M i c h i g a n T e c h n o l o g i c a l U n i v e r s i t y

S C H O O L O F Forest Resources A N D

Environmental Science

S U M M E R 2 0 0 6

Photo from Isle Royale wolf study collection.

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School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Dear alumni and friends,“We measure our success by the success of

our students.”This ethic is infused in everything we do at

Michigan Tech and the School of ForestResources and Environmental Science, butwhat does it actually mean?

My own experience was as a shy girl fromMissouri who, by chance, “found” MichiganTech six years after graduating from highschool. I came here because of the forestryprogram, but I also came to Tech because ofthe local community, the forested landscape,and the friendliness of the people. I quicklylearned that Tech truly is a jewel. It is where Ilearned to be more independent, expanded myknowledge, and gained many skills. I am alifelong learner because of my initialexperiences at Tech.

Likewise, we have over 2,900 alumni andfriends who have benefited and grownbecause of the School. Although many of youmay not be practicing foresters, ecologists,wood scientists, or wildlife biologists, I know insome respect you have had—and continue tohave—many “successes.” I hope you attributethem in part to Michigan Tech and the School.

We hope you enjoy the new look of ournewsletter. In this issue, we have capturedsome of the many successes of our alumniand what they are doing with their lives. These

are personal views of the various paths takenby graduates after leaving Michigan Tech.Their “success” is not that they ended up in acertain field, but that they followed andachieved their dreams. We also included whatsome faculty, staff, and students have donethis year—a small sampling of our successes,which all contribute to a School of distinction.

We had some major changes this year withthe retirements of Gail Weisinger from herposition as staff assistant at the Ford ForestryCenter and Rolf Peterson as a professor. (Hewill no longer teach, but will continue as aresearch professor.) Next fall we will welcometwo new wildlife faculty: John Vucetich andJackie Grant. And, as always, we will see newstudents come in (and graduate) and begin tocreate their future.

The School is a wonderful community ofscholars and creative individuals—students,staff, faculty, alumni, and friends. I wish you allthe best for the future and many successes. Iwould love to hear from you about where yourlife’s path has taken you. I also hope I seesome of you at reunion or in my travels.

Margaret (Peg) R. Gale

“We measure our success by the success of our students.”

Message fromthe Dean

1956&

1981

An alumnus recently called to ask whenreunion was scheduled and what was beingplanned (see details on page 4). He wasstarting to get his summer schedule together

and contemplating a trip to theUpper Peninsula.

I had a great conversation withhim, well, mostly. This graduate and I talkedabout the old days. The days when MartyJurgensen was his soils professor, and thedays when Peg Gale and Glenn Mroz werebrand-new faculty. I assured him that Martywas still busy cranking out inspired soilscientists and that Peg and Glenn were takingcare of the place in their respective positionsas dean of the School of Forest Resourcesand Environmental Science and president ofthe University. We talked about the day whena long list of now-retired faculty—all male—taught us to be foresters. We laughed abouthow young everyone was way back then, howlong ago that was, and how things havechanged.

It was great fun reminiscing with him. Butthen he mentioned that I was his dendro TA.

What? Me too? I’m part of the group that isnow considered used to be young? Theconversation was no longer quite as amusing.

Yes, it has been twenty-plus years since Iwas a dendro teaching assistant. I loved thatclass. I loved it so much, I took it twice. It wasbetter the second time. But that’s anotherstory. . .

What is it about twenty years that makes itthe magic number? Well, that is about the timeit takes for most people to get nostalgic. Andtwenty-five is about the time they’re ready toact on it.

For this reason, the School has centered itsreunion festivities on those celebrating theirtwenty-fifth reunion, as well as thosecelebrating their fiftieth. Although planning isfocused on those classes, reunion is not justfor them––it’s for everyone. One of the greatthings about this place is the friendships thatcross over class years. So grab your oldyearbook, call an old friend, and trek back toTech August 3–5.

Let me know if I can help!—Carrie Richards

It’s reunion time again!

Greetings fromHoughton

Peg Gale ’77

On the job:

Justin Miller, class of 2000, tends to businessConsulting forestry has intrigued Justin Miller since he was a student. After graduating in

2000, he worked for industry and for the federal government. He says both were goodexperiences but not exactly what he was looking for. Then he had the opportunity to work fora forestry consultant, and he realized this was his dream and his future.

