Fall 2014 Class Notes

Rachel Boone and Daniel Rosenberg ’09 were married atop Michigan Tech’s Mont Ripley Ski Hill in an uplifting ceremony on June 30. Photo by Brockit

1960s

• James A. Mitchell ’65 formed Mitchell Intellectual Property Law, PLLC, in Grand Rapids in June 2012 with four attorneys and plans for rapid expansion.

1970s

• Ivan Martin ’70 (ME) retired in January from Flextronics International where he was director of reliability engineering. He and his wife live in Ottawa and plan on spending most of the winter in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

• Richard Hole ’72 has recently returned from a mission to Guatemala, where he trained a team of future audio recording technicians. Says Rick, “A side trip to a mountain town for medical relief was a wonderful surprise.”

• Michael Binder ’75 is working as a contractor. “That’s a new experience for me,” he says. “Been a full-time employee for all the rest of my career.”

1980s

• Craig Gooding ’81 is the national sales manager, fleet and GIS, for Mitac Digital Corporation. He represents Magellan GPS products to Fleet Management and GIS markets throughout the US.

• Susan Ulanowicz ’82 is a senior project manager at Roche Applied Sciences, in Indianapolis, and has earned the Project Management Professional credential.

• Steven Foster ’85 has joined Ingersoll Rand in Davidson, North Carolina, as the vice president of global quality for the Trane Commercial and Thermo King brands. Steve leaves his role as vice president and chief quality officer at Meritor after nearly twenty-three years for this new opportunity. He will partially relocate to North Carolina and will maintain his strong ties to the Metro-Detroit area.

• Julie Craig ’87 is a senior environmental engineer at Earth Smart Environmental Solutions, LLC, in Saline.

• John McDaniel ’87 is chair of the IEEE Power and Energy Society Distribution Subcommittee.

1990s

• Linda D. Kennedy ’91 has accepted a position as a shareholder in the Detroit office of the Butzel Long law firm, where she specializes in intellectual property.

• Lynne (Tarbutton) Madison ’92 (Biological Sciences) received the Michigan Environmental Health Association’s 2012 Sanitarian of the Year Award and the Michigan Association of Local Environmental Health Administrators’ 2011 Founders Award. Lynne is the environmental health division director for the Western UP Health Department and was the 2010 president of the Michigan Environmental Health Association.

• David Hokanson, PE ’92 ’96 ’04 (BS EEN, MS CE, PhD Eng-Env) is a principal engineer at Trussell Technologies Inc. in Pasadena, California. He is a board-certified environmental engineer, certified by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers in two specialty areas: water supply, and wastewater and environmental sustainability. He lives in Arcadia, California, with his wife, Jill (BS GE ’96), and three daughters.

• Bonnie and Jeff Dunbar ’97 (Wood Science) announce the birth of their sixth child, Simon Matthew, born December 13, 2011. Simon joins Keltin, 9, Mackenzie, 6, William, 4, and Rachael, 2. “His big sister Gabriella is watching from heaven.”

2000s

• Aaron Hilshorst ’00 wrote, “On January 16 I started my new position as senior environmental engineer at the Climax Mine in Climax, Colorado, after spending nearly eight years working for Freeport-McMoRan Sierrita in Arizona. The Climax Mine is part of the Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold family of mines.”

• Robert Walsh ’00 is now a board member and the director of operations at Surge for Water based in Chicago. Surge is a nonprofit that delivers clean, safe water globally and invests in innovation that drives sustainable solutions.

• Mara Carlton ’01 has left E. & J. Gallo Winery in Modesto, California, to take on her new responsibilities as the regulatory compliance manager for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in Seattle.

• US Air Force captains Aria and Christian LaFord ’07 welcomed their son Tristan Beckett to their home in San Antonio, Texas.

• For the past year, Megan Gayeski ’08 has served as the national vice chair for the American Medical Association– Medical Student Section. She recently graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School and will be completing her anesthesiology residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

• Katie and Jacob Gorkowski ’08 welcomed their first child, Abigail, born December 30.

• Laura (Oman) ’08 and Paul St. Louis ’08 were married October 8, 2011. The couple resides in Davenport, Iowa.

• Bret Wazny ’08 and Michelle Foy ’10 are engaged to be married on May 11, 2013, in Houghton. The couple currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina.

• Daniel Rosenberg ’09 married former Michigan Tech student Rachel Boone on June 30 at the top of Mont Ripley Ski Hill. Dan and Rachel have been together since 2006 and both work for Cargill in Wahpeton, North Dakota.

• Anthony Santi ’09 ’11 (BSME, MBA) and Melinda Ylitalo ’11 (Biomedical Engineering) were married May 26 in Rockford, Minnesota. They will be residing in the Baltimore–Washington, DC, metro area and say, “GO HUSKIES!”

Transitions

C. Robert Baillod

Chair and professor emeritus, civil and environmental engineering
1941-2012

Charles Robert “Bob” Baillod, 71, a pioneer in the field of environmental engineering, passed away April 12. He came to the University in 1968 and led the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from 1991 to 2005. Baillod was a powerful advocate, said friend and colleague Professor Neil Hutzler. “He fought hard for the department,” Hutzler said. “He was always thinking about what would benefit the department and the University.”

Baillod’s research focused on water and wastewater engineering, with an emphasis on biological wastewater treatment. Throughout his career, he guided more than fifty students to graduate degrees. Among them was John Sandell ’86 ’92 ’95. “He was my advisor,” said Sandell, now an associate professor of chemical engineering. “Bob was a true professional with the kindest heart.”

Donna J. Michalek

Assistant provost, professor of mechanical engineering–engineering mechanics
1963–2012

Donna Michalek, 49, passed away on April 26 after a battle with cancer. She joined the faculty in 1993 and held numerous positions, including associate chair in mechanical engineering and assistant provost. In 2010, she left Michigan Tech for Mount Union University, where she was the founding member and chair of the Department of Engineering.

“Donna’s practical, straightforward approach to just about everything was so refreshing,” said President Glenn Mroz. “She said what she meant, and she meant what she said, which made her a joy to work with. She also laid the foundation for our accreditation effort, which was a huge task.”

A recipient of Michigan Tech’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the ASEE Dow Outstanding New Faculty Award, and the SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award, Michalek served as a National Science Foundation panel reviewer. She worked tirelessly with the engineering sorority as a mentor and advisor, and the women’s basketball team came to rely on her homemade cookies.

A scholarship has been established in Donna’s memory. You may also call the Michigan Tech Fund at 906-487-2310 or toll free at 877-386-3688 to give by credit card. Or you may mail a check to the Michigan Tech Fund, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Dr., Houghton, MI 49931-1295 noting that it supports the Donna Michalek Memorial Scholarship.

Retirements

The following faculty and staff retired from Michigan Tech this year. The years they first came to Michigan Tech are listed below.

In Memoriam

The Michigan Tech family extends condolences to the relatives and friends of those who have passed away.

Correction

Donald C. Larson ’60 was incorrectly included in “In Memoriam” in the Spring 2012 Michigan Tech Magazine. We apologize to Donald and his family for the error.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.