore starting April 15, 2014. The book will be priced at $67.50 for orders placed prior to homecoming, and

$75.00 after that.

Matt Tedesco ’91 WAA President, 2012-2014

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We are celebrating Webb’s 125th anniversary with a special extended Homecoming, Friday, May 16, 2014–Sunday, May 18, 2014. The tentative calendar of events is:

Friday, May 16, 2014

A symposium featuring two panels: marine professionals discussing future talent needs for the industry, and educators discussing how they will prepare future marine professionals. Webb seniors will prepare exhibits for viewing between panel sessions, and a time for networking will follow the symposium. Spouses are invited to a mixer on campus. Symposium presenters and attendees are invited to a cocktail reception and dinner on the evening prior to the symposium, Thurs., May 15, 2014.

Saturday, May 17, 2014Homecoming, followed by a dinner/dance reception which will be capped off with a cake specially designed for the occasion and a fireworks show.

Sunday, May 18, 2014 Choice of a brunch cruise on Long Island Sound or tour of William Webb’s New York.

Homecoming Extended for Webb’s 125th

Anniversary CelebrationDates of InterestWinter Work PeriodJanuary 2, 2014 through February 28, 2014

Spring Semester Classes BeginMarch 3, 2014

Founder’s Day April 4, 2014

Spring RecessApril 18–28, 2014

Juniors Attend OTCMay 5–8, 2014

Alumni HomecomingMay 16–18, 2014

WebbstockJune 7, 2014

FinalsJune 20–24, 2014

CommencementJune 21, 2014

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W E B B N E W S

alumni reunionsCottages and Catamarans:Class of 1959 Reunion in Newport

The Class of ’59 held a reunion in Newport, R.I. to celebrate its 54th year since

graduation. The reunion festivities spanned three days and were arranged by classmates Don Szostak and Dick Zuerner, together with their lovely wives, Pat and Joan.

Activities included a tour of Newport and its environs. We visited the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS), where we observed the skeleton of the 133-foot-long 1885 schooner yacht Coronet, which is being completely restored at the school. We toured The Breakers, the Gilded Age Vanderbilt “summer cottage,” as well as the National Museum of American Illustration, which contains numerous works by N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, and Norman Rockwell. One day we lunched at the Castle Hill Inn, overlooking the entrance to Narragansett Bay. Built in 1874, Castle Hill had been the summerhouse of Alexander Agassiz, a noted geologist and marine biologist. Between the wonderful lunches and dinners and all the sightseeing activities, some of us noted that our normal nap time suffered a bit!

The highlight of our reunion was a visit to the Herreshoff Marine Museum in nearby Bristol, R.I. We were fortunate to be able to meet with Halsey Herreshoff, Webb Class of ’55, who gave us an hour and a half of his time. A noted America’s Cup sailor, yacht designer, and former president of the museum founded by his mother and father in 1971, Halsey talked to us about the amazing career of his famous grandfather, Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, and laced his talk with humorous anecdotes that made us feel close to this great naval architect.

Halsey took us through the model room (which contains more than 500 half models carved by Capt. Nat himself), pointing out the hull form features of many extraordinary sailing yachts as well as steam-powered yachts and Navy torpedo boats designed and built at the Herreshoff Manufacturing

Yongjun “Dan” Chen PG’99, arranged a lunch on September 19, 2013, to welcome Kristin Jarecki ’08 and Peter Lee ’10, to Houston. Pictured above, left to right: Peter Lee ’10, Yongjun Chen PG’99, Robert Bolling ’97, Kirstin Jarecki ’08, Richard Kim ’11, and Tom Koster ’67.

Company. The room included a fully-rigged model of a racing catamaran designed by Capt. Nat and built at his yard in 1876! The cat won its first race decisively but was promptly disqualified, never to race again. We also toured a replica of the shop where Capt. Nat built his models, viewing his tools and toolbox as well as the unique mechanism he designed to take offsets from the completed half models. Halsey described the achievements of Nat’s six children, including Sidney, Halsey’s father, who succeeded Capt. Nat as chief naval architect, and head of

the company, and Halsey’s uncle, L. Francis, also a notable yacht designer and author.

At the conclusion of his talk, Halsey spoke about Webb Institute today and how pleased he is at the high standards being maintained at the school and the high quality of the education being provided. He spoke of the debt that all alumni owe to William Webb and his Institute, and how important it is for all of us to help sustain it. All present, Webb grads and spouses, were deeply moved by our visit to the Herreshoff Marine Museum and by our

time spent with Halsey Herreshoff.

Houston, Texas Alumni Gathering

Class of 1959 with Halsey Herreshoff ’55.

The week of July 15, Keith Michel, Rick Neilson, Jennifer Kollmer, Matthew Werner,

Elena Goloubeva, and Vince DelGatto visited The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding. On Wednesday, July 17, the alumni in Southern Virginia got together with the visiting faculty and staff at Park Lane Tavern in Hampton, Virginia. It was a wonderful evening that gave everyone plenty of time to visit with one another.

In attendance were James Codega ’14 and his girlfriend; Lou Codega ’78 and Robin Hiddemen; Robert Kelly ’46; Jennifer Ryan ’99; Dean Royal ’90; Don Rickerson ’13; and Joel Snyder PG’68

and his wife.

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Newport News, Va., Alumni Gathering

18

A 2011 inquiry from one of the world’s richest

businessmen, Carlos Slim Helû, led to Ted

Gurneé’s latest venture,OxyHeal Tunneling Group,

Inc. One of Sr. Slim’s companies, Carso Infraestructura

y Construccion S. A de C.V., was contracted to drill

three of the six nine-meter-diameter tunnels for the

62-km long Emisor Oriente Wastewater Tunnel project

under Mexico City. The geology of the project requires

operators of the tunnel boring machines (TBMs)

to change cutting tools between sections of soft

ground and basalt rock. Earth Balance Pressure (EPB)

TBMs, developed by The Robbins Company, had to be

modified for the high water pressures of this area.

Ted Gurneé’s OxyHeal Health Group extensive

experience in man-lock design, saturation diving

operations and pressure vessel manufacturing design

solutions was able to assist Carso in conducting

hyperbaric interventions to replace their TBM’s worn

cutting tools. OxyHeal proposed to Carso Grupo diving,

hyperbaric chambers, supervision and medical expertise

for one of Carso’s TBMs. Articulated forward and tail

bulkheads, with man-locks provided by Robbins, would

allow OxyHeal divers to enter the cutting chamber

to change cutting tools or to perform repairs while

maintaining balance pressure on the face of the tunnel.

Ted Gurneé has over 44 years experience in diving

operations and hyperbaric equipment design and

construction. Based on his experience in the U.S. Navy,

Ted started his first private diving services company,

SubSeaSurveyors, Inc., on the East Coast. Initially

focused on the inspection of underwater facilities for

power companies, SubSeaSurveyors, Inc. branched

out to conduct diving inspections in nuclear fuel

pools, where previously, only very-expensive robotic

equipment had been used. One of the first firms to use

underwater cameras, SubSeaSurveyors, Inc. grew to

more than 150 employees in only three years. As Ted

was transferred by the Navy from the East Coast to

San Diego, he transferred SubSeaSurveyors, Inc. to the

West Coast, starting another division. Eventually, this

company became OxyHeal Health Group, which today

has subsidiaries that design and construct hyperbaric

equipment, as well as medical specialists for wound care,

divers for deep-pressure operations, and university-level

training and certifications for hyperbaric operations.

OxyHeal is headquartered in the San Diego, Calif.

area but has customers and operations worldwide.

Ted graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA)

in 1961 with a bachelor of science degree that included

the start of a Nuclear Physics specialty; he was among

the first seeking a specialty at USNA. Following service

at sea aboard destroyers, Ted was assigned to the

Webb Postgraduate Program, receiving his M.Sc. of

alumni spotlight

Entrepreneur- Innovator Extraordinaire

“…Ted captured the entrepreneurial spirit of the bold and innovative Greek shipping community, and learned his business skills on the job.”

1919

Naval Architecture and bachelor of science in Marine

Engineering from Webb in 1968. His education at Webb

led to a three-year USN assignment as the Shipbuilding

Advisor to the Greek Navy at Scaramonga, a private

shipyard owned by Stavros Niarchos, the famed Greek

supertanker rival of Aristotle Onassis. He also was visiting

Professor at the Piraeus Naval Architecture College,

and through these contacts began consulting for Mark

Scufalos, a Greek-American owner of Union Commercial

Steamship Company, as well as other ship-owners.

Working with Scufalos and other Greek ship-

owners, Ted captured the entrepreneurial spirit of the

bold and innovative Greek shipping community, and

learned his business skills on the job. According to

Ted, “Starting in Greece was a fortuitous event.”

He learned to take on challenges he didn’t previously

know he could meet. Single ownership with “autonomy

to make decisions but the ability to take advice,”

and extensive use of a network of trusted business

associates and friends became guiding principles for

Ted. He also learned from his Greek associates that you

could have fun while doing business, which combined

well with the appetite for hard work he’d developed

during his early teen years selling newspapers and racing

results in Miami to support his terminally ill mother.

Later, while as Planning Officer at the SUPSHIP, San

Diego, Ted learned of a contract opportunity to build

and operate Hawaiian inter-island ferries. He found that

a federal law that subsidized trains could be applied

to ferries. Using his Greek knowledge of shipping and

shipbuilding, he started Hawaii Ocean Transit Systems.

Then, working with a converted crew boat from Walter

Minn, he further branched out to start Sea Jet Cruise

Lines, operating from San Diego to Ensenada.

Expansion of these operations to New York, plus

contracts in Chicago and Memphis, led to Ted’s ownership

of the largest, privately-owned fast-ferry system in the

United States, one which included innovative vessels

like hard-sided, 400-passenger, 50-knot surface-effect

ships and 40-knot catamarans. However, failure of local

transit authorities to make timely reports of actual

traffic made DOT payment of subsidies a continuing

problem, and Ted eventually sold the ferries.

While Ted says that he was probably never a pure

engineer using the technical training from Webb, he

credits his Webb education with his ability to attain a

position as a USN Engineering Duty Officer (EDO), as well

as his assignment to Greece. Ted has guided many design

projects, and his technical training forms his business

leadership. He believes strongly that “…sending someone

out with technical skills without leadership/business

skills is a mistake,” and therefore wants to ensure that

—like him—Webb students and grads are exposed to

business ownership challenges that help them discover

what they can do.

Ted Gurneé: a great innovator and entrepreneur, an

alumnus of Webb Institute!

–Jay P. Carson ’73

Exiting the decompression chamber attached to an Earth Pressure Balance Tunnel Boring Machine.

20

I’ve had a wondrous journey across three careers this last half century, lessons learned

at Webb with me every step.

I must start the shared memories at Webb’s linoleum gym floor and the 9-1 basketball

record my freshman year. We beat a SUNY school of 5,000 students (and its 6'–11"

center)—on its home court—as well as several other teams by 30 or more points.

We came within minutes, a couple fouls and few points of going undefeated!

From Slide Rules and Courtrooms to Historicals

When I tell younger folks about 160 class units of

mostly engineering and math courses in four years,

eyes open wide in disbelief. I tell them of the grad

schools and jobs we (and those who came behind us)

landed right out of Webb, and they start to believe.