Five years ago, the opportunity arose to manage a good-sized parcel for a privatelandowner, a job that he describes as “an overwhelming undertaking for me.” He workedthrough the challenge and attracted additional projects and clientele. Now he has his owncompany, Green Timber Consulting Foresters, Inc., located in Pelkie, Michigan. Green Timberis involved in a variety of forestry-based work across the Upper Peninsula, as well as otherparts of the state and country.

During the first three years as a consultant, Justin worked solo. Then he was able toexpand the business and add staff. He currently employs three Michigan Tech foresters: RexxJanowiak (’02), Jim Pelkola (’99, MS ’01) and Michelle (Niemela) Miller (’02). He also hiresa part-time seasonal technician, a position that he has consistently filled with a Tech student.Miller says, “Being so close to Tech, I haven’t had to travel far to find the caliber of forestersthat we need in this business. Overall, I’ve been very impressed with the knowledge that theforestry students and graduates have shown.”

The business has entailed long hours, demanding physical labor, the everyday worries ofowning a business. “Our diverse skills and services keep us up to speed with current trendsand offer security for our future. I plan to continue this work and expand my knowledge foryears to come. There will always be a need for responsible and educated forest management.As a consulting forester, I am committed to managing our forests in a healthy, sustainablefashion to the best of my abilities.”

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www.forest.mtu.edu

Alumni news: Keeping connected1963Tom Piehl was married in November2005 in Duluth, Georgia, to the formerPhyllis Alder. Tom had his son standas his best man; his two daughters andgrandson also were in the weddingparty. A “treat” for Tom was to have hiscousin Ken and Marian Maki, as wellas Dick and Mary Meier, come downfrom Wisconsin to attend. Dick servedas a deacon. Both Ken and Dick arealso ’63 alumni.

1971Fred Krueger is on the public servicestaff at Plumas National Forest inQuincy, California. He providesleadership for recreation, lands,minerals, and engineering for the forest.

1978Karin Van Dyke has been promoted tovice president of communications atPortage Health in Hancock, Michigan.She oversees the community relations,education, and human resourcesdepartments.

1996Ben Travis is serving in Iraq with hisNational Guard unit from Gladstone,Michigan. He looks forward to returningto work as a wildlife technician for theMichigan DNR.

2000Melinda (Jones) Vokoun graduatedfrom Virginia Tech in May 2005 with aPhD in Forest Economics. She will bepublished soon in the Journal of ForestEconomics. Melinda and her husband,James Vokoun (’00), relocated toRaleigh, North Carolina. Melinda willwork for North Carolina State Universityas a postdoctoral research associate inthe Department of Forestry. Melindaand James welcomed their firstborn in

continued on page 4

Green Timber Consulting Foresters (l to r)Jim Pelkola (’99, MS ’01), Rexx Janowiak

(’02) and Justin Miller (’00), look content after a long day of work.

Ford and Boss clear the way for expandedprogramming at the Ford CenterBy Stacy Cotey, Director of Outreach

Recent donations by the Ford Motor Company andBoss Snowplow will provide year-round access to theFord Center’s historic town site. Ford Motor Companyprovided an F-250 King Ranch truck for the maintenanceof Alberta. Boss Snowplow, a division of Northern StarIndustries Inc., donated a Power V Plow that attaches tothe F-250. The truck and snowplow combined will handle the more than 150 inches of snowthat the Center receives each year.

Part of the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science’s strategic plan for theFord Center is to expand school programs and public outreach. The new truck and plow willallow the School to use the Center’s resources more easily in the winter months. Betteraccessibility will enhance the Ford Center’s reputation as a sustainable forest resources andenvironmental research facility that provides hands-on quality education for our students andthe public. Thanks to Ford Motor Company and Northern Star Industries, the School will beone step closer to accomplishing this mission.

Thanks also to Dan Kapp and Ken Leisenring of Ford Motor Company; Dave Brule,Charles Hughett, and Jody Christy of Northern Star Industries; and Steven Stackhouse ofMTU Corporate Services for making these donations possible.

The School is always looking for new ways to partner with individuals or companies. If you have an idea or opportunity, please contact Stacy Cotey, Director of Outreach at 906-487-2417 or srcotey@mtu.edu

Our newest Alumni:Class of 2006

Front row (l to r) Yun Wu, Rick Doty,Dean Peg Gale, Molly Cypher,Kimberly Erickson, Rachel Tarpey.Back row: Lacey Whitehouse andEmily Grosvenor

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School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

September 2005, a girl named Isareen.Melinda has fond memories ofproblems in Jim Pickens’ courseinvolving cows and rutabagas.

