Alumni Resources

Mr. Peter G. Perla, a 1938 civil engineering graduate of Michigan Tech, is the retired president of Perla and Stout, P.C. Upon graduation, Peter became a village engineer for Kingsford, Michigan. From 1941 to 1957, he was assistant engineer for Traverse City, Michigan, a career that was interrupted by four years of WWII service in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In 1957, he founded his own civil engineering and land . . .

During World War II, James Cooper '39 cheated death. In a bomber over the flak-fierce skies above Germany, his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire. The bomber and its crew of ten had to crash-land in a field in Holland. "The day we went down, the group lost two planes. There were no survivors of the other plane. Everyone in our crew survived." Lucky? "Yes, yes," he says, even though he ended up a prisoner of war . . .

"I am a joyfully expanding work in progress. I love helping other people seeking to do the same." For Sally Heidtke, life is an adventure and she embraces helping others through her work. As this year’s Outstanding Service Award recipient, she says, "There is nothing more rewarding to me than the success and heartfelt thanks of someone I had a role in coaching." Heidtke graduated in 1981 from Michigan Technological . . .