Case Alumnus Spring 2022

Case Alumnus The Magazine of the Case Alumni Association since 1921 Spring 2022 FOREVER CASE Remembering alumnus Tom Kicher, dean, educator, catalyst

SAVETHEDATE HIGH TIME FOR A VISIT! We’re excited to welcome alumni back to campus this fall for a weekend of showcases, tours, lectures and nostalgia. Find updates and details at casealumni.org/homecoming.HOMECOMING2022OCTOBER6-9 Want to get the old gang back together? We can help. When it comes to staging reunions, we’re the experts. Contact Kelly Hendricks, Director of Alumni Relations — 216-368-0635; Kelly.Hendricks@casealum.org — and get started on making Homecoming 2022 one to remember. REUNIONS ARE BACK

This wistfulness is tinged with sorrow this year, marked as it is by the passing of one of the pillars of the Case School of Engineering and a dear friend to many of us here, Dr. Thomas Kicher. Tom was deeply kind, honorable, curious, and funny, a remarkable engineer, and a leader of exceptional dedication. You will read about Tom’s life and his extraordinary contributions to this institution later in the magazine. He changed this school and many of us in it for the better, and I am very grateful to have known him. Though we are saddened by his loss, I suspect Tom would be the first to celebrate all that is joyful in this season. This May, we honor the Class of 2022 – a class that met a monumentally challenging moment with resiliency and determination, and who, in their time at CWRU, have reached incredible heights. I am in awe of these newest Case grads, and offer them sincerest congratulations on all they have accomplished and my very best wishes for everything that lies ahead.

Best Venkataramananregards, “Ragu” Balakrishnan Charles H. Phipps Dean, Case School of Engineering

A spring made finer by our remarkable graduates

My thanks go to all who continue to support the faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the Case School of Engineering and Case Western Reserve University. May joy find each of you this spring.

Spring 2022 1

The academic year follows a rhythm counter to that of the natural world. Just as the earth begins to reawaken each spring, the school begins to slow down and we prepare to say goodbye. Thus, spring is always somewhat bittersweet in my mind – joy at new begin nings tempered with a bit of wistfulness as another academic year goes by.

Dean’s Message

“ This May we honor the Class of 2022 – a class that met a monumentally challenging moment with resiliency and determination…”

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OFFICERS Joe Fakult ’90, President Brian Casselberry ’95, 1st Vice President Matt Crowley ’08, 2nd Vice President Curtis Grant ‘11, MEM ’12, 3rd Vice President Frank Merat ’72, MS ’75, PhD ’78, Treasurer Hillary Emer ‘07, MSE ’07, Assistant Treasurer Steve Simmons ‘79, MS ‘82, MBA ’86, Secretary

One day about two years ago, I called Tom Kicher’s mobile phone and reached him in his car. I wanted to talk with him about a story he was writing for Case Alumnus. He said he was on his way to work and would call me Work?back.Idid some quick mental arithmetic. I guessed he was in his early 80s. I knew he had retired from the faculty years ago (in 2005).

Robert L. Smith

The Case Alumnus is published quarterly for members and friends of the Case Alumni Association, which serves the interests of more than 20,000 alumni of the Case School of Applied Science, Case Institute of Technology and the Case School of Engineering.

Tom’s cover story on Leonard Case Jr., “The Case Legacy,” was easily our most popular story of 2019. (I asked for 3,000 words — he gave me 13,000). I’m more impressed with his later profile of Harry Fielding Reid, an early Case professor who led students on an expedition to the Alaskan frontier in 1890. The story is a marvel, if only for its description of how the team measured the movement of glaciers — colossal, uncharted glaciers — using standard surveying techniques they learned on campus.

Tom’s appetite for context and history was boundless. He was the master of the trenchant observation and the clever joke. I did not know him as a professor, but so many alumni have written to share memories, I feel I’m starting to. No one gets a resource like Tom Kicher. Case did, for better than 65 years.Wecannot call him anymore. And I think that’s what’s called the end of an era.

“I thought you were retired?” I said. “Retired, hah!” he replied. “I should try that some time.”

Tom’s breadth of knowledge of Case and its people was astonishing. At the time of his death on Feb. 19 at age 84, he was helping the Kelvin Smith Library create a digital history of the school. He was also working for me, as a prolific writer and researcher whom I often tried to slow down.