Andrea (Hinsenkamp) Mankowskiand her husband, Len (’99, AppliedGeophysics), had a baby boy, Finnian

(Finn) DuneMankowski, onFebruary 12. Heweighed 9 lbs. 4 oz.The family lives inTraverse City,Michigan.

2005 Mike Okma graduated in Decemberand has been working at the GrandTraverse Regional Land Conservancysince March. He is the easementstewardship assistant, writing baselinedocuments that capture the currentstate and conservation values of overtwenty-six parcels of land totaling morethan two thousand acres.

Hurricane helpIn support of the reliefefforts for hurricaneKatrina, Bob Ross(’78, MS; EEM ’81)helped to present aweb seminar lastNovember to NewOrleans buildinginspectors and theirsupervisors. Theseminar focused on

testing wood’s rottenness andanswering the question, “repair ordemolish?”

Bob is project leader for conditionassessment and rehabilitation ofstructures at the USDA ForestProducts Laboratory in Madison,Wisconsin. He teamed up with BrianBrashaw of the University ofMinnesota-Duluth to present thesession.

According to the Wisconsin StateJournal, the online course showeddifferent ways to assess water-damaged wood, using ultrasound or“impact-induced stress wave tools” todetect decay.

Ross and Brashaw have beeninvited to New Orleans to lend theirexpertise in assessing some historicstructures, and they plan to make thetrip.

“One of the things I really enjoy iswork that helps people,” Ross said. “Atthe Forest Products Laboratory, wehave a huge body of knowledge aboutwood, and to be able to transfer thatknowledge down to New Orleans andhelp people is a great feeling. It makesme feel really, really good.”

Read more atwww.forest.mtu.edu/news.

Awards and recognitionsAchievements

Congratulations to Linda Nagel, Chung-Jui Tsai, Blair Orr, and ScottHarding! At its April meeting, the Michigan Tech Board of Control awardedtenure to Linda as well as promotion to associate professor; promotedChung-Jui and Blair to full professor; and promoted Scott to researchassociate professor.

Welcome new faculty and staffJohn Vucetich and Jackie Grant have each accepted a position as

assistant professor of wildlife ecology, and Kari Price is the new on-sitemanager/program coordinator at the Ford Center in Alberta.

Newest PCA memberDean Peg Gale has been elected to Michigan Tech’s Presidential Council

of Alumnae. PCA members are recognized for achievement in education,their profession, past service as a student, community service, support forthe University, and personal achievements. The PCA advises the Universitypresident on campus-climate issues and provides suggestions for enhancingthe environment for students, both women and men.

Recent fundingAssociate Professor Linda Nagel received $5,000 from the US

Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Seney National WildlifeRefuge, for “Assessment of Control Methods for Glossy Buckthorn.”

Professor Kurt Pregitzer received $400,000 for the first year of a potential$1-million project from the US Department of Energy for the MidwesternRegional Center of the National Institute for Climactic Change Research.

Dean Peg Gale, in partnership with Ann Mayo Kiely from the Isle RoyaleInstitute and the National Park Service, has received a three-year grant of$40,000 from the DeVlieg Foundation to inventory existing research at thepark and to develop a strategic research plan.

Associate Professor Andrew Storer received $367,568 from the USDepartment of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Area State andPrivate Forestry, for “2006 Michigan and Northern Wisconsin Emerald AshBorer Detection Survey.”

In the newsThe work of Research Assistant Professor John Vucetich was featured in

USA Today. Dan Vergano’s article on “What’s Killing the Elk inYellowstone?” includes Vucetich’s analysis, which points the finger primarilyat hunting and drought as the elk herd’s primary enemies. Read the entirearticle at www.forest.mtu.edu/news.

Professor Blair Orr

Associate Professor Linda Nagel

Professor Chung-Jui Tsai

Research AssociateProfessor ScottHarding

Alumni news: Keeping connectedcontinued from page 3

It’s no coincidence that the “best week of the summer” is also the week of Michigan Tech’s annualalumni reunion. The School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science is always excited towelcome back our graduates and friends in early August. Here’s what we have planned.

The fifth annual Chili Challenge Cook-off, scheduled for the afternoon of August 4, is a greatplace to meet old classmates and make new friends. The event is tentatively planned for the atriumof Hesterberg Hall. Watch your alumni mailings for more details or check the Web.

On Saturday, August 5, the School will hold a luncheon for all of our graduates at the DreamlandRestaurant in Bootjack. We will be honoring the classes of 1981 and 1956, who will be celebratingtheir 25th and 50th reunions, respectively. We will also have our Honor Academy induction andpresent the 2006 Outstanding Alumnus Award.