My full-time work life began traditionally—as a civilian

naval architect at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, then

as an engineer for Litton Industries, where our group

made hand and slide-rule calculations to solve shock

and vibration problems on two classes of war ships.

In those days, my recreational reading was about lawyers,

the likes of F. Lee Bailey, Louis Nizer, and Gladys Root.

On a bit of a lark, I headed off to law school. This last

September, after 40 years as a litigator, I took down my

shingle. Compared to engineers, lawyers are an imprecise,

wordy, loud lot. Many have fled anything to do with “math”

or science. But good lawyers sweat the details, find the

law and the key facts, try hard to steer their clients and

the other side to the right result. The work-hard-and-find-

the-right-answer Webb ethic helped me through many

cases, and helped earn the trust of clients, colleagues and

judges. Webb's math and science training gave me a big

advantage in any legal dispute that turned on numbers.

The seeds of my third career were planted during our winter

work term cruise, where Barney Thompson and I traipsed over

ancient structures in Turkey, Israel, and Italy. Now I write

novels about people and places 2,000 years ago. My first came

out last year and was selected as the best published historical

work of 2012 by the San Diego Book Awards. Here too, the

checking, checking again, and working on a sentence until it's

right come easily. Or maybe, after pulling four all-nighters in

a row working on big ship and boiler design projects that were

both due the same week, every later challenge of the mind

doesn’t seem so hard. For more information visit GJBerger.com

Virginia, my darling partner of 44 years, and I have raised

two sons, and have one grandson. She is retired from a college

teaching career, and is now a certified retirement coach. She’s

had great practice on us. We dance the Argentine tango,

remain blessed with good health, and welcome any Webbie

with a bit of extra time to stop by here in San Diego.

–George J. Berger ’66

PLEASE NOTE: our new URL is

webb.edu

alumni spotlight

2121

This Just In:New Department at Webb Focused on Media Relations and Communications

The Media Relations and Communications Department was

formed to broaden public awareness of Webb Institute on a local and global scale. Outreach activities include preparing materials for social media sites, newspapers and TV; higher education publications; email blasts; Webb’s website; and Webb News, while generating visibility within marine engineering and naval architecture publications and associations.

Department activities include publishing, graphic design, photography,

event development, web design, marketing counsel, and strategic planning, as well as facilitating and overseeing multi-departmental marketing projects. Other tasks include creating and maintaining content in the form of image, video, and audio formats. Projects include the college course catalog, Webb News, WebbiENews, and recruiting materials from Admissions.

Technical Services Librarian Kerri Allegretta was appointed director of this new department, and her management, graphic design, media relations experience, and involvement with the Naval Engineering Education Consortium (NEEC) made her an excellent candidate.

Kerri has a B.A. in traditional animation from Manhattan’s School of Visual Arts and an M.S. in Library Science from Queens College. She’s worked at World Leaders Entertainment, Stretch

Films, and DMA Animation Studio, and at Plympton Studios where she edited, digitally colored, composited and supervised a number of commercials, music videos, short and feature films. Kerri also worked on the Long Island Memories Project for the Freeport Historical Society.

Queen Mary 2: Good Investment Or Billion Dollar Extravagance?

In 2002, the Cunard Steamship Company set out to build a next

generation ocean liner with a price tag of nearly $1 billion. The Queen Mary 2 broke many industry records at the time, but now, 10 years later, was it a worthwhile investment or a billion dollar extravagance? Webb Institute trustee Dr. Stephen M. Payne and former Baltic Exchange Chairman Michael Drayton set out to answer that question during a debate at Webb Institute in late October 2013.

As Queen Mary 2’s naval architect, Dr. Payne argued that the ship has

been a great commercial success with a payback period of less than seven years. He contended that the cruise industry has enjoyed a 7.2 percent increase in passengers carried from 2011 to 2012, and the demand in China will require 75 new Queen Mary 2-sized passenger ships in the coming decade.

Mr. Drayton cautioned Webb students not to buy into Dr. Payne’s rosy story too quickly. Passenger ships represent an insignificant portion of the marine industry, yet they clog proper ports and paradises alike with traffic and needless pollution. Mr. Drayton posited that a prospective shipowner would be better served investing $1 billion in a fleet of bulk carriers or containerships.

This tongue-in-cheek debate offered Webb students a glimpse at the economics

of shipping and some of the tough decisions made by investors today. Webb News readers can watch the full debate and see the results online at www.webb.edu/qm2debate.

–Hampton Dixon ’11

W E B B N E W S

22

Enjoying the Great Outdoors… Webbie StyleAs summer turned to fall, it was easy for Webbies to get caught inside doing work—but with a few acts of resistance, students have managed to fight this attitude and get outside. This semester has been filled with activities, and in addition to the sports, the climbing club, and the running team, Webb students have taken to the outdoors. In the early fall, a group of students took part in a camping trip at Bear Mountain State Park. Leaving Webb on Friday, we spent two nights camping in tents and cooking

campus news

23

FIRST Robotics at WebbOn Sunday November 3, Webb Institute hosted its 2nd Robotics

Workshop, an event that brings students to Webb’s campus and helps build

a relationship with the FIRST robotics community, which prepares high

school students for a national competition in which they’re tasked with

building a robot. This year’s conference included two main lectures and a

series of break-out sessions that offered nine different lecture options for

students.

The auditorium welcomed 65 high school students and a number of

local team mentors, all excited about workshops with topics like “Design

Strategy, Pneumatics,” “Lab-View,” “Drive-train Design,” and more. During

lunch, the guest students were very excited by the opportunity to see our

model basin in use during a seakeeping test of a scaled-down yacht, used

to teach the students about our facility. As with most everyone who comes

to a Webb event, the high school students were most impressed by our

views of the Long Island Sound.

Throughout the fall months we will be visiting several high schools to

give additional in-house presentations to local teams. Webb students also

look forward to volunteering at the FIRST Robotics competition this spring,

where we’ll serve roles as field reset and robot inspectors and will make the

most of this dynamic program. – Nolan Conway ’15

meals by open fire—and good times were had by all. On Saturday, our group faced its greatest challenge, but we summited the mountain together and were treated to amazing views of the fall foliage.

On another trip, Webb students went to West Virginia to face some of the best white water rapids in the east. In a full day of rafting, Webbies were thrown and bounced as their inflatable rafts traveled through class IV and V rapids. In an intense moment, one boat left its riders stranded on a rock mid-rapid. Like any good Webbie would do, the group members jumped into the heart of the rapid and swam to their boat. After a night of camping, the group returned safely to campus, tired but inspired.

At the start of November, the Leadership Committee organized a trip to the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary in Oyster Bay. At the bird sanctuary we cleared trails, spread wood chips, and cleaned up a fountain—all while having fun. In fact, our group worked “too efficiently”: park personnel were surprised to see their wood-chip pile disappearing onto the pathways so quickly. A full day’s work was done by noon, and we were invited back to do more work in

the future. – Nolan Conway ’15

24

campus newsGoals, Sails and Hoops: Webb’s Fall Sports Wrap-Up Cody Owen ’15

Sailing to the Top

Webb’s sailing team had a good season this year, placing notably

at many regattas. The team sailed along the eastern seaboard, from

Canada to Virginia. The season was exceptionally busy, with the students

attending four different regattas in one weekend.

The returning sailors were apprehensive entering this season. Team

Captain James Codega ’14 lamented that much of the team graduated last

year. Thankfully, the freshmen were there to pick up the slack and help the

team sail to many victories.

Highlights of the season included first-place finishes at the Luce

Trophy, Queen’s Open, and the Nittany Lion Open regattas. Beyond those

wins, the team placed favorably at the second North Fall qualifier, earning

them a spot in the Club Championships where they finished in the top half

of the fleet.

Webb Basketball Team Presses On

The basketball season is just getting started. With their first game

against the Culinary Institute behind them, the team looks forward to

exciting games against King’s College, Sarah Lawrence and friendly rival

Cooper Union—a game, Dr. Campbell would no doubt like to see.

The team has grown this year with the return of players who were

abroad. Andrew Ko ’16 has stepped into the role of point guard for the

team of many freshmen and a few familiar faces. Mattew Weklar ’15

returns as Captain and is assisted in his duties by Co-captains, Chris

Licato ’15 and Brian Mills ’16.

Heads Up: It’s Webb Soccer

This past fall, Webb’s soccer team battled their

opponents with the utmost determination. The soccer

players displayed unwaveringly positive attitudes

throughout each of their eight games this season.

Returning defender and Co-captain Ilya Mouravieff ’16,

remarked that a good effort was demonstrated at each

practice and that his teammates always put their “best

foot forward.”

Highlights of the season include Ilya’s successful

penalty kick in the first game and a beautiful header by

forward Nicholas Ratinaud ’17, assisted by Co-captain

Kathryn Chaffee ’16, in the final game of the season.

Nicholas describes his experience with the Webb

soccer team as “rewarding” and looks forward to

playing next year.

25

Sixty high school students and their parents, some from as far away as California, took tours of

Webb and packed the Henry Auditorium during Webb’s Open House

held on Saturday, October 26.

The crowd required seven separate tour groups led by members of

the sophomore and junior classes, and included potential students

as young as high school freshmen. Visitors got to see the beautiful

grounds, classrooms, and dorms as well as the engineering labs and

tank testing on what turned out to be a beautiful fall day.

After their campus tours ended, the visitors filled the Henry

Auditorium to be welcomed and to hear presentations on the

Webb program, Winter Work term, student life, and admissions

requirements from President Michel, Dean Neilson, Bill Murray, Evan

Wingfield ’15 and Student Organization President John Carlson ’14.

Many faculty members and parents of current students and

graduates were also on hand to speak with the inquisitive,

enthusiastic guests at the reception that followed. An impressive

turnout and a very successful day at Webb.

Open House Packs the House

26

The Spirit of Webb at Work and at Play

s I was handed my midterm grades,

it became apparent that half a

semester has managed to slip

past me while I wasn’t looking. It seems

like just yesterday that I moved into

the senior classroom, and I know it will

be just another blink until we’re all off

on our Winter Work experiences. While

time may have flown by this semester,

the energy and initiative of our student

body has kept pace. Webb academics are

enough to keep anyone busy for one or

two lifetimes, but in our precious spare

time we’ve managed to find adventure

near and far for both work and play alike.

Webb students work hard, so it is only

appropriate that we play even harder. The

Student Organization Social Committee,

led by Erin McElroy, has been working

around the clock to provide us with

enjoyable and exciting activities like

Trivia Night and a pirate-themed treasure

hunt. Both of these events were

attended and enjoyed by members of

each class, with a celebrity appearance

by the Neilsons at the latter. In a vain

attempt to civilize the average Webbie,

the Social Committee also provided a

night of dancing lessons that included

styles ranging from ballroom to salsa.

Miraculously, no major injuries were

incurred, resulting in a good night for

everybody. On the other side of the

coin, the adrenaline junkies among us

traveled down to West Virginia this

Columbus Day weekend for camping and

whitewater rafting on Class 5 rapids.

