What is your NMU connection?
BS in Industrial Education 1966, MA Vocational/Industrial Education1969, Teaching Fellowship in Industrial Education
1968-1969.
Your favorite NMU memory or story
I have many very great stories, so it’s always hard to pick the one that stands out from all others, but here’s the one that is simple, down to earth, and expresses how I felt during the school recess in 1963. I was working my way through college and at that time I was a janitor at Northern cleaning the restrooms in the McClintock Building. All of a sudden, the PA systems went on very loud. It took me by surprise, as it was so quiet where I was working! Then the announcement came through that the president of the United States had been shot. It was like everything just stopped. I unloaded my retrieved garbage and the announcement on the PA’s continued to broadcast more details. The next day, all campus activities stopped and the school shut down. It became a sad moment that I will always remember. People then cared about each other and the government was civil. This story is told because the university was about the people who taught the classes, the students were rewarded with help from the administration, faculty, staff, and fellow students. I could not have made it through Northern without the help I got through jobs that kept me in food, residence through a network of school room advertisements of room rentals, jobs associated with the school, and most importantly, student assistants to the professors.
Who is the most influential person you met during your time at NMU and why were they so influential?
There were many more than just one! First of all, if it weren’t for Harley Rojula director of student services directing me into Industrial Education I would never have survived the digital world I was coming from. He asked me what I was looking for in my studies. I was burnt out being a computer operator programmer and wanted something that would blend my mind with my hands. He said “You need to try out the Industrial Arts Program we offer. I signed up then and started in the fall of 1962. The second person who greatly influenced me was Bart Neiger. He saw more in me than I saw in myself. He led me into electronics and made me his student assistant. By 1964 he had me co-teaching some of his higher-level electronics classes. During the Fall of 1964, he ordered out 35 Radio Shack VOM meters that were kits and had me solder and assemble them for his classes. He gave me the confidence that I needed to succeed as an individual and future teacher.
Tell us about the significance of any teams, clubs, or organizations you were part of during your time at NMU
I loved being a member of the Industrial Arts Club, but had no time between working and classes to do much else.
What is/was your favorite thing to do in Marquette?
I have always liked watching the oar boats coming and going, I really like the cross-country ski trails around Marquette, I like to visit with my in-laws.
Talk about any significant/memorable sporting events, weather occurrences or other on-campus activities
There was this very icy storm that went through Marquette in 1965 that knocked out all power in the city on St Patty's
Day. I had some serious test the next day, and needed to review my information for the test. I ended up at the Shamrock Bar with my fellow student Jim Armstrong, and we fired questions and answers at each other with only the candles the bar offered.
What is your current or former profession?
Professor of Engineering at Spokane Community College/ Gonzaga University
How did NMU help you get to where you are today?
They gave me the ability to see my real potential in Education