We hope you can attend. For more information on the School’s reunion activities, seewww.forest.mtu.edu/alumni/reunion. For more information on the University’s reunion activities,see www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/reunion.

Alumni Reunion 2006!Make your plans to trek to Tech –

Bob Ross ’78 and ’81

Finnian DuneMankowski

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www.forest.mtu.edu

A moose peaks through the brush onIsle Royale.

An Isle Royale wolf pack on the run.

As a pastime, Rolf enjoys watercolorpainting.

Rolf visits with friends Bill Fink andKurt Pregitzer at his retirement party.

Dean Peg Gale presents Rolf andCandy Peterson with a farewell gift.

Faculty focus: Professor Rolf Peterson retires

Rolf Peterson has had a storied career at Michigan Techteaching as well as directing the world’s longest wildlife study.Rolf is retiring––the professorship may be over, but theresearch continues.

Although Rolf will no longer be teaching, he will remain as aresearch professor and continue to help conduct wolf-moosestudies on Isle Royale. The work has been a good fit for himbecause fieldwork has always been one of his priorities—andit is what he has been doing for the past thirty years.

A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Rolf enjoyed seasonalescapes from the urban setting in his youth through variouscamps of the YMCA, which offered such adventures as canoetrips into the wilds of Canada. Rolf learned later that DurwoodAllen, who would become his advisor and mentor, hadenjoyed similar interests in his youth. Allen looked favorablyon this common background when considering Rolf’sadmission to graduate school at Purdue University.

Rolf earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology from theUniversity of Minnesota-Duluth and went to Purdue to earn his

PhD in Wildlife Ecology in 1974. He spent one year at Purdue as a research associatebefore starting his career as an assistant professor in the biological sciences department atMichigan Tech. In 1983 he was promoted to associate professor, and in 1987, he transferredto the School of Forestry and Wood Products, as the unit was known then, when theUniversity shifted wildlife-related studies from biology to forestry. The change wasaccompanied by Rolf’s promotion to professor of wildlife ecology.

Rolf is best known for the wolf-moose study on Isle Royale, now in its forty-eighth year.When Rolf joined the study in 1971, he realized that he wanted to—needed to—be in thefield. Entrusting all the fieldwork to graduate students, for instance, resulted in uneven data.Rolf found that the moose population dropped every time a new student took over, and thenincreased as the student became more accustomed to counting moose from the air. Hispresence improved the consistency of the data. Thirty-five years later, he’s still in the field,spending every summer on the island. He has always been accompanied by his wife, CandyPeterson, and the two of them rough it in a small cabin without running water or electricity.

But Rolf had to start somewhere too. Don Murray, the pilot who flew the study plane from1959 to 1979, took a liking to Rolf back in the year of his first winter study. He liked that Rolfwas honest about his lack of experience and his interest in learning to read tracks the wayDon could. In 1979, Don Glaser took over as pilot and continues to fly the study plane eachJanuary and February for a seven-week period.

Many articles can be found on the Internet about Rolf’s research projects, but not much isfound about Rolf himself. His commitment to his work is complemented by his manner ofdealing with people. One friend says, “He is humble and gets along with everybody, andthese are valuable traits to have when you really care about your work.”

Rolf’s retirement was celebrated at the School in March. Friends, family, and colleaguesgathered to reminisce and wish Rolf and Candy well in the next phase of his career. You canlearn more about Rolf’s work at www.isleroyalewolf.org.

Professor Rolf Peterson willretire from teaching, butcontinue his work as aresearch professor.

Photo from Isle Royale wolf study collection.

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School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Marcy Erickson, who is majoring in appliedecology and environmental sciences, recentlyreceived a Morris K. Udall undergraduatescholarship. Erickson is the third MichiganTech student in as many years to be named aUdall Scholar. The scholarship will helpsupport Erickson during her senior year at theUniversity.

Every year, the Morris K. Udall Foundationawards $5,000 merit scholarships tosophomores and juniors. The students musthave demonstrated a commitment to careersrelated to the environment or to tribal policiesand health care. This year, the foundationawarded 80 scholarships to students fromamong 445 nominees nationwide.

Morris Udall represented his Arizona districtin Congress from 1961-91, serving as chair ofthe House Committee on Interior and InsularAffairs from 1971 until his retirement. Chiefamong his accomplishments was the AlaskaLands Act of 1980, which doubled the size ofthe national park system and tripled the sizeof the national wilderness system.