In addition to all these fun events,

Webbies have been dedicating their

time to helping others. The Webb Peer

Mentorship Program, returning this year,

headed by sophomores Alex Donlan and

Brian Mills, intends to ease the stresses

encountered by first-year students

as they adjust to the Webb lifestyle.

Additionally, the student body has

spontaneously decided to repaint the

Alumni Gymnasium’s interior in honor of

President Michel’s inauguration. Beyond

our campus, Webb has continued its

volunteer work with St. John’s Church and

Brooklyn Boatworks as part of our time-

honored proclivity towards volunteer

work. While these annual events are

quickly becoming tradition, our volunteer

pool is so large and energetic that we are

actively looking for more opportunities

to help in our community. Through the

Leadership Committee, the Student

Organization hopes to discover more

methods to express our goodwill.

While the first half of this semester is

past us, I’m proud to report on the

exciting things we’ve already managed to

accomplish. Whether it be dancing,

rafting, or painting, the Webb spirit is

one that radiates from every student,

binding us together as a family. With a

great first semester already underway,

I can’t wait to see what we’re capable

of next.

John R. Carlson ‘14 Student Organization President

campus news

in memoriamalumni news

1941

Charles M. Cox passed away on October 9, 2013, at the age of 95. He is preceded in

death by his wife of 60 years, Nina Behan Cox. Mr. Cox was born in Norfolk, Va. He grew up in Norfolk and graduated from Maury High School. He then earned a degree from Webb Institute. He was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War and retired from the Navy with the rank of Captain. He was a member of SNAME, ASNE, and was a Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia. His civilian employment included Newport News Shipbuilding and Deepsea Ventures. Mr. Cox was a co-founder and first president of the Merrimac Dog Training Club. One of Mr. Cox's greatest joys in life was his family. He is survived by his identical twin brother Alvin E. Cox (Webb ’41), and a sister; daughter Cee Cee Cox Alexander and her husband Dr. Edward L. Alexander III; a son Charles T. Cox; seven grandchildren; and three great-grand children. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to Webb Institute.

1945 Robert (Bob) B. Reed passed on November 11, 2013 at the age of 91. After

graduation he attended the Navy’s Midshipmen’s School at the University of Notre Dame and was commissioned an Ensign in the Navy after which he was attached to the Office of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn. until released to inactive duty in the spring of 1946.

In 1950 he married Helen Adrienne Reiner. In the fall of 1952 he was recalled to active duty as Inspection Officer for a landing vehicle contract in Lima, Ohio; then released from active duty in 1953 and remained active in the naval reserves until he retired from the Navy in 1982. He then worked as an industrial engineer until 1959 when he worked at Manitowoc Shipbuilding in Manitowoc, Wis. After that they moved their shipbuilding activities to their Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. He moved his family in 1971 and retired as their Naval Architect in 1987. Bob was a past member of SNAME and also a Registered PE in Wis.

Bob and Helen enjoyed camping with their children while they were growing up. He is survived by his beloved wife of 63 year, a son, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

1951Robert G. Mende passed away on October 30, 2013 at the age of 86. A devoted

husband and father, he raised his family in Convent Station, N.J. Following the passing of his wife, Mr. Mende moved to Cedar Crest Village in Pompton Plains, N.J. He graduated from the N.Y. State Maritime Academy at Fort Schuyler (1947), and Webb in 1951. Following graduation from Webb, Mr. Mende served in the Navy at the Charleston Shipyard. Mr. Mende worked for Foster-Wheeler (1953–56); Bird-Johnson Co. (1956–62); and as senior naval architect at J.J. Henry Company (1962–69). In 1969, Mr. Mende became the Executive Director of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), a position he held until retirement in 1991. Webb remained a central part of Mr. Mende's life; he served as a Trustee and as an active member of the Alumni Association. The Webb Alumni Association awarded him the William Selkirk Owen Award in 1986 for outstanding achievement and service to the profession and his Alma Mater. Mr. Mende was the recipient of numerous awards in the field of naval architecture, including the Vice Admiral E.S. “Jerry” Land Medal (1991) for outstanding lifetime accomplishments in the field. Mr. Mende is pre-deceased by his wife of 48 years, Joan. He is survived by his daughter, Lisa Mende Senus; his son, Robert G. Mende, Jr.; and his grandson, Liam James Mende. A memorial service was conducted on November 2, 2013. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Webb Institute.

PG ’63 Norman O. Larson passed away on July 29, 2013, at the age of 87. Capt. Larson

was a native of St. Joseph, Mo., and a 1949 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He retired from the Navy at the rank of Captain in 1977 and became an executive with defense contractor Research, Analysis and Management Corp. Capt. Larson served in the Army at the end of World War II, joined the Navy in 1949 and was a Korean War veteran. He specialized as a program officer and ship-design coordinator, and his final active-duty assignment was as manager of acquisitions of special mission ships. After his military retirement, he became vice president and director of engineering at Research, Analysis and Management Corp. in Rockville. He worked there for 13 years, assisting the Navy as a contractor in the acquisition of ships. Survivors include three children from his first marriage; three stepchildren, and seven grandchildren.

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W E B B N E W S

class notesalumni news

1945Ed Ross writes: “Nancy and I are proud to report the recent birth of our first great-grandchild, Charlotte Vescovo. Our granddaughter, Katherine, is settling in to the routine of being a new mother, and the enormity of the whole thing is only gradually beginning to envelop Nancy and me. I suppose we’ll get used to it. Nancy and I are well, just not as energetic as we once were.”

Tom Bond writes: “Considering that the Class of 1945 graduated just over 68 years ago, daily life activities for Ethyl and me have considerably slowed down. But we have the pleasure of remembering all the wonderful memories of the past decades—not only of family; we have three sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren—but also the joy and challenge of teaching Webb students for 27 years!”

1950Maurice “Whitey” Laurier writes: “I’ve had good telephone conversations with Al DellPaoli, Dick Lagner, Dave Purdy, Bob Pierce, Niel Spillane and Charlie Zeien. All of us having been retired for quite some time, so there is little of interest to report other than all are trying to stay reasonably healthy, enjoying retirement, and trying hard to keep active. Niel says he’s still volunteering at the Mystic Seaport and at the local senior center. As for myself, I still volunteer somewhat at the Waterman’s Museum and recently joined the CNU Life Long Learning Society down here in Tidewater, Va. All of us are looking forward to being able to make Homecoming and the 125th Anniversary this coming May, and then our Class 65th Reunion at Homecoming come May 2015.”

1953 Marty Martinson reports: “We graduated with 14. Regrettably, we lost four over the years since. Ten class members responded and it was soon obvious that distance would be a drawback. Also, there were some medical and physical restraints, but five couples did make it to Cape May, and we were blessed with gorgeous weather, lots of talking and good eating. Pete Bethge did a great job of making all the arrangements. My travel was limited due to a stroke earlier this summer. Those attending were Bob and Ginny Hedges, Bill and Judi Hooker, John and Cynthia Larson, Pete and Sallie Bethge, and my wife Sophia and me.

Class of 1953: Pete Bethge, Bob Hedges, John Larson, Bill Hooker, Marty Martinson.

1954Arthur and Marilyn Burr attended a Fleming Yacht rendezvous at their family marina in Maryland this past August. “It was also a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the start of Burr Yacht Sales. Thirty-five Fleming Yachts participated in the four days of festivities which culminated with a dinner for 170 people on a

Saturday night. A very humbling experience; unimaginable when I quit my government job in 1965 to devote full time to the boat business that we had started in our backyard two years earlier. Other than that, I’m still just playing with cars and boats. I took delivery of a new 23 ft. Carolina Cat center console this summer, and our new Mercedes station wagon will be arriving shortly. This will replace the 12-year-old wagon that for the last ten years was used to take my 103- (almost 104) year-old mother to dinner and to her weekly beauty parlor appointments. Webb may figure prominently in our estate planning, but hopefully they will have to wait a while.”

Bob and Irene Ediin have not traveled recently, but have been keeping up with most of their other hobbies, including playing bridge. “We are very fortunate to have stayed married for over 50 years and live in the same ‘forever’ house since 1979, despite my being a career naval officer on active duty for over 32 years. Many others have not been so fortunate. We have no plans to move from this place. We do not wish to move and it would be very difficult. We have too much junk. And to this day one of our hobbies is to keep collecting it from various thrift, second-hand and antique stores. “We do have one recent sad event to report. Our much loved cat, Reggie, who lived with us for almost 14 years, died of cancer on September 17. We both cried when the veterinarian told us his situation was hopeless. I held him in my arms while he was euthanized. We still mourn his loss. But on a bright note, on September

Class of 1953: Sallie & Pete Bethge; Judi Hooker; Marty and Sophia Martinson; Cynthia and John Larson; Bill Hooker; Bob and Ginny Hedges.

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25, we completed the adoption of two kitten siblings, one male and one female, born June 18, from Friends of Cats. They are lovable, cute and sweet. They are also more athletic, energetic and mischievous then I imagined they could be—the term little house wreckers comes to mind. Irene is an avid mystery novel reader, and I enjoy books about ships, cars and old trains. We both enjoy various magazines and other periodicals. Most Wednesdays we enjoy lunch at the Black Angus Steak House in El Cajon. On the way, we stop at the El Cajon Library to meet up with Friends of the Library, a volunteer group that sells books, magazines and other periodicals for unbelievably low prices. About a year ago, our one and only grandson Max (then 8 years-old) prodded me into resurrecting a project, the British Daimler sports car that at the time I was more than willing to let stay dead. On October 3, the engine actually sputtered and coughed a few times, showing the first signs of life since 1994. It would appear that the Daimler might actually have a chance of getting back on the road again.”

Joe Signorelli reports that he remains active in amateur radio. He has been authorized to administer licensed examinations to prospective ham radio operators. He volunteers at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he helps wounded warriors learn amateur radio. He also enjoys going on the air. Any Webbies who enjoy ham radio can listen for Joe at AB3CR.

1955Fourteen members of the Class of 1955 married and 12 are still living. Two are widowers. Of the ten remaining, nine have been married 50 to 57 years.

Justin McCarthy, ever the scholar, is currently enjoying classes about Ancient Greek Contributions to Science and Magnificent Mughals, 1526–1856.

1958Pete Hall reports: “Eight members of our outstanding class gathered in May near Norfolk in Suffolk, Va. Rich Goldbach generously offered the use of his plantation for the reunion. From Monday afternoon until Thursday morning Bud and Pam Carney from Calif., Ed Christiansen and Marianne from Newport, R.I., Charlie and Corinne Garland from Williamsburg, Va., Rich and Janet Goldbach, Rob and Dottie Goldbach from N.J. and the Bahamas, Pete and Nancy Hall from Niantic, Conn., Joe and Kathy Schetz from Blacksburg, Va., and Dan and Ellie Schorsch from Waynesboro, Va., had a great time reminiscing, eating luxurious, catered meals

and relaxing. Rich and Janet did a wonderful job meticulously restoring the old farmhouse where four couples stayed. You have to go to the website (cherrygroveplantation.com; take a look) to appreciate what they have done. The new plantation house where they live is like a museum. Some of the grounds are actively farmed and offer walking paths that lead to the Chuckatuck Creek which leads into the James River. The only nautical pursuit was a canoe trip against a strong wind and moderate tide by Pete and Nancy. It reminded him of Benny’s homework, up the creek but with a paddle. Dan Schorsch regaled us with tales of his (mis)adventures, and we reminded him of a few others. We couldn’t have had a better time. It doesn’t seem possible we graduated 55 years ago. Unfortunately, Charlie and Joan Grover in Texas, Al and Rae Raff on Long Island, Len and Karen Thunberg in Alexandria, Va. and Jon and Hayden Williamson now in Camden, Maine couldn’t make it. Photos were sent to them on CDs.

