Letters, posts and emails

Ann Harris wrote to tell us that her father, James Reilly ’39, celebrated his 102nd birthday April 26, 2019. Her letter made us smile. We reprint it with her permission:

My dad, James Reilly, grew up in Cleveland and came to Case on the basis of taking tests in a wide variety of coursework over a two-day testing period. Having “won” the scholarship for his grades on these tests, he came to school tuition free — yep, even back in 1935 you were awarding deserving students scholarships to attend Case.

After receiving his degree in chemical engineering he became an engineer for Esso Production Research in New Jersey, served as a communications officer in the Navy on a submarine during WWII, came back to the states after the war, married our mom and attended Rutgers Law School to become a patent attorney for EPR. He applied his knowledge of chemical engineering to work with their inventors over the course of his legal career, securing patents internationally for Esso's developments and ideas.

He rose to become general counsel for EPR and after retirement — Hah! — he joined a private law firm to help the “young” patent attorneys there.

I know he's my dad, father of four, grandfather of 10 and great grandfather of 9, but he's a pretty remarkable guy. He lives in his own apartment in an assisted living facility in Lakeway, Texas, where he greets each day with optimism and a smile.

Is he the last living graduate of the class of 1939? I hope not. I like to think he may still have some classmates out there enriching the world.

Ann Harris annreillyharris3@gmail.com

On surveying camp, beanies and St. Luke’s girls

In the spring Case Alumnus, letter writer Clarence May Jr. ’48 asked, “Was there still surveying camp when you entered Case?” The last class to do the summer camp outing was Case Tech 1958. I know because I was in the class of 1959!

I don't remember why the class was abandoned — maybe the powers that be thought transistors were more important than surveying! However, the class of ’59 did have beanies — some of them ended up with our cheerleaders, who were from St. Luke’s. I had a girlfriend at St. Luke’s — she wasn't a cheerleader, but having a Case beanie was some sort of a status symbol so I gave her my beanie. I don't think I ever got it back.

I broke up with her and she went on to be a college professor of nursing — I always thought she was smart, a common trait amongst those pretty student nurses. In those days all of our cheerleaders and majorettes were from St. Luke's. I had a great career with IBM and was also an adjunct professor of computer design so maybe I equaled my old girlfriend, but I doubt it.

Nice to reminisce about Case Tech and also St. Luke's girls!

Doug Guild ’59 dggolf37@aol.com

Our new photo feature, “Case Memories,” drew a response from a reader who helped to solve a mystery and another who shared a vivid memory.

I recognized the individual on page 22, “Rapid Station 1959.” He is Candido Font, from our CIT Class of 1959.

I very much enjoyed the entire magazine, especially “Case Memories” and of course the section on the legacy of Leonard Case, Jr.

Best Regards,

Joe Konecsni ’59, MS ’64 konecsni@cox.net

Your rather old picture of the Warner & Swasey observatory in the spring Case Alumnus brought back great memories. From the time I first came to Case in 1944 until graduating with a physics major in 1947, I roomed at the modernized observatory.

My job was to do all the little chores that aspiring students did: mowing the grass, answering the phone at odd hours, and operating the slide projector on public nights when highly respected Professor Jason Nassau would lecture to a community audience. It was a fascinating time.

After leaving Case to study for a PhD in physics, I had an interesting career of 34 years doing new product R&D for Honeywell. After retirement in 1989, I had an equally interesting career as an adjunct professor in the Earth Sciences Department at the University of Minnesota. I reported the first accurate age for the last reversal of Earth’s magnetic field and a few other things on the topic of paleoclimate change. And I recently published an explanation for mankind’s evolution over the last three million years of ice ages in a cyclic refuge in northern Africa.

Attending Case was a major step to a lifetime of professional problem solving, and I could not have attended a better college-level school.

Tomlinson Hall, Room 109 10900 Euclid Avenue Cleveland OH 44106

Robert G. “Bob” Johnson ’47 Minnetonka, MN

Our story on the founding of the Case School of Applied Science and the Case legacy, by former dean Tom Kicher, attracted many letters and emails. Here’s a sample:

I much enjoyed “The Case Legacy” article that appeared in the Spring 2019 Case Alumnus, especially when I saw that it was written by Dean Kicher, one of my professors and mentors while I was attending the EPOM program during 1995-99. Interesting, and informative of Case's early history. I have come to appreciate the good will of the Case family and their lasting contribution to the generations of us that followed them. It serves as a reminder that we have benefited from the selflessness of those that have come before us.

Kudos to Dean Kicher! Please pass on my well wishes to him, Jack Daly and Melissa Barns, who were always so helpful and kind in supporting us during the EPOM program.

Tezeon Wong, MS ’99 tezeon@yahoo.com

I really enjoyed your article on Leonard Case. It made me realize how little I had known about the man. When I entered Case in the fall of 1961, I was shocked to see how radically the engineering curriculum had been changed. No more surveying for civils? Machine shop for MEs? I am grateful for the sound education I got at Case, but in hindsight a little more hands-on work would have been good.

Maybe the success of think[box] heralds a rebirth of some of the ideals of Leonard Case.

Best wishes,

Warren Gibson ’65 Belmont, CA

The article in the Case Alumnus magazine, The Case Legacy, was terrific. For a Cleveland native and a Case graduate, it made for great reading and a trip down memory lane.

I would like to suggest a slight revision should you reprint all or portions of this article. Moses Cleaveland has an “a” in his last name.

Bill Schimming ’64 waschimming@bellsouth.net

I seldom write to editors regarding articles I read, but The Case Legacy article by Tom Kicher in the Spring Case Alumnus brought back many memories. All Case alumni can be proud and appreciative of the Case family — Leonard Sr., for all his efforts and forethought during his career, and his two sons, for their courage and dedication to use the financial gifts they inherited for very worthy causes that will continue to benefit many for a long time.

The courses at Case Institute of Technology, as I know it, were very difficult. I learned new lows and reached for new levels of education I wasn't sure I could attain. But in 1965, I accomplished the feat, graduating. It was the same year Tom Kicher received his PhD. Years later we became good friends.

The article brought back memories of my life after Case, and what the Case education provided me and my family. I am proud to be a Case graduate. Thanks to Tom and you for publishing the article to remind me and others what Leonard Case Jr.’s vision has provided us.

Norm Traffis ’65 ntraffis@aol.com

The article on Leonard Case Jr. in the recent Case Alumnus magazine was excellent! Although I received my Ph.D. (geology) from CWRU, I was not aware of the university’s history. As a graduate student in geology at the University of Mississippi the late ’60s, I happened to be reading a book that talked about the experiments Michelson and Morley had done at Case Institute of Technology.

At the time I was applying for graduate school to pursue my PhD in geology. I discovered that the CWRU Geology Department was filled with top-notch, well-respected scientists: Frank Stehli (paleoecology), Sam Savin (isotope geochemistry), John Hower (clay mineralogy), Phil Banks (radiometric dating), to name a few! I applied, was accepted, and completed my PhD. there! It was an incredible experience to study with that faculty and interact with the other graduate students!

Leonard Case Jr.’s gift to the people of Cleveland was a gift not just to the city of Cleveland but to students, like me, from all over who were lucky enough to experience the intellectually stimulating environment that makes CWRU what it still is!

Thanks for the article!

Stephen G. Franks, PhD ’ 74 franks_steve@hotmail.com