For three years, Marcy has been working onthe wolf-moose study on Isle Royale NationalPark with John and Leah Vucetich, bothfaculty members in the School. Her workincludes a two-year study of the dietary habitsof wintering moose. Erickson expects to earna secondary teaching certificate and aspires toeducate students about the natural world.

Professor David Karnosky and his team ofurban forestry students recently attended theMidwest Urban Tree Care Forum in thegreater Chicago area.

“It was a very worthwhile trip,” Karnoskysays, “and it was a great chance for ourstudents to meet prospective employers in thebooming field of arboriculture.”

The spring 2006 forum attracted more thanseventy students and faculty from sixuniversities, and it featured stops at theChicago Botanical Garden, the Ravinia Music

Festival Center, Crane’s Landing Golf Course,Mundelein Seminary, and several locations inthe northern suburbs to examine various tree-care issues, as well as restoration of forestsimpacted by invasive species.

The final afternoon featured hands-on treeplanting, pruning, and climbing at theLincolnshire Marriott Resort. “Getting theopportunity to learn the latest tree climbingrope techniques and then to try themourselves was awesome,” said Techsophomore John Bauer.

Ken Holmes, ’54, doesn’t regret choosing acareer as a forester. “Fourteen hour work dayswere a pleasure being in the forest and a partof the lumber industry,” he said. But, after anactive and rewarding twenty-four-year careerwith the State of Idaho’s Forestry Department,as well as other positions in the forestresources industry, Ken decided it was time tobroaden his personal horizons.

So, in 1978, Ken “retired,” and he and acompanion sailed around the world. The duoplied the world’s oceans in a thirty-seven-footcutter of wood construction. The odyssey tookmore than six years and covered 52,315nautical miles.

After that venture, Ken was a landlubber fora year, during which he traveled around thecountry. Then, in 1986, the seas beckonedagain, and he and companion, GretaElmgren, embarked on his secondcircumnavigation of the globe. That adventuretook more than eight years and covered30,000 nautical miles.

Ken learned to sail in Alaska on aneighteen-foot sailboat. “It was not muchpreparation,” Ken says of his endeavors. Heand his partner learned as they went, had nosending radio, and used only a sextant toguide their travels. Only once was thereserious trouble. The boat suffered a

“knockdown”—it tipped ninety degrees, themast touched the water, and the sea smashedthe house. After covering the hole and bailing,Ken decided, based on conditions, to sail backeight hundred miles to the Azores, half thedistance to Ireland, instead of continuing on. Itproved to be a good decision.

Ken’s interests in sailing were not in seeinggreat landmarks or tourist attractions, butrather in seeing and learning about otherpeople and their cultures—to understand howothers lived. Ken managed these sojourns by“living cheaply,” but he remembers them asliving richly—being with new people, sailing athousand miles offshore, reaching remotelocations—as well as taking in the water, thesky, and the stars. “Those are the things,” hesays, “that made it all worthwhile.”

Ken and Greta are now retired from sailing,but they will remember the experience forever.“With 16 years of sailing offshore, I completedthe building of my self-worth,” Ken said. Hehas written poetry (his first while at MichiganTech), an autobiography, and some children’sstories, and has carved a few wooden headswhile occasionally going to art classes.

Reflecting on both his forestry career andnautical adventures at the age of 76, Ken sayshe “has little need to feel disappointed with thewhole of life.”

Marcy Erickson, a junior inapplied ecology andenvironmental sciences, is a 2006Udall Scholarship winner.

Students learned about thebooming field of arboriculture inChicago.

Ken Holmes sailed Odd Timesaround the world twice!

Ken Holmes (’54)and Greta Elmgren

In the classroom: Udall scholarship

In the field: urban tree care

Alumnus sets sail

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www.forest.mtu.edu

Awards were presented by Emily Grosvenor (left,representing Xi Sigma Pi) and Dean Peg Gale (farright) to (l to r) Rita Koch, Graduate StudentTeaching Award; Andrew Storer, DistinguishedTeaching Award; and Mike Hyslop, DistinguishedStaff Award.

Pictured (l to r) are Janet Bandeff (SchoolScholar), Emily Grosvenor (OutstandingSenior–Applied Ecology and Service Award), DeanPeg Gale, Molly Cypher (Service Award) and AdamGahagan (Outstanding Senior-Forestry)

Michigan Tech President Glenn Mroz (left), formerDepartment Head Gene Hesterberg (center), andProfessor Marty Jurgensen enjoy the annualbanquet.