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Some of the Flemings rafted-up at the marina.

Class of 1958.

Unwrapping a wishing well.

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“Len and Karen stopped for a good visit at Pete and Nancy’s on their vacation trip up to Maine. They also stopped to visit with Jon and Hayden at their new home in Camden near the Williamson’s daughter and family. In August, Pete and his brother Tom, while at the family cottage in Denmark, Maine, went to see Jon and Hayden. Rob and Dottie also visited Jon and Hayden in Camden. If you want a good tour of Camden and lunch at a seaside restaurant, visit Jon and Hayden.

“I guess the cadet cruises during our sophomore year didn’t satisfy our need for time aboard ships. Many class members have gone on cruises. Most recently Len, Karen and their daughter spent two weeks sailing up and down the Norwegian coast. Pete and Nancy, who did two weeks in the Mediterranean, said, “The accommodations were quite a bit better than on the merchant ship.”

1959Peter A. Gale writes: The Class of 1959 enjoyed a three-day reunion in Newport, R.I., in October, planned by Don and Pat Szostak and Dick and Joan Zuerner. Don and Pat were unable to attend, but they were very much in our thoughts and prayers. Read more about our reunion in our article in this issue of Webb News.”

Larry Harrison writes: “In June, Donene and I completed a trip to the Canadian Maritime Provinces. The region is surprisingly beautiful and uncrowded. In Halifax, we toured an extensive museum

of the Titanic. Halifax was the center for survivor support and is the current burial site location for many of the victims.

“In July, we traveled with two of our northern California grandchildren to visit our daughter and family in southern California for a reunion of cousins (six total). The northern California grandchildren had their first ocean boogie-board experience, which they loved. It was a busy play time for all. We managed to maintain our energy level.

“Our son and spouse welcomed their baby boy, Carter, on July 18, which was also the birthday of our oldest grandson. There is a 23-year span between our oldest and youngest (10th) grandchild.

“It seems as if the two years have swiftly passed since our last reunion.”

Bill and Ruth Hurt have returned to their Seattle home, and are feathering their nest after 17 years of working for Boeing and NATO in Germany. We look forward to hearing more from them soon.

Ed and Diann Shope.

Ed and Diann Shope are winding down after a summer of family events. “First we flew to Aberdeen, Scotland, to attend the wedding of our nephew, Tuomas and his bride Donna. It was a bonny wedding with pipers, kilts and dancing. Then we flew home to Seattle to prepare for the next wedding. Our son, Michael and his bride, Mary, were married in a nearby park, and then we all paraded through the neighborhood to our home for a dinner and reception in the street. Just picture a dozen tables sparkling glass and silver, flowers and balloons, dancers on a portable dance floor, and yes those Scots from

Aberdeen looking good in their kilts. After dark, we lit fireworks and launched two dozen Japanese lantern balloons.

“Soon afterwards we broke ground on the construction of a backyard cottage, which will be the future home for the bride and groom. This project will be finished in March. (We assume that means March 2014.)

Best wishes to all our friends from Webb.”

Pat Szostak writes:“We are doing okay. Don has reached sort of a plateau. He is now in a wheel chair and needs help with most everything. What he needs most is sleep, and he gets two naps a day. His spirits are good though. We have visiting nurses coming in and it helps a lot. Also, and fortunately, one of our daughters, Christine, comes by two days a week, and Matthew, one of our sons, comes by two to three days every other week. Liz and John will be here from their far-away homes for a couple of weeks this.

“We had a most wonderful summer with all our kids and grandkids (seven). I thought I’d pass along our family group picture. It is just what I wanted, more than anything else. The last one was taken a few years ago when the kids were much younger. Now they range in age from 18 down to 9, and except for Lily, who is 9, and Kai who is 11, everyone is taller than me.

“We know that the reunion will be special, and we will truly miss seeing everyone.”

Class of 1959: Szostak Family.

Larry and Donene Harrison.

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Dick and Joan Zuerner were our gallant hosts for our 54th anniversary class reunion in Newport, R.I., in October. They took on the task of leading us to fine mansions, museums and especially great restaurants. We gained, on average, two pounds, which will never disappear. Joan added her very cheerful presence and lifted our spirits to new heights.

Dick, who left our class after our third year, has been voted a full member of the Webb Alumni Association, in recognition of his continuing support of Webb and his high esteem in the eyes of his classmates. Welcome aboard Dick!

1961Wayne and Gerry Christensen still make their home near Houston, Texas, but do travel frequently. They are planning a trip to Temecula, Calif. to visit Wayne III, their older son, have Thanksgiving with him and his wife, and go sailing on San Diego Bay. Wayne III is a pilot for UPS, and a Lt. Col. flying for the Air Force. Wayne then plans to travel Phoenix, Ariz. to play in the North American Contract Bridge Championships. He hopes to become a Gold Life Master, reaching 2,500 master points. Right now he is only 30 points away. He was well-known as a marathon bridge player as a Webb undergraduate.

Jill, their daughter, is an OB/GYN at Women’s Hospital, in Houston. Her husband, George Hutton, is Director of the Maxine Messinger M.S. clinic at

Baylor College of Medicine. Gerry and Wayne celebrating their grandsons’, Ian (14th) and Zachery (11th), birthdays in October and November.

Their second son, Robert, has become a Renaissance man, evolving from a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering to a Doctorate in Psychology. He is a clinical psychologist at Kaiser Permanente, Pleasanton, Calif.

Al and Pam Evans have been living in Maine since 2005, having retired in 1997. They outfitted their boat, Whisper, and went cruising, making numerous trips up and down the Atlantic Coast from Chesapeake Bay to Maine, and three cruises to the Caribbean. They sold Whisper in 2011, swallowed the anchor, and took up shore-side living. Al’s engineering efforts now are maintaining

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the house, woodworking, and keeping a couple of old computers alive. They married off their youngest on Labor Day at a beautiful lake near Bar Harbor, as an eagle soared by and a loon called out from the lake—good luck for us all. Life here is good, even the winters.

Following his graduation from Webb, Ernie Holmboe received an M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from what is now called Carnegie-Mellon University. He then spent his entire career working in various Navy-related areas of undersea warfare with numerous companies and the government. He completed his professional career at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Ernie continues to consult in related areas and lives with his wife, Dale, in Ashton, Md. He has a daughter, Keri, and two stepchildren, Andrew and Ashley.

Richard Mulford retired from the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in 2000 after 39 years with the Naval Nuclear Power Program and moved to the coast of Maine, where most days are spent enjoying the scenery, the seafood and the relative solitude. He and the former Dorothy Ann Teeter, GC Hospital School of Nursing ’60, celebrated 50 years of marriage a while ago and split their time between their homes in Lincolnville, Maine and Lake Wales, Fla.—the migrations being accomplished via RV. Besides the travel afforded by the RV, they fill each day with pastimes of model building, genealogy, and historical research (him); jewelry fabrication, painting and scrap booking (her); and home improvement projects (both). “If any of you are in either area at the appropriate time of year, look us up. We’d love to see you.”

Since retiring in 2011 (for the second time), Jill and Roger Compton have jumped back into their local theater and music avocations—with both feet! They founded a new community chorus, the Prospect Bay Singers, to ease the withdrawal of leaving the

WooFS. P.B.S. rehearsals are also in mid-afternoon, but this time because the singers don’t like to drive after dark. Both Jill and Roger get their weekly humility lesson on the golf course; the good news is that they get more exercise per round than those who shoot lower scores. Volume I of “Practical Naval Architecture” covering hydrostatics and stability is due to be finished by December 2014. The Comptoms now have more freedom to visit family, all of whom live in the northwestern corner of South Carolina. All six grandchildren are in school, from kindergarten to 12th grade. The Webb welcome mat is always out. Stop by the next time you’re near Annapolis.

1962Mark Henry and his wife, Elaine, spent five weeks touring Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. In Helsinki, they met Bob McGowan (small world!) and spent several hours viewing the Tall Ships Race Fleet, in port that weekend. Bob then guided them on a nice walk through a part of Helsinki they wouldn’t have visited otherwise, and where they saw five icebreakers “on their summer vacations.” Their dinner together featured reindeer meat, which is delicious. Earlier in the year, Mark and Elaine toured Peru and Ecuador. The highlights were Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. Mark is still fencing and finished in third place in Veterans 70+ Men’s Epee at the U.S. Fencing Association 2013 National Championships tournament. For the entire 2012–13 fencing season, he was ranked fifth, based on the results of three “national” tournaments.

Bob McGowan and his wife Ritva spent two months this past summer in Helsinki. They both enjoyed the summer weather in Finland, and did a lot of bicycle riding around Helsinki—Bob lost over ten pounds in the process! Bob and Ritva have given up life in Maine for a change in climate and life style on Hilton Head Island.

Dick and Marie Schmitt are organizing a medical mission trip to Paidha, a remote town in the northwest corner of Uganda. The trip is scheduled for two weeks in early June 2014. Paidha Health Centre is the only health unit in and around Paidha town, serving nearly 300,000 people from within Paidha and the neighboring places, including the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although graded as a Health Centre 4 by Ugandan standard (one step below a hospital) it does not have a doctor. Dick and Marie have gathered a team of doctors, nurse parishioners, and nurses for the medical team. They are in the process of raising funds for the medicines, medical supplies, and equipment. Dick and Marie became interested in the town after spending two weeks there with their priest in 2012.

Anyone who would like to help, checks can be made out to “Friends of Father Vincent” (a 501c(3) organization), with “Medical Mission“ in the subject line. Donations can also be mailed to Dick Schmitt, 70 Aberdeen Drive, Sicklerville, NJ, 08081.

The Schmitt’s medical mission to Paidha.

Pete Silvia spent from March to May helping to build a half-size Azorean whaleboat for the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Later in the summer, he followed it up with a visit to his father’s parents’ home island of Sao Miguel in the Azores, and a stop on the islands of Faial and Pico. He found the place beautiful and the people friendly.

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1963Bill Birkhead: “I will give you a quick recap of the work status of my fourteen surviving classmates based upon reports related to our 50th reunion in May. From what I have gleaned, none of us still work full time, but a few in the ‘consultant’ category still put in many hours.”

Ron “Max” Altmann has been teaching for a number of years back home in Minnesota, but that work is inconsistent and dwindling. In the meantime, he has written a trilogy based upon a Norwegian saga. I understand he is now working on a fourth book.

Don Deckebach, who was always sneaky smarter than the rest of us, is now fully retired while his wife Mary still works full-time as a high powered bank exec.

Bill Hall, after late-in-life forays into railroading and logging, is now back into fairly full-time consulting in the NA/ME field. He is now either remarried, almost remarried or thinking hard about remarrying.

