HONOR ROLL
PETER COCOLIS (ENG’64) unofficially began his career in his early teens, peeling potatoes and onions, waiting tables and reviewing financial transactions at the Park View Restaurant run by his father in Stamford, Connecticut. That’s where he learned to draw on multiple skillsets to deliver for a business and its customers, an ability that would serve him well for five decades in high-impact positions with the US Air Force, Rockwell International and Boeing. He offered employers a potent combination of engineering and management expertise backed by two highly relevant degrees—a BS in engineering management from Boston University and an MBA from Auburn University—and completing a program for senior executives in national and international security management at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Peter applied his expertise in a wide variety of roles, just as he did at the Park View. During his 20 years of service with the Air Force, Cocolis flew 120 combat missions in Vietnam, held command and staff positions, and oversaw acquisition of defense systems. He also worked at the Pentagon, where he served as military advisor to the Secretary of Defense and representative at the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) in Geneva, Switzerland, which led to major cuts in US and Soviet nuclear arsenals.
Brian Abrams ■ Kurt A. Abrams (ENG’11) Cory R. Absi (ENG’15) ■ ■ Eric Acheampong and Beatrice A. Acheampong ■ ■ Gemma Y. Acheampong ■ Ella Adams ■ Dandridge Adamski ■ Oluwatosin E. Adedokun (ENG’12) Joseph P. Aftring (ENG’15) Mufutau M. Agboola and Sandra Agboola ■ Rashidat R. Agboola (Questrom’14) ■ Josh Ain ■ Mohammed S. Al Sammarraie (ENG’13) ■ Marc J. Albanese (ENG’99, ’03) and Rosanne E. Felicello (UNI’99, LAW’02) ■ William T. Alex (ENG’89) ■ Caren Alexander ■ Deborah Alexander ■ Matthew D. Alfond (ENG’88) and Michele M. Alfond (ENG’87)
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BU COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
“My main contribution to START was a knowledge of strategic systems and how to work with the Pentagon and coordinate with other agencies,” he recalls. “Supporting those talks was a great opportunity to apply the technical, problem-solving, systems thinking, communications and other Societal Engineer skills that I learned at the College of Engineering.” After retiring from the Air Force in 1984 with the rank of lieutenant colonel, Cocolis applied his diverse skillset at Rockwell and Boeing, where he supported the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station (ISS) and other aerospace vehicle programs. At Rockwell’s Aerospace and Defense unit (acquired by Boeing in 1996), he served as manager of military programs and director of business development for the company’s North American Aircraft and Rocketdyne Divisions in Washington, DC. At Boeing, he was director of space exploration and marketing and government relations for the ISS, rocketdyne propulsion and space services business units, and director of business development for the company’s missile defense systems business. Now retired in Chatham, Massachusetts, Cocolis continues to use his engineering and management expertise, but for a different kind of customer. He serves as chair of Chatham’s Planning Board and member of its Energy Committee, and as Chatham board member and treasurer of the Cape Light Compact, an energy services organization operated throughout Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. Cocolis and his wife Lorraine (SAR’63), whom he met during his ENG years and who now serves on the SAR Dean’s Alumni Leadership Board, also support BU through
Ahmed A. A. A. M. Alfuwaires (ENG’15) ■ Mahmood I. Alhusseini (ENG’11) ■ Avner Aliphas (ENG’02) ■ ■ Mustafa A. Alkhabbaz (ENG’11) Kevin Allen ■ Patrick Allen ■ David P. Allen (CAS’85, GRS’87, ENG’90) and Sheila L. Allen (SAR’88) ■ James D. Alman (ENG’87) ■ Luciano Almeida ■ Nourin Alsharif (ENG’15) ■ Jose S. Andrade (ENG’85) and Corinne M. Andrade Susan J. Angell (ENG’86) Anonymous Class Gift ■ Ahsan Anwar (Questrom’15) ■ Margo Apple ■ Javier F. Araque and Yaneth R. Araque ■ ■ Tanzima Arif ■ Federica Armstrong ■ Cheryl L. Armstrong (ENG’70) ■
Peter Cocolis (ENG’64) speaking at the ENG 50th Anniversary Gala Banquet in the Trustees Ballroom on September 19, 2014.
generous time commitments and donations. Cocolis received the College’s 2012 Distinguished Alumni “Service to Alma Mater” award recognizing his service as a member of the BU Alumni Club of Washington, DC, president of the Cape Cod and Islands BU Alumni Network and member of the BU Alumni Council, and his collaborations with the ENG Career Development office. A longtime donor to the ENG Annual Fund and member of BU’s Claflin Society, Cocolis recently chaired the ENG Class of 1964 50th Reunion and Gift Committees. “The College of Engineering provided me with the tools I needed—from problem-solving and lifelong learning skills to exposure to an intellectually rich and geographically diverse student body—to have a successful career and impact society,” says Cocolis, who relied on financial aid to pay for tuition when he was a student. “So I’m happy to help today’s undergraduates acquire those same tools while relieving some of their financial burden.”
Mindy Aronovitz ■ Herb Aronow and Stefanie Aronow ■ George J. Arouchon (ENG’54) and Ellen M. Arouchon Graham P. Arrick (ENG’15) ■ Michael O. Ashenuga (ENG’92) and Elizabeth M. Vondrak ■ Laura Askew-Crawford (ENG’86) and Alex Crawford Miguel A. Asmal and Rosa Asmal ■ ■ Anish Asthana ■ Mr. Ben Athanasiou (ENG’67, ’69) ■ Kevin A. Atkinson ■ Brittany AubÄ ■ Aleksei M. Austin (ENG’07) ■ John Avioli and Jerry B. Avioli ■ ■ Kellen K. Axten (ENG’09) Ali M. Ayub (ENG’01, ’08) Albert Backus and Kimberly K. Backus ■ Leslie M. Baggesen (ENG’10) Daniel D. Bahls (LAW’07) ■
Katharine C. Bailey (ENG’10, ’12) ■ Roberta Bailey Roberts (ENG’87) Norman L. Bailis (ENG’65) and Joyce M. Bailis ■ James L. Bair and Nancy C. Bair ■ Dominique E. Baker Raymond F. Ball (ENG’72) Aijaz A. Baloch (ENG’87, GRS’91) Alejandro A. Bancalari (ENG’13) ■ Jared M. Bancroft (ENG’06, MET’14) ■ ■ Marla Bane ■ Jose Banuelos and Maria G. Banuelos ■ ■ Sabrina M. Barbas (ENG’15) ■ Kevin Barker ■ Jeffrey F. Barnes (ENG’64) Tammy Barnes ■ Emily Barnett ■ Max Barrasso and Anamaria Barrasso ■ ■ Beverly A. Barrett (ENG’78) and Richard M. Barrett ■ Ruya Barrett (ENG’91) and Michael J. Barrett
PHOTOGRAPH BY MELISSA OSTROW
From Vietnam Skies to Earth’s Orbit, Class of ’64 Alum Aims High