CASE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, INC. Tomlinson Hall, Room 109 10900 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH casealum@casealum.org216-231-456744106-1712casealumni.org

Robert.Smith@casealum.orgEditor

Established in 1885 by the first five graduates of the Case School of Applied Science, the Case Alumni Association is the oldest independent alumni association of engineering and applied science graduates in the nation. The Case Alumnus is a publication of the Case Alumni Association, Inc., a 501(c)3 public charity under the IRS code.

STAFF Stephen Zinram, Executive Director Thomas Conlon, Chief Financial Officer Emily Speer, Director of Gift Planning and Grants Compliance Robert L. Smith, Director of Communications Kelly Hendricks, Director of Alumni Relations Ryan Strine, Director of Annual Giving Janna Greer, Manager of Donor Relations and Grants Abbie Murphy, Manager of Digital Content and Design Pamela Burtonshaw, Database Manager Melissa Slager, Manager, Executive Office CASE ALUMNUS Robert L. Smith, Editor Steve Toth, Toth Creative Group, Layout and Design Master Printing PHOTO CREDITS Wetzler’s Photography Roadell Hickman Flaticon.com,PhotographyIcons

Tom had the joy of working alongside his son, Paul ’91, right up until recent times at their Mentor.consultingengineeringfirminHeworked a lot of places, because he helped a lot of people. Steve Zinram, the executive director of the Case Alumni Association, told me he called Tom at least once a month for 10 years. He said the former dean, who arrived on campus a freshman in 1955, could recall faculty who began teaching at Case in the 1890s.

Tom Kicher left a big space

To serve and advance the interests of the Case School of Engineering, the math and applied sciences of Case Western Reserve University and its alumni and students. SPRING 2022 VISIT WWW.CASEALUMNI.ORG FOR THE LATEST NEWS AND EVENTS! The best way to stay connected to the Case Alumni Association between magazine issues is to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Please join our sites today for the latest news on alumni, students, faculty and innovative research and projects. Cover story 12 Forever Case The passing of alumnus and former Dean Tom Kicher sparked remembrances and tributes from alumni and admirers far and wide. No wonder. 16 Violinmakers of think[box] If your child or grandchild takes up the violin, you may have these young alumni to thank. 18 Tapping alumni wisdom A new course connects startupminded students with Case alumni who know the game. Alumni Adventures 24 Romance with dance Competitive ballroom dancing keeps Susie Nagorney on her toes. 25 Overdue degree Between freshman year and his recent graduation, Dean Cookson squeezed in a remarkable career. 16 THE MAGAZINE OF THE CASE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION SINCE 1921 12 DEPARTMENTS1 Dean’s Message 2 Editor’s column 4 Letters, posts and emails 7 Around the Quad 10 Alumni Newsmakers 20 Case Memories 22 NewsBytes 26 Class Notes 31 Tribute: Al Gordon, 1920-2022 31 In Memoriam 32 Long We'll Remember On the cover: Thomas P. Kicher, ’59, MS ’62, PhD ’65. Dean, Case School of Engineering 1992-1998 183210 @casealum @CaseAlumniAssoc Case AssociationAlumni CaseAlumniAssoc@caselumniassoc

I gather that Tom more than anyone was responsible for establishing the Case School of Engineering, for which we can all be most grateful.

Letters, posts anD eMaiLs I just wanted to express my appreciation for your always classy Case Alumnus magazine. I gave a recent issue to my high school junior grandson to help in his study and selection of his future college choice.

I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the recent Case Alumnus magazine. Great articles, and I especially liked that you featured two of my Peer Advisors, Anika and Elliot, along with the great promotion of E-Week. Thanks for all of your work on this magazine.

I send my deepest condolences to Professor Kicher family and to Case faculty and staff. He was my professor in the 80s. He was a great person. He taught us step by step the difficulties of experimental stress analysis, and it was a very enjoyable class. Goodbye to a great man and great dean.

Kamel Chaoui ’86, PhD ’89 Professor and former dean, Technology and Mechanical Engineering Badji Mokhtar University Annaba, chaoui_k@yahoo.frAlgeria.

Dr. Kicher was one of the first people I met on campus in the fall of 1999. I knew I wanted to study mechanical engineering and Dr. Kicher was my academic advi sor. He helped me map out my academic career and we made a plan that I stuck to very closely during my time at Case. I was always grateful for his kindness, encour agement, and sense of humor. He was a very dear man. He once told me about how his phi losophy on teaching had changed over the years. Early on in his career, he wanted to make sure his students "got their money's worth" in his class. He tried to impart as much knowledge as possible, teaching at a fast pace where the students would take lots of Hisnotes.methods changed when he realized that the students could do more learning in his lecture if he slowed down and gave them time to think about and struggle with solving problems. The learning happens because of the struggle. This continues to ring true in my life, as I learn new things in my career, and as I raise my children. Think, embrace the discomfort, figure out what you don't know, learn, and grow.