Ron Kiss and June are spending time restoring their beautiful N.J. beach house which was torn up by Sandy. He also took the opportunity to travel to Sarasota for another successful regatta this year. He and June celebrated 50 years of marriage in June 2013—at least 49 of which were blissful. Summer sailing resulted in another win in the club championship series, a third in the BBYRA, and tenth in the Flying Scot Atlantic Coast Championships.

Bill and Joyce Lindenmuth are fully retired and enjoying the traveling. They are both dedicated “birders” and sailors, especially from their own dock on Lake Gaston.

Hank and Karen Olson are also fully retired, although they are still helping out the two sons who are much younger than most of our kids. Their older son Lawrence graduated from San Francisco State this summer with a degree in mechanical engineering and has come over to the marine side. He has just

joined Bruce S. Rosenblatt Associates in Oakland as a Marine Design Engineer. Their younger son Johnathan has about one year left at Cal State East Bay and is majoring in geography. Karen and Hank enjoy traveling every chance they get and spending time at their little cabin in the Sierras.

Dirty Dave Rodger and Miko claim that Erika is finally off the dole after only about 11 years of higher education. Randy has been wanting to leave N.J. for the sunnier climate of Southern Cal., but Miko still has another year or two of teaching before her full pension kicks in.

Gene Seib is, I believe, fully retired in or around Jeffersonville, Ind. However, he was the chief engineer at Jeffboat for so long that I have to believe he is still called on as a resource.

Mike Silber, although 10–15 years younger than the rest of us, Mike did fully retire this year. He and Roberta still live in northern Va., but are probably going to try to get a little farther from the Beltway gridlock.

Bill and Linda Smith are fully retired, although Smitty has a nonpaying job building houses with Habitat for Humanity. Linda has published some children’s books, and I believe, is working on more. We usually see them in the winter when they spend about three months on Anna Maria Island, just north of Sarasota.

While Larry Stephens has retired, his lifelong love of machinery, especially flying machinery, has resulted in consulting gigs near his airport in southern Illinois.

Joe and Marge Verdon are fully retired up in Conn., and are enjoying the fruits of their labors—children and grandchildren.

Class president, Abbott Weiss is still carrying a teaching load up in Massachusetts. We’re not sure how many schools have him on the faculty, but MIT and Brandeis are two.

With his newfound energy as a practicing vegan, Bott and his wife

Barbara, spend time traveling all over the world seeking out recipes that don’t taste like sawdust.

“That leaves only me (Bill Birkhead) to account for. I just married off my second son recently, leaving only a very expensive daughter still unhitched. One grandson was born Christmas Eve, 2011, and a baby brother for him is due in January 2014. While I still allegedly hold two jobs, one at my law firm, and another at Bay Diesel Corp., Marion and I still find the time to spend six-plus weeks a year at our condo in Sarasota, and I sneak away to my mountain hideout on the Greenbrier River in W.Va. whenever I can.

“Our 50th reunion at Webb in Spring 2013 was attended by 11 of our surviving 14. It would have been 12, if not for Deckebach’s late cancellation due to some aches and pains. My favorite event was our Thursday night pizza party at Stango’s where we used to eat pizza and watch football on Sunday afternoons, 50-plus years ago. We all enjoyed getting back to Glen Cove and seeing the changes to the Institute. Our class gift will revamp/replace the sound and visual systems in the auditorium, hopefully bringing them into the 21st century. While many of us had seen each other seldom, if at all, over the preceding 50 years, it was amazing how comfortable we all were with each other. We spent a lot of time reminiscing and laughing for three days, and look forward to our next reunion.”

1965Bill Cannon of Naples, Fla. and Mystic, Conn. reports: “Well, what can I say: I retired from paid work in 1997! Now I’m ‘volunteering’ so many hours that I wonder how I found time to go to work, while also having more fun. In retirement, you get to do those things that you wanted to do while working, but couldn’t find the time to do. I’m into my 31st year of serving on the Fire

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District Board in Mystic, Conn. Since I now am a Florida resident, I attend most meetings via teleconference. I’m also the statistician for my golf league in Conn. and race sailboats on Wednesday nights. I’ve started taking my 11-year-old grandson on the boat. He finds that his experience with JY-15s is quite a bit different from a 37-foot racing boat.

In Florida, I’m on my Home Owners Association Board of Directors, and serve as secretary for my Men’s Club and also the Computer Club. I play golf twice a week and teach boating safety at the Naples Power Squadron.

“The Model A I had at Webb is now fully restored after a 25-year disassemble. I had to throw away every nut and bolt and start all over. It’s now two-tone green with black fenders and Granny Smith apple green wheels versus the black of Webb days.”

Peter Jacquith, now of San Diego, Calif., British Columbia, Canada, and Hancock, N.H. writes:“ I’m working on a long-term contract for Vancouver Shipyards part of the Seaspan Marine Group. I am one of the seasoned shipbuilders assisting in taking a small Canadian shipyard to a near world-class builder of ocean-going vessels. This is part of Canada’s NSPS Program by which Vancouver Shipyards won the right to build all noncombat Federal Fleet Renewal (FFR) vessels. The particular challenge is developing and implementing one design strategy and one shipbuilding strategy for all vessels. One of the crew is Steve Lardie ’73.

Karl Kirkman, from Ashton, Md., tells us, “I married in May to the former Diane G. Schulte after a brief, 17-year, courtship. Dealing with all of the sorts of late-in-life health stuff keeps the calendar filled each week with sitting in waiting rooms and recovery rooms. I’m putting the finishing touches on a book on the evolution of the Baltimore clipper; the research has increased my awe for William Webb, and my gratitude for his gift to us.”

Henry Marcus from Acton, Mass. writes: ”I have officially retired from MIT and have become Professor Emeritus

(Latin for ‘no more pay checks’). At the moment I still retain my office and am involved in a number of MIT activities. I am honored to have been chosen to receive the Webb Medal from SNAME at the annual meeting.”

Dave Moorhead living in Kennet Square, Pa., writes: “I retired from Aker Shipyard in Philly in February 2013. My wife and I took a long postponed trip to Scotland in June. I’m finding there are projects around the house that I am no longer up to doing. Bummer. Where is this aging gracefully stuff?”

Paul Risseeuw from Ivoryton, Conn. sends word: “I coached the Madison High School Sailing Team in the spring and ran the Pettipaug Sailing Academy during the 8-week summer. None of the 160 kids drowned, so I consider it a success. I expect to do the same in 2014. I’m driving a 24 ft. pontoon boat ferry to Essex Island Marina. The distance from dock to dock is 94 feet, and it takes 50 seconds, if I’m not in a hurry. My one and only son, Reynolds (age 24) is finishing his first year in medical school at St. Georges University—only about six more years to go!”

Bill Wallace, from Malahat, British Columbia, says: “Bill here, from the left-hand coast, a.k.a. British Columbia (or Lotusland, as it’s known in Canada, due to the fact it’s primary export product revenue comes from (credibly reported) 420/MaryJane/weed. Francine and I came out here four years ago. I worked in a design shop for a while, re-discovered that I’m not fit to be an office designer (for the third time in my life) and am now working for a group in the SNC-Lavalin empire who look after the repairs and maintenance on the Canadian Navy’s minor warships and auxiliary fleet vessels. British Columbia is an awesome piece of geography, and I hope to finish exploring it in my second life. I’ve still got the dory I built in the wood shop our sophomore year, and it’s still a sweet little sea-boat to go chase the mighty Dungeness Crab.”

1967Bob vom Saal reported that although he officially retired on January 1, 2013, he is “still helping Herbert Engineering occasionally, as needed, to wrap up projects or provide another viewpoint. Latest is I went to Germany for about three weeks in early November. I can’t quite seem to get out cleanly.”

Tom Koster is still working full time, and notes that he has represented Webb at a couple of college fairs in Houston.

John Sirutis: “Here it is: breaking news. John has retired, concluding 41 years of service to Raytheon and its legacy companies.” John and Barb are camping and touring the Australian outback in their four-wheel drive truck, living the dream. They will be back in San Diego by year-end. Grandchild number three is scheduled to arrive in January 2014 to son Michael and his partner in Maui. The Sirutis’ plan to move to Sequim for the summer of 2014, and are hoping for a NW class reunion.

Tom Mattson initially reported that he and his family had “escaped to Qatar seeking asylum.” Later he admitted that he had exaggerated and that little has changed except that Susan “continues quite successfully with her acting career,” and that his Aunt Pearl has died at age 95.

John Russell sold an airplane this spring and used the proceeds to buy a sailboat, a 1984 Hinckley 59, in Bristol, R.I. A lot of work was done on it in Bristol, allowing John to visit the brother of Greg Tuxworth in Mattapoisett. John and three others (including a hired delivery skipper) sailed her to Bermuda (from where John flew home) and then the remaining three sailed her to St. Thomas, where she awaits the end of hurricane season to be launched. John is hosting lots of family and friends over the winter, including Wayne Martin in early December; Kit Ryan and Cathy in January; and Keith Michel ’73 and Peggy, and Webb trustee Bruce Rosenblatt in January.

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1969Steve and Karen Wolgamot are both retired, still living on White Bear Lake in Minn. Megan and Doug and their families, including four grandchildren, live close by and share a love of the water. Steve had a good year sailing and water skiing, garnering three exceedingly minor sailing trophies and skiing in a slalom tournament of his own devising. He continues to consult on product and process design, as well as general business management, and serves on the local school board. Karen loves retirement. They took a trip to Norway last year and plan on hiking in New Zealand this year.

1970Proud members of the Class of 1970—Bob Jenner, Eric Linsner and Dave Bovet, seen in our intrepid reporter’s photo below—enjoyed a memorable evening together at the Jenner residence in Lowell, Mass., last March. Bob and Jannaruth treated Eric and Pat, Dave and Maureen to a fascinating tour of their 1872 Victorian mansion, perched high above the city on the aptly-named Belmont Hill, overlooking the Merrimack River, before digging into a lovely home-cooked dinner. This huge house allows plenty of room for the Jenners’ many hobbies and visits from their grandchildren. The three classmates exchanged notes on current lifestyles—all are still gainfully employed but finding a bit more time to visit with old friends these days.

1971The inexorable march of the Class of 1971 toward the West Coast became confusion as Chris Llana’s move from North Carolina to a new home outside San Diego was offset (on average) by Scott Bristol now spending half his time away from Santa Cruz in his wife’s home turf of Austria. Denny Antweiler, Jerry Bellows, John Malone, and Paul Vibrans from the West Coast and Doug Clough from the East Coast converged in San Francisco for a mini reunion to watch the first races of the America’s Cup. There was a lot of catching up for some. Three quarters of the 1969 Shields Boat crew was there, totally blown away by the performance of the AC72s.

1973Rich and Kathy Celotto recently celebrated the birth of their first grandchild, Eloise Rose, to their eldest daughter Rebecca in August, as well as the wedding of their younger daughter Abigale in October. Plus, he just finished a great racing summer with classmate Ted Slotwinski on Ted’s latest ZALEK, a J-33. Not to mention reminiscing about the wonderful Class of ’73 40th Anniversary Reunion at Webb during last May’s Homecoming.

