The editors of the eDelt, our communication to Michigan Delta Chi fraternity members, have implemented a new bi-monthly section called “Alumni Updates.” Our plan is to keep members in the loop in the forthcoming years by letting others know what is going on in their lives. Our success depends in having YOU tell us what is going on with you and others that you have communicated with. It doesn’t need to be earthshaking, just a note. It can be long or short. (If you can’t think of a topic, we might suggest the following as possible topics for updates: Where you are living, who do you work for and what do you there, who are you living with and what children do you have, what hobbies are you pursuing and what do you do for exercise.) We have decided to use pictures in the future if you would like to. Here is our 4th effort which we hope you enjoy. Direct your material to Frank Morrey ’64 at [email protected] or Keith Hellems ’62 at [email protected]
Tom French ’57 I just mailed an article published in the Vermont Bar Journal after having won the 2020 Pro Bono Service Award, which is the highest accolade that the Vermont Bar Association awards to any lawyer. I spent my legal career as a lawyer, first as an Air Force Judge Advocate from 1961 to 1965 stationed at Hunter Air Force Base in Savannah, Georgia followed by promotion from First Lieutenant to Captain and a three-year tour of duty in Wiesbaden, Germany. I then went into private practice in Brattleboro, Vermont for 50 years. My practice was mostly local and general, but as I like to say, I had at least one piece of business in each continent except Antarctica during my practice. Most of the international practice was in several European countries, but the practice also included broad regions of Russia, and a little bit in China, Australia, Egypt, and Brazil among other countries. The third prong of my practice was representing disabled veterans in their claims for monetary compensation which was the reason why I received this award. I have only one outstanding claim which I expect to win. My record on disability claims is 17 wins, 9 with 100% disability ratings, one each with 90% 80% 50%, and 40%, and 3 with 70% ratings. All told, my efforts have extracted in excess of $1,000,000.00 in lifetime monthly income tax-free benefits from the VA. I am now very nearly retired.
John Broad ’60 Jeanne and I are living in Charlevoix so that our two boys six and nine can attend school five days in school. They are both doing well and enjoy their school here more than their schools in Grosse Pointe.
Jean works for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation helping with international trade issues. I have started a non-profit called Helping Kids Go to School, Inc. to help parents of kids at Detroit schools overcome obstacles to getting their kids to school. Sixty percent of the kids in Detroit schools both public and charter are chronically absent. It is obviously worse with virtual learning.
This summer we are taking my two older daughters and the boys to safari in Tanzania, a dream of my wife. Health is good except for memory! [email protected]
Al Knaus ’65 The wife and I are staying very much isolated as protection from COVID-19. Not sure when vaccinations will be available but hoping for much sooner than later. I’ve been in lots of zoom meetings. I also walk my dogs a lot. Looking forward to the Fall of 2021 my “tailgate” group has already booked a large VRBO in Lincoln, Nebraska for the Michigan football game on October 30th. I hope COVID-19 will no longer be a major concern by then. I have just finished up the construction work for finishing my basement. It took way longer than originally planned as contractors are really busy in the Ann Arbor area. I’m now starting work on decorations, furniture, and an enhanced sound system. I’ll be having game-watch parties and movie nights with my friends in the future. [email protected]
Elliott Lum ’65: We’re healthy and haven’t had to make many sacrifices to endure the pandemic. We get our COVID vaccine on Saturday. And today, we’re celebrating Biden’s inauguration. In January 2020, we squeezed in a great trip to Cambodia and Thailand, just before the virus hit. Still golfing 2-3 times/week. I’m president of our ukulele club and host a weekly zoom session. We’re starting a major remodel of our kitchen and family room which will keep me occupied for the next few months. Life is good.
John Neil ’67 Sally and I married in ’66 and graduated in ’67. I got a teaching job in the Flint area. I was teaching math in elementary and Junior High for 27 years. I retired early at the age of 49, mainly because my hearing went from bad to worse. Sal taught a few more years before giving up her elementary job. We both loved to travel, and with the summers off, we packed up the 2 kids and hit all 50 states and some foreign countries. Last year has been rough. We split our time between Grand Blanc, MI, and Summerfield, FL near the Villages. Life is good. Can’t wait to get back with my poker buddies to add to my retirement account ?
Jay Jenkins ’75 My bride (Cindy) of 46 years this August, and I reside on the Gulf Coast outside of New Orleans in Slidell, LA. We have been here since 1993 when I was transferred to the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, New Orleans command (now defunct!). I successfully completed 21 years of Naval service as an Engineering Duty Officer, doing what I have loved since my teen years: working on ships. I have been able to be part of the ship design, new construction, and repair processes at various yards around the country. Upon my retirement as a Commander from the Navy in 1997, I walked out one door, changed suits, and walked right back into Avondale Industries as a program manager. Through a series of corporate purchases I have worked for Litton, Northrop Grumman, and finally Huntington Industries, Ingalls Facility. In my final years with Ingalls, I had the privilege of running their Gulfport, MS facility. Here we manufactured high-tech composite structures for the US Navy including the masts for the LPD17 Class ships as well as two deckhouses and hangers for the DDG1000 class destroyers. It was more fun than any job should allow!!! I retired completely in 2012 as a result of my bride’s highly successful network marketing career. Since then I have enjoyed being with our three daughters and ten grandkids, traveling around the country, doing woodworking, some golf, and fishing. We are very active in our local church and spend lots of time doing bible studies and getting together with our church family. Both Cindy and I had mild cases of the China virus, had some miserable after effects, but feel great now!! We have two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that also keep us active and happy! Oh yeah, we also survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005! We had 38” of water in our home and ended up gutting it and rebuilding the interior back to like new. It was an interesting and challenging experience that I hope to never repeat. Having been in the cone of uncertainty for seven storms this year has kept us vigilant and always prepared for the worst! Attached find a photo of our entire family taken for our Christmas letter.