Kind regards,

Colleen CochraneKalczynski’03,MS’05

I knew Tom when he was a grad stu dent and I was an undergrad. He joined the faculty when I was a grad student. He was a valued friend: optimistic, helpful, and smart. Those were heady times. Computing power had reached a point where matrix methods of structural analysis were feasi ble, and Tom and I both pursued topics in that area under Prof. Lucien Schmit.

Dan Lesco ’62, MS ’66 Broadview Heights, Ohio danlesco@juno.com

Warren Gibson ’65 Belmonst, warrengibson1965@gmail.comCalifornia

John Oblak ’62, MS ’64, PhD ’67 Wethersfield, joblak@cox.netConnecticutt

Deborah J. Fatica Assistant Dean, Division of Engineering Leadership & Professional Practice Case School of Engineering News of the death of former Dean Tom Kicher brought many tributes and remembrances, including these: We have lost a very good man. Tom was resident coun selor in Pardee dorm when I entered Case in the fall of 1958. We overlapped in graduate school, though in different dis ciplines, and started out in the aerospace industry. His leadership service to Case was extraordinary. I enjoyed a recent exchange with Tom as a result of his history of the Case family. His work revealed that Leonard Case, Jr.’s mother was from my hometown of Stow, Ohio. Since Western Reserve was founded in neighboring Hudson, maybe my university affiliation was preordained.

Peak Nano a chance to respond Peak Nanosystems is closing the resource loop and reducing waste in our operations through strategic partnerships with local waste collection and recycling partners. We send 100 percent of our film waste to recyclers for repurposing, and we source our feedstock resins from socially and environmentally responsible suppliers. We are proud to provide products that allow our end-use partners to meet their technical and sustainability goals. OH

OR BY MAIL TO: Case TomlinsonAlumnusHall, Room 109 10900 Euclid Avenue Cleveland

44106 SEND BY EMAIL TO: Casealum@casealum.org Submit your letter to the editor

Warwick Doll, PhD ’70 Spartanburg, South wickdoll@yahoo.comCarolina Regarding the article “Tiny tech, big op portunity,” I am unhappy that no mention was made of the environmental impact of the polymer work discussed in the article. Are the plastic products recyclable? Does Peak Nano accept products back after their lifetime of use? Do these products eventu ally contribute to micro plastics in all the waters of the planet? If Cleveland is going to be a “giant in polymer manufacturing” I hope it is done responsibly.

Gary E. ProfessorWnekand Chair, Macromolecular Science and Engineering Joseph F. Toot, Jr., Professor of Engineering I read with interest the article “Tiny tech, big opportunity” in the winter Case Alumnus magazine. I was especially inter ested in the story about Professor Eric Baer. It’s amazing to think that he has been active in that department for 60 years. In 1965, I was a newly minted chemical engineer from the University of Missouri at Rolla, and I enrolled in the Department of Macromolecular Science headed up by Dr. Baer. I must confess that I found myself somewhat of an outsider because I really wanted to focus on the commercial production and use of polymers, while my peers and the professors were much more focused on the fundamentals of characterizing the properties and synthesis of polymers.Istudied under Professor Jerome Lando primarily in X-ray crystallography of fluorinated polymers. I remember those dreaded Friday afternoon seminars where we students must present the work we were involved in. As I remember, Dr. Baer could ask some extremely penetrating questions, which seemed impossible to answer. I completed my doctorate in 1970 as Professor Lando’s first graduate student. I must confess that when I left CWRU, I never did any work with X-ray crystallog raphy. Instead, I entered the world of fiber Our cover story on Polymer Power in the Winter ’22 Case Alumnus brought several letters and comments, including these: and resin commercial research, which was my career until I retired in 2009. The greatest takeaway that I gained from my time at CWRU in the Macromo lecular world was a great curiosity in how things worked and how to solve technical problems. I credit Dr. Baer and the other professors with honing this skill. I always felt this aspect of my studies at Case put me on a higher level than many of my peers in industry.

Many thanks for the outstanding Polymer Power article and accompanying photos. I will share liberally. It is a wonder ful recognition of what Eric Baer started many years ago, which continues.

