Technology Review  January/February 2009 Issue - Class of 1955 Notes

*Charles R. "Bob" Dauwalter, Course 2, came to MIT from Birmingham, Alabama. After graduation, a year with North American Aviation and a tour on active duty in the Army Ordnance Corps, he joined the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, now Draper Laboratory. There he spent the next 37 years developing electromagnetic components and associated special test equipment for gyros and accelerometers for the Lab's inertial navigation systems. Along the way he received his SM degree from MIT in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1971 as well as several patents, and authored several papers on diverse technical subjects. He has been an active participant in AIAA (the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), serving as an officer of the Design Engineering Technical Committee and as Editor in Chief of the AIAA Aerospace Design Engineer's Guide. After an early retirement in 1993, he joined a small startup group where he has been working on R&D projects related to his expertise. In 1958 he joined the MIT Masonic Lodge, serving as its Master for 5 years, Treasurer for 25 years; for two years he was District Deputy Grand Master in Massachusetts. An avid bicyclist, he commuted to work on his bike for 25 years during the daylight savings time months. For the past 21 years Bob has participated in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, a 193 mile fund-raising 1 day bike ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown, which has raised over $120 million for the Jimmy Fund. Bob married Hope Duguid (Lasell '54) in 1958, and they have two children, Robin and Eric. The Dauwalters have a vacation home near Lake Winnipesaukee, where Bob has been active over many years in the homeowners' association. He continues his interest in sailing there, and also trains on the hilly back roads on his bike.

*Joseph A. Clumpner, Course 10, entered MIT from Lewis & Clark High School in Spokane and went on to receive his SM in Chemical Engineering in 1958. After marrying Karin Lewald (Harvard 1957) in 1959 he joined the Olin Metallurgical Research Laboratory. While in New Haven he started a volunteer host program for international students, and completed a PhD in Engineering and Applied Science at Yale. In 1970 Joe and Karla and their three children Jeff, Elisa and Christa went to Lebanon where Joe taught mechanical engineering at the American University of Beirut. He remarked that it was sad to see the tragic and rapid destruction of the most stable and democratic country in the Mideast. The family, now increased by Samya, returned to Carlisle, MA in 1975, and Joe joined Cabot Corporation for two years before moving to St Louis to help start a new research laboratory for Consolidated Aluminum Corp. In 1985 they moved to Chattanooga where Karin taught chemistry at the Girl's Preparatory School and Joe became Professor of Mathematics and Applied Science at Covenant College at Lookout Mountain, GA. He was the coordinator for Covenant's dual-degree program with Georgia Tech until his retirement in December 2000. On a sabbatical during the 1991-92 academic year, Joe taught thermal energy engineering at the Jilin University of Technology in Changchun in northeast China. He returned on four occasions as leader of small groups of Covenant College students, developing an interest in Chinese language and culture. He has taught at Yanshan University in Qinhuangdao (a university in northeastern China with more than 30,000 students) since his retirement, where he is Visiting Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Karin teaches English in the Foreign Language Department. Now they divide their time between students in China and their four children, who are located in Chattanooga, Chicago, near Paris, France, and Lummi Island, Washington. Joe continues his love for playing classical piano music, but has found that his back has put at least a temporary hold on tennis playing.

*Gordon J. "Don" Burrer, Jr., Course 6, entered MIT from Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, and joined the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Don subsequently received an MSEE degree from the University of Cincinnati. He and his wife Nancy, a Wellesley College graduate, raised three children. They currently live in Wayland, MA. Don worked in the field of far infrared imaging, developing night vision instruments from 1957 to 1975 at AVCO, IBM, and Honeywell. In 1975 he was one of three founders of Inframetrics, a company which develops and manufactures infrared imaging instrumentation. The company was sold in 1984 to FLIR Systems, and Don is pleased that an organization that he helped to found has been so successful

We report with sadness the loss of another of our classmates. *Richard W. Cornwell, Course 5, passed away on June 23, 2008. Dick was born July 13, 1934 in Seattle, Washington, the only child of Ruby and Joe Cornwell. He graduated from Garfield High School in Seattle and received a BA with honors in communication from the University of Washington. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After serving in the U.S. Army, Dick's career included camera man and broadcaster for KOMO television, manager of the Seattle and Honolulu Symphony and ballet, editorial writer for the Honolulu advisor, director of the Pacific Arts Foundation traveling throughout the South Pacific and Asia with high school orchestras and Polynesian groups; and as an instructional assistant in the Seattle Public Schools. Dick was a talented pianist who loved his family, friends and the arts. He is survived by one aunt and many cousins.

We are always eager to receive information about class members. Please send items to: Cosecretaries *Rick Morgenthaler ,71 Abbott Road, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481, e-mail frm@mit.edu , and *Allan Schell, 1585 Boliver Road, Fort Valley, VA 22652, e-mail acschell@alum.mit.edu .