Ralph Hubbard and his partner Leslie Jones are in their fourth year of chartering their 42-foot catamaran in Jacksonville, Fla. area (in Miami in the winter). You can follow them on their web(b)site NowandZenSailingCharters.com

The Class of 1973 wishes all the best to Keith and Peggy Michel on the commencement of their tenure as the First Family of Webb Institute.

Joseph and Mary Jane Rudnicki celebrated the first birthday of Maisie Chase Rudnicki in October 2013. Maisie is their first grandchild and the daughter of their son Jeff and his wife Emily.

1975Christian Saether reports: “I transferred out to Seattle at the end of ’85 with Digital Equipment (alas, no longer) and am still in the same house, though with a different wife than I started with. All is good. I got a bit of a late start in the progeny department so, as a result, my youngest, Nick, just graduated from high school. He’ll attend Western Washington U in Bellingham after that, majoring in either physics or drama or dames. We’ll see. My daughter Lucie, two years older, will transfer to UW here in Seattle from Pomona, after taking a semester off to immerse herself in tap dance lessons here. Stepdaughter Charlotte is in D.C. and just got a real job after an Americorps indenture. Mary, my wife, has been busy with Balkan music where she and her Bulgarian women’s choir performed at the Seattle Folklife Festival. While surrounded by such interesting people, I plod along continuing to teach myself programming, as I have since leaving Webb, most recently at a startup called Spacecurve where I am starting to figure out the core of our value proposition after a year (they haven’t fired me yet.)

“I bike a few miles to work downtown in a neighborhood where spare change in your pocket for somebody’s jangling cup is the cost of venturing out on the street for lunch. The world’s largest tunnel-boring machine is

Ted Slotwinski and Richard Celotto ’73.

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being assembled a few blocks away from the office to bore a tunnel under a viaduct that may go down without help if we have an earthquake in the next couple of years, ala San Fran a while back. Oh, and I have finished a learning to row class—sculls—and dumped myself in the ship canal in my most recent class, but not on purpose. I thought I knew how to row. Hah!”

1988Steve Pagan finished up his part of the Gendalo-Gehem FPU project in Jakarta this past June and moved on to his next foreign assignment in Houston. He’s still with Chevron— how can it be almost 10 years?

Mitch Dmohowski reports that he and Maria are still catching waves while building wind and solar projects in Hawaii.

For any of you who attended the SNAME awards luncheon this year in Bellevue, Wash., you saw co-author, Vicky Dlugokecki being presented the 2013 Elmer L. Hann award for best paper presented at last year’s Ship Production Symposium.

1990 Bill Nugent shook off 45 years of sloth and ran the full Hamptons Marathon on September 28. His loving family, Sandy, Laura and Tim, supportive as ever, cheered him on along the way, and noted that this was “the worst parade ever” and told him “don’t worry, you will feel better after you recover.”

Bill Nugent ’90.

1992 Aaron Salancy: “Here is a picture of Noah and me kayaking on Silver Lake in New Hampshire during the family vacation to the White Mountains in August.”

Aaron ’92 and Noah Salancy.

Theresa Haven: “It all started in summer (2012) when the furnace was leaking. My husband was out of town and I hired a plumber. The plumber, writing his invoice upstairs in the kitchen, commented, ‘This is a great kitchen. I would love this giant island for making bread.’ I was intrigued but not surprised, having already learned that Alaskans are diversely talented. ‘Oh, yes. I do love this kitchen and use it to make all kinds of food, but never bread. How did you get into bread-making?‘ ‘I was trained at Le Cordon Bleu.’ ‘The Le Cordon Bleu in Paris?‘ ‘No, Pittsburgh, but same training.’ By this time, my kids had joined the conversation and we had a lively discussion of food and the bounty of Alaskan summer.

“I continued to ponder bread. Why, I wondered, growing up in a family that made many types of good, wholesome food from scratch, didn’t we make bread? Oh right, New York City, good bakery on every corner, run by your friends and neighbors, was clearly a more efficient way to buy bakery-fresh bread so you put your energy on other pursuits. Still, sourdough is a typical Alaskan thing, full of legend and lore— and my husband loves sourdough.

“The week of Thanksgiving 2012, I decided to make it happen. I dutifully reconstituted and fed the starter with scientific precision and watched it grow and bubble, not really knowing what it was supposed to look like. (I didn’t think of YouTube until a couple of months later.) The first loaves turned out tasty but heavy, which I later learned was because the 100-percent whole-wheat flour I had used does not have enough gluten to support the rise. Every successive batch, a tweak of ingredients, timing, temperature, technique produced better and better bread. I mastered plain sourdough in a few weeks and continued experimentation with raisins, feta, rosemary, molasses, rye, and so on. It was a great adventure.

“Fast forward to summer, 2013. ‘Are you going to the fair this year?’ a colleague asked me. ‘Oh, you mean one of those loud events designed to separate me from my money?’ ‘True, but you have to take the kids to see the giant vegetables.’ State fair, hmm. Images of idyllic rural contests ran through my head. I had never entered any contest but this was appealingly rustic. Clearly it was too late to grow giant vegetables, but maybe we could enter bread. I learned that every entrant received free admission and parking. Bread entry was Wednesday on Jonah’s birthday, so we could get a lot of mileage out of one trip to the fair.

“My family spent the three-day weekend prior to bread-entry day fishing and clamming, and returned home Monday morning with a large catch to process. That plus work, school, etc. made me unsure if we would have time to bake bread by Wednesday. It was all a blur, but somehow we cranked out a few loaves. Olivia made simple varieties that she could do on her own, plain white sourdough and rosemary. I made light wheat molasses, orange walnut swirl sourdough, which was a recipe I had invented late one night for a big meeting where I wanted to lull the attendees into contented complacency. Olivia was taking the last

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loaves out of the oven as I left from work on Wednesday. On our way to the fair, with the A/C blowing to cool the loaves before we bagged them, I cautioned Olivia to not get her hopes up, that this was not our best work because we were rushed, etc. but regardless, we would learn about the process—and get free admission!

“The nice ladies at the entry table told us that we would hear tomorrow if we had won anything. On Thursday, no calls. I repeated the consolation talk with Olivia. On Saturday, we returned to the fair for the 4H animal auction and stopped by the baked goods exhibit to check out the other entries. In the junior entry area, I was surprised to see ribbons on Olivia’s loaves. I didn’t have any experience with ribbon color, so I had to ask one of the ladies working there. Olivia’s bread received one third place and one honorable mention. Oh, nice! I wonder why we didn’t get a call. In the adult entry area, I saw a couple of ribbons on my bread. I had to consult the pros again. ‘Blue is first and purple is grand champion.’ I looked at her blankly. ‘Umm, what is grand champion?’ Speaking slowly since I was obviously not too bright, she explained, ‘The one with the purple ribbon won the yeast bread division—the best of all the yeast breads.‘

“So there you have it: Alaska State Fair Yeast Bread Division Grand Champion. True story!

“And, if free admission, free parking, and the glory were not enough, I later received a check in the mail for $7… this just keeps getting better and better! Next year: Best of Show… ;).

1993 The Class of 1993 had a mini 20-year reunion. Al Kamahi, Jake Neuman, Ben Rising, Monique Sinmao, Kirk Torstenson, Erik and Josie Nilsson, Mike and Kathy Hutchings attended. Many sent their regrets. After visiting the campus, they took a ride on Hutch’s boat, a mixed-bag adventure of wine and cheese with some fishing thrown in, and you couldn’t beat the view of Webb. “Keith and Peggy Michel kindly had us over for a nice hors d’oeuvres hour. We had a great weekend catching up and visiting the school and determined that we have to do it again as an entire class within five more years.”

Class of 1993 reunion.

Al is busy running a family business commuting between Mexico and San Diego; Mo is working on a new business opportunity in N.Y.C. and nursing a broken arm from mountain biking; Ben’s assuming the lead for Walz & Krenzer; Kirk is at USCG HQ in Baltimore; Erik is achieving a life goal of living in south Florida and spending time on his boat while working at Ryder Logistics; Hutch is working the energy side of investment banking in N.Y.C.; and Jake is working LNG transportation at ExxonMobil.

1999The Class of 1999 wants to welcome Zahra Lee Collette and Joseph Alexander Golden (both born in September) to the Webb family. Congratulations to parents Matt and Karishma Collette and Bradley and Sarah Golden on your new arrivals.

2001Relocations and baby births seem to be the common thread for many class members of 2001. Five classmates welcomed babies to their families within 37 days of one another earlier this year. We think this has to be some sort of record! Granted, two pairs of these married couples are classmates, so the total baby yield was only three.

Andrew Capel Erwin Jacobson kicked things off, arriving on January 7. Aurora “Rory” Vivian Benoit followed him on February 12. June Virginia Van Denburg closed out baby-palooza on February 13, 2013. Jamie and Gwen (McGlauflin) Benoit, Don and Alma (Munkenbeck) Jacobson, and Steve and Heidi Van Denburg therefore have had a busy year with many sleepless nights.

Andrew Jacobson in the arms of the Baby Whisperer.

June Van Denburg

Rory Benoit

continued on next page

Tess Haven: Grand Champion.

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Steve also reports that older brother Miles is infatuated with toy excavating equipment and indicated he was putting the finishing touches on the design and commissioning of Quantum’s largest hydraulic power pack. He’ll gladly supply the prints to the freshmen so they can trace all the mechanical components in Marine Engineering I. He also apparently dug deep in his Professor Harris’ lecture notes to prepare this simile-laden description of June, who “eats like an alligator and roars like a lion, but loves like a Care Bear, and smiles like a double rainbow in the morning sun.”

The Benoits gave up their travertine-laced shoebox in Lauderdale for the friendly confines of a new home in Davie, Fla. The new place is larger so any out-of-town classmate visitors can now sleep outside of the baby nursery. Meanwhile, the Jacobsons report their two eldest sons are infatuated with all things Star Wars these days. When Santa delivers their first magic card decks, we will truly know the nerd gene is hereditary.

Tony Beale and Steve Geiger continue to keep relatively low-profile existences going, in San Diego and Dunellen, respectively. We, rest assured, know each is most likely sailing at sea and out of mobile phone service range or shredding too loudly on electric guitars to hear phone calls from their classmates.

Brian Heberley finally graduated from MIT this past May with a Ph.D. thanks to the U.S. Navy. After moving with Christine (Gill ’02) and their two boys to California for a few months over the summer, they all have returned to Hampton Roads where Brian has

started work as an Assistant Project Officer at Newport News Shipbuilding. Brian’s return has yielded the second coming of the Class of 2001 quorum, now that there are greater than 25 percent of the class living within an hour of one another. The photo shown here is of the quorum version 1.2 enjoying Bolivian cuisine and too much Pisco in Norfolk this past September.

After comparing hair styles, Brian, Patrick Hester, and Jason Updegraph enjoyed some Sweet Baby Jesus brews paired with Azur’s Ugly Ducklings at the quorum after party.

Add Patrick to the list of classmates who have changed residences over the past few months. He, Kasey, and the kids moved six blocks over to a larger home with views of the water. Pat also celebrated reaching tenured professor status at Old Dominion University earlier this summer. He will be joining Elizabeth Jeffers for her 49th Phish show in Hampton, Va. in October. She is glad Christine is within driving distance and is looking forward to more frequent visits.