Dan Maher ’76 Marilyn and I are working on our 34th year of marital bliss. Our two kids are mostly grown and out of the house, and we are patiently waiting for them to develop into the successful superstars we know they will surely become.
I retired from Deloitte Tax in 2016, after 40 years. I currently am teaching part-time at Oakland University. I teach Introductory Accounting to the freshmen newbies in the Winter term and Tax Research as well as Corporate Tax in the Fall to 4th and 5th-year students. I do my best to torture the most recent generation of business school wannabes with tales of “how the world really works”.
When I find an interesting course in the Political Science or History sections, I sign up as a student. I sit in a class with students young enough to be my grandkids, and I listen to a professor about the age of my children. Funny thing is, the other students talk among themselves like I’m not even there, it’s amazing what you pick up as a fly on the wall when you aren’t seen.
I have served on the board of Catholic Charities for the last 20+ years, that’s the agency through which we adopted our 2 kids. I also serve on our Clinton Township Ethics Board.
Otherwise, I busy myself with bi-monthly meetings of the subdivision cigar-smoking club, working out at LA Fitness, bowling at the DAC (for the last 40 years, and I’m still somewhere in the lousy to average group), boating on Lake St. Clair (just swapped my 31 foot Carver for a 350 Formula Crossover BowRider), and the occasional golf outing.
Still have my UM football season tickets, although I must admit, I’ve departed the Jim Harbaugh Fan Club, and am now waiting for the university to fire the guy (Warde Manual has proven he has none of that manly stuff required to do the job.) On the other hand, I will be lovin’ me some Juwan and the basketball program. What a performance against the Buckeyes on the national stage last Sunday!
Hoping to hear from the rest of youse guys. ITB, Dan
John Mardinly ‘82 I finished my Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering at UM in 1982 (I was the last student of L.H. Van Vlack, author of that yellow textbook ‘Elements of Materials Science’ that so many of you knew and loved.) Let me tell you, a Michigan Ph.D. and a famous thesis advisor opened doors for me wherever I went. I started my work in the Northrop Aircraft research lab in LA supporting fighter aircraft and the development of the Stealth Bomber. 1 1/2 years later, I moved to the SF Bay Area to work for Lockheed supporting ‘Star Wars’ research, Trident Nuclear Missiles, Keyhole spy satellites, the Space Shuttle, and the Hubble Space Telescope. In 1992 when the cold war ended and defense jobs were disappearing, I moved over to Intel running the electron microscope lab. I was part of the team that developed the original Pentium microprocessor. In 1999 I finally got married and became a Dad 3 years later, which also meant the end of my motorcycle riding and I had to trade my Doug Rippie Corvette for a twin-turbo Supra so I would have a place for the car seat. I retired from Intel in 2007 due to the financial crisis, worked for 1 1/2 years at Western Digital R&D center, then was recruited to Arizona State University to help run a new electron microscope lab there, teach students and assist with research. 5 years later, I retired again. My daughter is now a freshman in the Honors College at ASU. I’m now in Arizona, mostly playing classical guitar and attending concerts which are all on-line until the pandemic is over. My work now is on my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/jmardinly/videos?app=desktop
A. John Mardinly, Ph.D., P.E.
Retired Principal Materials Nanoanalysis Engineer
Craig Nastanski ’97 lives in Hong Kong with his wife Jane and two children Emma (7) and Flint (5). He is Director of Forecasting, Planning, and Pricing at Emerson, an American manufacturing company Through 16 years of living in Hong Kong, Craig has also worked at Intel, a local startup, and been a university professor. He has started to think about possibly moving back to the US next year.
Adam Koch ’02 says “I’m still living in Cincinnati with my wife Andrea and son Myles, but eyeing a possible move back towards Michigan. Happy to see UM basketball headed towards a high seed and holding my breath for football to get its sh*t together and beat OSU. Would love to get back together in Ann Arbor for a beer when we can ditch the masks.
Jordan LaFave ’11 put on Facebook: Nathan Panzlau ’11 and I got to visit one of our brothers, Christopher Cargill, and see the brewery he is involved with. They just opened up last week and they’re off to a great start. If you get a chance stop in to try the beer (I liked the brown ale) at Stone Hound Brewing in Williamsburg, MI. They’re just outside of Traverse City!
Robert Schutt ’11 My wife, Alyssa, and I recently celebrated our daughter, Jacquelyn Jade’s, first birthday. Our son, Roderick, is two and a half years old. After graduating from the University of Michigan’s School of Dentistry, we moved to Grand Rapids and bought a house. We have since sold that home and moved to a larger and newer space in Byron Center. I have been an associate dentist at Robinson Dental in Wayland, MI for nearly three years and am enjoying work very much. When I’m not playing with the kids, I enjoy getting out for a round of golf, brewing beer, and playing tennis. Hope all is well!
