Alumni News

Lyman Hurd reports:

Atlanta, GA. "After MIT I was in Princeton getting my PhD (in math) and then College Park, MD as post-doc and then in 1991 moved down to Atlanta to join a small company called Iterated Systems, inc. founded by two GA Tech Math profs.  That company changed its name to MediaBin, Inc., was subsequently bought by Interwoven, inc., and as of a couple of weeks ago. Interwoven was bought by Autonomy, Inc. which as a result is now the second largest software company in Europe.

In NJ I met my wife Susan and we now have four kids including Daniel whom I adopted (I think I actually brought him to ESG years and years ago).

I had hoped to make the reunion but as this was the season of flying around the country with my daughter making college plans for next year it was not a possibility. As it turns out a few weeks ago my current company Interwoven, inc., was bought by Autonomy, Inc. making the combined company the second largest software company in Europe. As a consequence of the merger I am now in the 'other' Cambridge.

As I think about colleges I have been doing a lot of reflecting about ESG since it was inextricably linked to my entire college experience all four years. The mentorship of Paul Selick helped me form my career path, and I still bring up words of wisdom from Bob Halfman. I have been bumping into Barry Cipra rom time to time as we are both invitees to the biannual Gathering for Gardner conferences. I am also on Facebook and would welcome contact from anyody there. And, of course, you are the subject of many happy memories. In fact, if you reacall, that first summer I got to fill in for you answering mail from freshmen. It is a good thing that I used a typewriter and so no copies were ever made of my responses!

I remember the days in which CICDO (Committee in Charge of Doing the Obvious) consisted of Jonathan Weitzman, you and me. We would vote 2-1 that you should bring cookies to the next meeting, then we would vote 2-1 to censure you because you did not bring cookies to the current meeting and then we voted more funds to buy math and physics books for the library and adjourn.

I recall the Godel Escher Bach seminar and Leslie Burkholder's evaluation at the end of the first term: 'Lyman can spot a fallacious argument a mile away which does not always endear him to people.' I remember Rayomond Kotwal's cooking which cleared sinuses six floors away.

I recall collaborating with Jack Lee on a synthetic geometry course in which we learned a lot but I am afraid we thoroughly baffled the students. I recall measuring the windows as part of our environmental studies seminar.

I recall that you were not always scrupulous about locking your office window and so if we needed anything it was simply a matter of climbing out onto the ledge six stories above the ground (this was not something I have shared with my college-aged kids).

Hope all is well and wish ESG a successful 'next' 40 years."

Mariana Larios sends:

"Greetings everyone! I'll miss being in the USA for the reunion but look forward to seeing the photos of the main events. Wishing you all the best, and a special thanks to Holly Sweet...

... I am living in London and am working towards a doctorate, still at the Masters level until I decide whether to finish along the lines of existential or integrative psychotherapy or to go the 'medical model route' and become a chartered counseling psychologist.

That is what prevents me from attending the reunion and ESG anniversary celebration! I have such fondness of my time at ESG - especially with regards to HollySweet and Vernon Ingram... it was such a formative experience for me and I'm very grateful for my time there.

Hope you have a most lovely weekend."

Rick Ottolini sends:

"Congratulations on making 40. I had wanted to attend, but it didn't work out this year. I look forward to pictures on the web site. May ESG have many more years to come."

[Webmaster adds: pictures and updates on the 40th will be posted.] 

Ed Murphy sends: 

"Sorry I cannot attend – my son Nick is playing bass that weekend in the Monterey Jazz next-generation Festival – not to be missed! Ed, MIT class of 1974, ESG 1970-71

David Gissen sends:

"Holly, thank you for the invite. We are not planning to go east this spring, but please give folks our greetings and an invite to look us up if they visit Tahoe. Maud Naroll/David Gissen"

Doug Goncz reports: 

"Guided by new research by Dr. Goodwin and others, and with newly devloped medications, I have improved hopes of returning to MIT as "The Oldest Freshman" (grin) and going on to complete Course 2-A. ("Mars, Ho!") Big hellos to Gloria Stendardi, Ben Wise, and Karen Putzer. Ask me what my necklace means; it is the only jewelry I ever wear."

J. Peter Hobbs ('74-'76) sends his regrets and wishes that the anniversary is a great success.

Mariana Larios ('94) says: 

"Greetings everyone! I'll miss being in the USA for the reunion but look forward to seeing the photos of the main events. Wishing you all the best, and a special thanks to Holly Sweet."

Chris Hoadley (1991) reports:

"lots of great things these days. I'm on a Fulbright to India and Nepal, studying technology for sustainability education in rural villages in the Himalayas. More info at:http://www.dolcelab.org/mountain

And my other big news is that I've moved from Penn State to NYU, I start teaching there in the fall (in Education).

Please give a hearty hello to the denizens of building 24 who might actually remember me (you and Peter might be the last ones with overlap.) Is Dave Custer still around or has he gone off?

Coincidentally, this week I'm helping organize a workshop co-sponsored by the Fulbright folks here on environmental education, and various alternative education people are coming. Not sure if it's ever happened since, but ESG and my visit to the Framingham Academy were two of my first brushes with alternative education."

Alan Millner sends his regrets for the 40th anniversary celebration in April—he's getting married that weekend to Dr Nancy Slater.

Tevian Dray, at Oregon State University, was awarded a grant from The Foundational Questions Institute for "Using Octonionic Cayley Spinors to Describe Fundamental Particles" (communicated by Jim Given).

Mark F. DeWitt, SB/MCP ‘83 has just had his book published by University Press of Mississippi:Cajun and Zydeco Dance Music in Northern California: Modern Pleasures in a Postmodern World. After MIT, Mark went on to receive a M.M in music theory from New England Conservatory and a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from U.C. Berkeley. He is now an independent scholar residing in Oakland, California. The book examines the use of rural cultural expressions from southern Louisiana as they are repurposed in the cosmopolitan San Francisco Bay Area by interconnecting social networks of Creole immigrants, folk revivalists, and others. For more info, see www.markdewitt.net.