Spring banquetThe School’s annual banquet was

held in early April, and it honored ourseniors, alumni, and friends. SeniorMolly Cypher, who is the chair of thestudent chapter of the Society ofAmerican Foresters/Forestry Club,emceed the event.

Two Outstanding Senior Awardswere presented, representing forestryas well as applied ecology andenvironmental sciences. Dean PegGale commented, “I look forward to theday when we have a studentgraduating from our wildlife ecologyand management program, and we canhonor three seniors.” This year’sawards went to Adam Gahagan(forestry) and Emily Grosvenor(applied ecology and environmentalsciences).

Adam Gahagan, from Frankenmuth,Michigan, graduated with a 3.78 GPA.In addition to academics, Adam workedon the FACE project and for the USForest Service lab in Houghton for thelast three years. He also was animportant part of developing the NaraNature Park, a project spearheaded byTech’s Forest Environmental ResearchManagement team. Outside of classand work, Adam is an avid broomballplayer. He will remain at Tech topursue a master’s degree and willstudy the effects of tree species oncarbon sequestration in forestecosystems.

Emily Grosvenor, from CrystalFalls, Michigan, was originally abiology major, but switched to appliedecology and environmental sciences inher freshman year. Emily’s name oftenappeared on the dean’s list. She is an

active member of Xi Sigma Pi, servingas the fiscal agent this year. Emilyvolunteers at St. Al’s parish and wasthe coordinator of the senior giftproject. Dean Gale said, “Emily’senergy and enthusiasm can be felt inall she does.”

Xi Sigma Pi, the School’s honorfraternity, made presentations toAssociate Professor Andrew Storer(2005–06 Distinguished TeachingAward); Instructor Michael Hyslop(Distinguished Staff Award); andGraduate Student Rita Koch(Graduate Student Teaching Award).Janet Bandeff, forester for Xi SigmaPi, made the presentations.

Several student awards werepresented for outstanding work duringthe academic year. Assistant ProfessorChris Webster presented twoCapstone Awards. Best ForestManagement Plan was presented tothe team of John Codere, AdamGahagan, Patrick Marolla, ErikSjoquist, and Matt Tormohlen. Theteam of Janet Bandeff, Susan Brown,Emily Doty, Kim Erickson, and MariePrescott was presented with the BestIntegrated Resource Assessment.Their report will be submitted in theregional Capstone competition.

Visiting Assistant Professor RodChimner presented WetlandAssessment awards to Janet Bandeff,Emily Grosvenor, and Stacie Holmesfor their work on the Sandpiper DriveWetland and to Patrick Marolla, BrianHunter, and Nathan Eiting for theirassessment of the Atlantic MineSwamp.

Gail Weisinger retired after working at Michigan Tech’s Ford Forestry Center in Alberta since March of 1992. While managing theadministrative office, Gail helped coordinate several important events at the facility, including the Historic Ford Sawmill dedication

and the harvesting of the State of Michigan Christmas Tree in 1998.“I’ve really enjoyed working with many people,” she said. The list of agencies

with which she has worked include the USDA, the Michigan DNR, and theMCCC—not to mention MTU personnel. “Everyone at Michigan Tech has beenso helpful and nice to work with. And I have met so many great people from allover. I have enjoyed working with them too and getting to be friends. I will missthem all.”

As for retirement, Gail says, “Well, I don’t plan to sleep in!” She has manyunfinished projects on hold and she and her husband, Russ, plan to do sometraveling and spend more time at their camp on Huron Bay—as well as moretime with their twelve grandchildren. She also looks forward to gardening,reading, and quilting. “There is just so much to do. I look forward to it all.”

Gail Weisinger is surround by her colleagues. (l to r)Jim Schmierer, Gail, Dave Stimac, and Sean Richard.

Weisinger retires

In this issue:

2 Message from the Dean

3 Justin Miller, class of2000, tends to business

4 Alumni Reunion 2006!

5 Professor Rolf Petersonretires

6 Alumnus sets sail

7 Spring Banquet

Calendar ofEvents–2006

MTU Alumni ReunionAugust 3-5

SFRES Reunion Events• Dean’s Chili Challenge

Cook-off—August 4• All-class lunch

(honoring the classes of 1956 and 1981), Dreamland Restaurant,Bootjack—August 5

Fall classes resumeSeptember 5

SAF National Convention,Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaOctober 25-29

Michigan Technological University1400 Townsend DriveHoughton, MI 49931-1295

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