Elizabeth Tuckel is another recent home relocator, albeit only a few blocks away from her old place. She was able to make it to the Sasquatch Music Festival back in May and highly recommends it and welcomes any classmates who want to come out for it next year.

John Hootman traveled to Norfolk in the spring and was able to wear his fireman dress blues to the commissioning of the USS Arlington (LPD-24) with Jason and a few firefighter friends. Word on the street is that John loves crunching and re-crunching U.S. Navy budget numbers while allowing for all possible permutations as a result of the furlough and government shutdowns.

Aside from supporting the Blue Moose brunch scene and local Port Townsend farmer’s market, Luke Hurt and Emily added a sailing cat to the windsurfer, kayak, and RC boat fleet.

John Sullivan and wife, Val, recently announced they are expecting their first child in the spring of ’14. There is much debate as to which version of “Party Boy Sully” Val succumbed to that led to the aforementioned.

History may be repeating itself as Nate Smith indicated that he, wife Carrie, and 2o-year-old daughter Nora, are expecting an additional family member in February. Accordingly, the class nominates Tony Beale to take the bullet and have the third baby of 2014. Nate plans to kick the home renovations into high gear before the baby arrives. Once again impeccable timing for Nate who chooses to do outdoor home projects in the middle of winter in Wisconsin. He also daydreams about beating Updegraph in an iceboat regatta this winter.

Gabe Weymouth is settling into life as a lecturer at the new Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute after transplanting with the three ladies from Singapore in early 2013. He is looking forward to a late November trip to the States where he expects to cross paths with Jason Dahl ’02 at a conference in Pittsburgh. It is unclear whether a trip to the Gauley River and stopover for mama Updegraph’s Fritos taco salad are on the itinerary.

Gabe was recently joined by Kate Jones ’01X who is living in the land of cup o’ tea, fish and chips, and Mary F. Poppins after spending the last seven and a half years in N.Y.C. Kate recently took a VP promotion within HSBC to serve as their head of U.K. news and TV. No word on whether the Brits will take to the style of improvisational comedy she regularly performed with a troupe in N.Y.C. She is also gleefully looking forward to telling the Weymouth girls stories about their daddy in college.

Joe Kilch ’01X is halfway through medical school at the University of Vermont in Burlington. He was able to complete a short rotation in Florida earlier in the year, but preferred getting out to the mountains with Monique when they are allowed to leave the hospital.

Don, Alma, Pat, Brian, and Jason.

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2007 & 2008

Kathleen Cain and Stephen Minnich (above) are engaged to be married in the fall of 2014. The proposal took place at Great Falls National Park on August 17, 2013.

2008 Dan Mannheim has now traveled with Webbies on four continents. He also recently bought a house, so he no longer has any money to travel to continents five, six, or seven.

Lindsey Lindgren has accepted a permanent position as a Senior Naval Architect at Premier Oil, meaning that the Lindgrens will be staying in London for a few more years. She will be continuing her work on Premier’s development in the Falkland Islands. Her daughter, Livia, is growing fast and starting to talk with the current favorite words being “shoes” and “cheese.” Even though Livia is just under 2 years old, Lindsey and her husband, Marten, have already had to start the school search to ensure that Livia has a place in 2015 for preschool. Three schools have been shortlisted, so its hoped one will work out.

Johanna Lee is engaged! Her fiancé, Mark Exner, popped the question on June 7, during a trip to Baltimore, Md. The two plan to tie the knot in February 2014.

Stephen Minnich got engaged to Kathleen Cain ’07 on August 17. They will be married in Vermont in October 2014.

Alana Duerr recently had the opportunity to pinch-hit and step up to the Monday Lecture lectern. “It was really great to be back at Webb—especially without the pressure of the homework to-do list.”

Leah Sosa and Justin Shell.

Leah Sosa and Justin Shell rendezvoused for two hiking trips this summer. They both completed the Three Peaks Challenge in the U.K. this past July, summiting the tallest peaks in England, Scotland, and Wales in succession in less than 24 hours. Then in September, they climbed Mt. Whitney in California and faced some high winds at 14,500 feet. Luckily, they didn’t meet any bears along the way!

The Class of 2008 celebrated their five-year reunion this past August at a rental lodge in the Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Seventy percent

of the class was in attendance, along with a few spouses and significant others. Beer was flowing, good times were had by all, and “Diamond Girl” was listened to roughly 1,000 times over the course of the weekend.

2009 Phil Duerr enjoyed working out at NSWC-CD again this summer. “This fall and spring I’ll be bouncing between D.C. and South Florida again working on my dissertation. I am very much looking forward to finishing up my Ph.D. Also, the Class ’08 five-year reunion was a lot of fun. I hope that the rest of the wolf pack is excited for our five-year reunion next year.”

Robert Carelli is about to go on his first six-month western Pacific deployment. Then he’ll be transferring off the ship, but he’s not sure where yet. “I went to Spain in July with John, Jon, Bret, Wombi, Courtney, Lauren, and Joan. We went to San Fermin in Pamplona and spent a week chilling at the beach.” Luckily no one was gored by a bull. Other than that, Lindy and Robert have been island-hopping and hiking around Hawaii.

Rorie Zuzick loves her new cat a lot. Captain Midnight is the first feline addition to the Class of ’09. Other than working a lot, Rorie is keeping the Webb Annapolis sector alive. She has Webb family dinners with Diana Look, Jon Ward, and Dan Wilson every so often.

Diana Look is studying applied computational mathematics part-time at Johns Hopkins University. Her boyfriend has recently moved in and they have a dog named Buck, the first canine addition to the Class of ’09!

After a fun, travel-filled three years at Stolt-Nielsen Limited, Bret Smart is laying down the suit and tie and looking forward to starting his career as a business associate. Bret will spend a few months traveling around Thailand

Class of 2008 reunion. continued on next page

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and India to soak in the culture and local lifestyle. Then, in January, he’ll commence a one-year M.B.A. program in Singapore, where he looks forward to being reminded of Webb, thanks to long, sleepless nights working. “Everyone should come and visit!”

Austin French spent a week doing back flips into 165m gorges in south-eastern South Africa for the McMisti wedding. He also made it out to San Francisco with Stefan for the Webb Alumni Event on the Jeremiah O’Brien during the America’s Cup.

Laura Patterson is back in D.C. for the time being. She is trying to finish up her dissertation on a part-time basis while job searching at the same time. She’s really happy with her boyfriend and has been working out a lot lately.

Andrei Mouravieff is “still” living in Arlington, Va. where he is “still” working for the Navy. He moved into a new apartment back in July.

Out in Seattle, the Webb-organized Seattle League kickball team, Team Silver Snakes, which includes Ben Racine ’03, Kelly Sonerholm ’06, Stefan Wolczko, Josh Lambertsen ’11,

and captained by Jared Harlan ’12, beat the Washington Wolverines (yes, the University of Michigan alumni team) for the 2013 Fall Kickball Championship. This is yet another way that Webb beats Michigan. Stefan is also excited to join John Malone as co-chair of the Webb Alumni Fund.

Josh McMinn and Elisti Lourens were married on July 4 at Oribi Gorge in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Many Webbies flew in from around the world to attend. The travel-themed reception was a lot of fun with guests guessing where in the world the newlyweds would go on their honeymoon. Josh and Elisti are now settling back into Korean life after honeymooning in East Africa. “Kimchi just isn’t the same after eating real food but the rock climbing was wonderful.”

John Wise and Wombi Rose started the semester at Harvard Business School after a summer of meeting Webbies in South Africa (McMisti!), Spain, and northern Europe. “Classes at HBS are quite intense, but there’s plenty of time to kick back and really get to know our new classmates. If you find yourself in Boston, let us know. We’ve got plenty of space downstairs and a really nice pull-out couch.”

Lauren Moeller and her husband Matt are now stationed together (for the first time!) in Norfolk. They celebrated their 1st anniversary in November 2013.

Jon Ward and Courtney spent some time traveling in France before joining up with the other Webbies and friends in Spain for a few days at the Carelli beach house and a weekend trip to Ibiza. Jon is getting excited about a sailing trip in Thailand this November.

Carnival has entrusted Niko Martecchini with the management of one of their ships, meaning that Niko has been too busy to do anything exciting since the previous Webb News. He was able to get away for a rafting trip over Memorial Day weekend with Jon Ward, Wombi, Lidia, and a huge group of friends. “We travelled deep

The stars aligned and a bunch of Webbies and friends were able to meet for a weekend on the party island of Ibiza. During a brief break in the partying, the group visited a hilltop cathedral in Ibiza’s old town to take this picture. From left to right, back row: Bret Smart ’09, Courtney Bender, Jon Ward ’09, Schuyler Needham ’12, Lidia Mouravieff ’11 and front row: John Wise ’09, Lauren Bender, Leah Sosa ’08, Wombi ’09, Joan Mao, Jon Dowsett ’09.

Webbies from around the world gathered in South Africa to celebrate with Josh McMinn and Elisti Lourens on their wedding day. Pictured here on Overhanging Rock above Oribi Gorge from left to right are: Michelle Harville, Andrew Harville ’09, John Wise ’09, Dan Wilson ’09X, Doug Slocum ’10, Wombi Rose ’09, Josh McMinn ’09, Elisti Lourens, Jon Dowsett ’09, Stefan Wolczko ’09, Austin French ’09, Bret Smart ’09, Dan Mannheim ’08, Jeffrey Reifsnyder ’08, and Jessica Andrus.

The Silver Snakes are a Webb organized kickball team in Seattle. They beat the U Michigan organized Washington Wolverines this season in the 2013 Fall Kickball Championship proving again that Webb beats Michigan.

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into the wilds of South Carolina to visit John Wise and spent a couple days enjoying the rapids on the Chattooga River. Many thanks to the Wise family and Wildwater for hosting!”

Jon Dowsett is still finding ways to save fuel at Maersk. He enjoyed the brief Danish summer and is preparing for the long, dark winter. The past few months have included trips to the U.S. to see family; South Africa to revisit winter work stomping grounds and celebrate the McMisti wedding; three exhausting days of partying in Ibiza; a relaxed beach trip in Belgium; island hopping in Greece; a work trip to Singapore; and a crazy Oktoberfest Webb reunion in Munich. He’ll be sailing the Andaman Sea in Thailand with a bunch of friends in November before looking for new ways to indulge his flight ticket buying addiction.

No news was heard from Rachel Sawyer. It is assumed that she was eaten by a dragon at Dragon Con.

A mad lib completed by Andrew Harville: I was born in Montana an Andrei which I call my own. I had a pet Andrew there, I named him Austin. I always paid Austin and would ride his Carelli every day. One day I decided to build a Dan and sail the great waters of the earth on that Dan. Austin electrodeposited with me. After just 23 hours our Dan hit a giant Jon. The Jon bellowed quickly when it saw us, and made huge Joshes in the sea. I ended up killing the Jon with a Laura and Austin, and I had something to eat for dinner. Soon, we crash landed on Montana. YIPPEE I exclaimed. ‘We’re smart where we left! Austin reacted and delayed around. He was triumphant. So we both ate Lauren for dinner, and set sail again. Life is full of Rachel!

2010 Tedi Derrickson: “I’m in Ft. Lauderdale working for Murray & Associates. Loving Fla. and four-day work weeks!”

Dusty Rybovich: ”I’ve recently started bathing regularly.”

Foss is a full service maritime company focused on solving our customers’ toughest marine transportation and logistical challenges – close to home and in some of the harshest environments in the world.

Foss has a company-wide commitment to safety and environmental stewardship, and a long history of technological innovation. Our mission: to provide marine services without equal.

continued on next page

Dusty Rybovich ’10 was featured in a Professional Yacht Broker article last June.

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class notesalumni news

Lowell Dickerson: “I have moved to Chevron’s Deepwater Gulf of Mexico subsea intervention group.”

Jay Nonemaker: “I graduated from TU Delft in October 2012 with an M.S. in Offshore Engineering and have been working for INTECSEA in their Delft office since graduation. I’m a part of a project team for the South Stream pipeline and have spent several months in the last year on assignment in Edmonton, Canada, where I was able to explore Alberta and the Canadian Rockies. In Holland, I can often be found at my Crossfit gym or hanging out with other Webb alumni in the Delft area.”

Cullen Sarles: “I got married on December 31, 2012 to my wife Jessica, whom I met in San Diego while on a three-month rotation for work, and who by some miracle moved out to join me in D.C.”

Simmy Willemann: “I spent the summer working on mobile water desalination plants in Israel followed by a road trip with Chris Hooper ’11 through the Golan and Jordan. I am finishing up at MIT while playing violin and working for an entrepreneurship class.”

Peter Lee: I have been really busy, because I am relocating to Korea to join Technip’s site team at HHI. So, my story is that I will be heading on September 27 to Ulsan, Korea, to join Technip’s site team at HHI for building the biggest spar in history. The spar is called Aasta Hansteen, and it will be operated by Statoil. I will be in Korea for about two years.”

Dave Gross: “I am still doing CFD in the Cote D’Azure region of France.”

Tom Tindale: “I am the only engineer at BAE Hawaii Shipyard and am working on my dream of being the world’s most prominent slumlord naval architect. I’m flying, diving, and enjoying life in Hawaii!”

Amanda Malarkey: “In May 2013, I married Anil Nair. We live in Houston with our dog, Jester, and often find ourselves in the company of miniature horses.”

Amanda Malarkey and Anil Nair

Jake Genauer: “I still find myself in the shipyard six or seven days each week, but have changed sides of the table: I’m with Hercules Offshore now. I was lucky enough to travel around India for most of this past summer, and I also made it to Kuala Lumpur and Thailand for short breaks.”

2011Ten Webb alumni (Leah Sosa, Bret Smart, Jonathan Dowsett, Jay Nonemaker, Tophi Rose, Ryan Pfeifer, Lidia Mouravieff, Schuyler Needham, Dale Pederson, and Kyle Manis), representing five different classes, attended Oktoberfest in Munich this October! They all made it out alive!

In July 2013, Hampton Dixon became the Operations Manager for InterMarine in the Arabian Gulf. He’s tasked with running the day-to-day operations of an 18-vessel fleet of PSVs and AHTSs. While he was reluctant to jump from a purely technical role—inanimate objects don’t talk back—these new challenges have been great preparation for returning to graduate school, whenever that happens.

Andy Lachtman recently moved to northern Virginia and is still working as a Naval Architect for Bruce S. Rosenblatt & Associates. This fall, Andy started a master’s degree program in mechanical engineering with UCLA.

Ben Fisher and his wife, Maria, welcomed their daughter, Rebecca Ann Fisher, on May 16, 2013. Webb was great training for the sleep deprivation!

Casey Harwood is continuing his seemingly-Sisyphean quest toward a Ph.D. in NA/ME at the University of Michigan, alongside classmate Esteban Castro. Recently, he has begun experimental work in hydroelastic multiphase flows, which is just a really fancy way of saying that he has broken the towing-tank carriage more times than he has any business doing. Esteban Castro also continues as a NA/ME Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan. He is looking forward to the acceptance of a conference paper. Said conference will be in Netherlands, close to some fellow Webbies. During the summer, he spent two weeks vacationing with family in Spain, where every day he ate Serrano ham and drank a summer drink called “tinto de verano.”

Jenna Ferrieri is sailing across the Atlantic from Rio to Cape Town with Team Henri Lloyd as part of the Clipper Round the World race this October. She also recently moved from Newfoundland to San Diego to work for SAIC and is enjoying the sunshine and eternal summer season there.

In June 2013, Lidia Mouravieff signed on for a project in Hamburg, Germany, for the repair and life extension of the FPSO EnQuest Producer. She has been making the most of her time abroad by traveling to various exciting and beautiful European cities.

Ryan Pfeifer has graduated with his M.Sc. from NTNU and started working in the subsea business at Technip Norway in Oslo, continuing his quest for the Norwegian dream. He enjoys meeting up with Webbies throughout Europe and in remote Norwegian cabins where they won’t be judged.

Michael Klein-Urena spent summer 2013 preparing for the two biggest events of his year: the NYC Marathon and the SNAME annual meeting. And his tan.

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If you have any individual notes you wish to publish in

the next Webb News Magazine, please send them to Gailmarie

at gsujecki@webb.edu

Ian McMahon still works for the American Bureau of Shipping in the Offshore Engineering Department. He just progressed to Category 2 (Intermediate) in mountain bike racing after placing second in the Texas State championships in Category 3 (Beginner). He also recently won the ABS United Way Tricycle Race.

Brent Morrison enjoyed seeing Webbies in Seattle for the SNAME Annual Meeting!

This summer, Katherine Whalen received her M.S. in Integrated Product Design from TU Delft!

2012To start off: John Fleming seems to be back on this planet again and is getting in touch with friends. He’s working for Cameron in East Texas and seems to be doing very well.

Over in California, Nick Walker and JC Morgan are being kept busy with Herbert in San Francisco, and no doubt enjoying the finer things in life.

Also on the west coast, Lee Boltz and Jared Harlan are in Seattle with

Jensen and Kvichak, respectively. Jared now co-owns a house and a car—and we’re all still surprised at how responsible that sounds.

Speaking of houses, Nathan Hagan recently bought a new one in Virginia while he’s working and doing grad-school things. The 2012ers officially own real estate from coast to coast! Also in the Maryland/Virginia area, Alan Childers is still at Alion, and Nick DelGatto is cruising in his Porsche around Annapolis with Herbert.

Jack Oczeretko is in Philly recovering from an Aussie football-related torn ACL, proving for once that Jack is not actually indestructible. Also in Philly, Rob Talarico is mourning the loss of his beloved Jeep, Jerry, but doesn’t seem too sad driving his new F-350 around the New Jersey beaches. Also in Pa., Matt Groff is working at the Watson McDaniel Company, and has gotten way better at the banjo.

A bit north, BJ Walling and Steve Guglielmoni are working through grad school at Stevens, which everyone agrees is the best thing to happen to Hoboken since they started referring to mozzarella as “mutz.”

Nearby, Andrew Lum is working for the MTA in N.Y.C. and is continuing to pursue his master’s degree.

Johnny Gotta now owns a house in Jersey, and continues to have, easily, the most adorable family in the class thanks to the smaller John Gotta.

Stacey Bishop is still keepin’ it Cajun in Louisiana, and Steve continues to regularly check her Facebook for adorable photos of her new kittens.

Sean Doran recently changed apartments in Rochester, and seems to be having fun in between working at HydroAcoustics.

Finally, Kyle Manis, Schuyler Needham, and Dale Pederson are still tearing it up in Hamburg, now joined by Lidia Mouravieff ’11.

Sophomores at Firefighting School.

John A. Malone ’71 has been a member of the

Heritage Society since 2008 when he notified

the Webb Development Office that he and his

wife Amy had named Webb as a beneficiary of the

family trust that they created in 2001. John is

highlighted here because of his long history of

“giving back” to Webb in both time and financial

support – most recently taking leadership of

Webb’s initiative to increase membership in the

Heritage Society, i.e., those who have made

a provision for Webb in their estate plans.

Like many Webbies, John’s coming to Webb was

a story of serendipity. He had decided to study

engineering in college, was introduced to the

field of naval architecture and marine engineering

by a next-door neighbor who ran a company that

provided babbitt metal to the marine industry,

and then found Webb through a high school

guidance counselor. He also applied and was

accepted by Cooper Union and the U.S. Merchant

Marine Academy, but Webb was always his first

choice because of Webb’s preeminent reputation

in the field and the academic challenge that it

presented. His parents were of modest means,

and he knew from the get-go that without a full-

tuition scholarship he’d be facing a mountain

of college loan debt upon graduation. The

thought of making such a unique opportunity

available for future generations of deserving

students has been a life-long inspiration.

John’s appreciation for his Webb education

has grown throughout his 42-year career in

the marine field—a career that has included

achievements in ship design, shipbuilding, and

research and development. During that time,

Webbies have always been at the top of John’s

“go to” list for career guidance, mentoring, and

technical expertise in specialty disciplines. He has

never been disappointed hiring Webb interns or

graduates, most of whom have gone on to great

career accomplishments. His wife, Amy, often

says she’s never met a Webbie she didn’t like, and

over their 37 year marriage John has introduced

her to a lot of Webbies! John’s employers have

included two major U.S. shipyards and four

engineering firms, and he’s been working for the

past 13 years as an independent consultant.

As he approaches retirement, he’s been

consulting less and volunteering more, serving

on Webb’s Board and its Executive, Development

W E B B N E W S

heritage society

John and Amy Malone at Ephesus.

Hosting Webb interns, February 2010.

Leading the Call for Planned Giving:John A. Malone ’71

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W E B B N E W S

The Webb Heritage Society was formally established by the Webb Board of Trustees in 1991 to honor those who have displayed generosity and foresight by taking steps to remember Webb Institute in their estate planning. There are currently 169 members.

To learn more about the Heritage Society, please contact the Development Office at (516)759-2040.

and Nominating Committees, the Webb Alumni

Association Executive Committee, ASNE Scholarship

Committee, Chair of SNAME’s Fellows Committee,

and Vice Chair of the NSRP’s Ship Design & Material

Technologies Panel. He has held every office of the

Webb Alumni Association, serving as President from

1992–94, and Webb Alumni Fund (WAF) Chairman

from 1997 to the present. He was presented the

W. Selkirk Owen Award in 2003. Squeezed into

an always busy schedule, John and Amy manage

to spend a few weeks in Hawaii each spring, and

try to travel to “someplace different” each year,

such as their recent tour of Turkey and a Greek

island cruise. They also enjoy the performing

arts, their cat Noodle, and entertaining Webb

students on internships in the San Diego area.

Of his new role in promoting planned gifts to

Webb, John says he’s been the Alumni Fund

Chairman for so long that alums think he’ll be

“picking their pockets” until the day they die… but

now that’s no longer a limiting event! Seriously,

John and Amy are leading, by example, by arranging

to endow their annual contribution in perpetuity

through an estate gift. John looks forward to

sharing this and other planned giving ideas with

many alums over the coming years.

T O D A Y , T O M O R R O W . . . F O R E V E RPrinted on recycled paper.

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