Francine Cverna, MS ’86 Burton, Editor’sfacverna@gmail.comOhionote:Weoffered

I am envious of all the wonderful polymer manufacturing equipment that is now fully utilized by the students and professors in their department, and the ability to directly translate these manufac turing skills and products into patentable ideas and commercial applications. I feel the department has morphed into the type of study environment that I would have flourished in.

sparked responses from alumni who knew it as home. Marvelous story, great house, home away from home!

I’ve been told that the economics of alumni relationships favors relying exclu sively on online distribution of newsletters and magazines, while discontinuing the use of print media. Deciding to do this, while financially advantageous, runs the risk of losing a significant portion of your magazine’s readership. For many readers of my generation and, I suspect, for many younger readers as well, online access is an unsatisfactory alterna tive to holding and thumbing through the print version. I’ve never willingly read an e-book or an e-magazine — have only done so, in fact, when materials I needed for my research were unavailable in hard copy. My “Long We’ll Remember” piece that appeared in the winter 2022 Case Alumnus elicited some friendly email responses, in cluding one from a person in my graduat ing class who, like me, majored in physics. That strikes me as a good use of email. Much more attractive, however, would be an opportunity to meet my classmate in person. So also, I submit, is print preferable to online distribution. There is a tactile quality, a sensuousness, to holding a book or a magazine in one’s hands that looking at a computer screen or a smart phone simply cannot duplicate. I am pleased that with each quarter’s print issue the Case Alumnus offers me an opportunity to experience this small but valuable Sincerely,pleasure.

Letters, posts anD eMaiLs Our Case Memories section sparked more memories, and a reflection on fleeting youth.

In the winter 2022 issue of the Case Alumnus, on page 20, there is a photo of a very young and intense, Terry Johnson in freshman chemistry lab. Terry and I roomed together at the Phi Delta Theta house on Abington Ave. in 1962. Terry ran the high hurdles on the Case track team. We had a ledge outside of our third floor room where we were always able to keep a case of beer cold during the Cleve land winter. Since we were in different majors, we lost track of each other when I graduated in ’63. I don't remember being that young. Dr. William Kovach Astronomy wkovach92024@gmail.com’63

Karl F. Zender kfzender@ucdavis.edu’59 I stole a look at myfallcopy(Johnfather-in-law’sSturman’55,MS’62)ofthe2021 Case Alumnus. I was interested to see the tribute to Glenn Brown and saddened to read of his passing. I was in a meeting led by Glenn circa 1987, a time in which he was known as “The Superdean.” I made a comment or suggestion and Glenn paused and looked at me steadily for several seconds. His attention made me think that I had either made a manifestly worthwhile remark or a very stupid one. Having considered me for a bit, the Superdean asked a salient question in the form of a declarative statement: “You’re from Washington, Pennsylvania.” “No,” I replied, a bit deflated. “But we used to play them in football.” Hope all is well in University Circle. Joe McClain, MS ’86 Director of Research Communications William & jmmccl@wm.eduMary My wife and I were residents of Steiner House in the late ’70s and have very fond memories. Thanks so much for your article in the (winter 2022) Case Alumnus on that unique and wonderful place. Regards, and keep up the good work, Bomi Parakh, MS ’75, PhD ’77

To the Editor, As a long-time reader of the Case Alum nus, I look forward to each issue arriving in my mailbox. May it long continue to do so!

Page 20 of the winter 2022 Case Alumnus triggered a memory for me. The student in the Chemistry Lab, ’60s is Terry Johnston ’64, a Phi Delta Theta fraternity brother of mine. It was well worth going to a Case track meet just to see Terry run the high hurdles. That was a beautiful sight. Bill Schimming ’64 Conover, North waschimming@bellsouth.netCarolina

Best wishes to students living in Steiner HouseSincerely,now. Adriana Velazquez Berumen, MS ’86 Geneva, velazquezberumena@who.intSwitzerland

Linda Albuquerque,BlanchardNew Ourl.g.blanchard@att.netMexicoprofileofSteinerHouse

Thefashion.overtime

Spring 2022 7

• The team ended the season with a record of 20-7

Spartans win in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Photo by Steve Frommell, UW-Oshkosh Athletics

With this illustration, the Brew Crew — a team of Case chemical engineering graduate students — won Best Poster in the AIChE Beer Brewing Competition at the 2021 annual meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engi neers in November in Boston. The team of Maura Sepesy, Jacob Hostert, Marola Issa and Hairou Yu was honored for the artfully clear depiction of its beer brewing process.

• The team finished second in the conference, also a program best

Ryan Newton scored 38 points in two tournament games off the bench, leading his team to the Sweet 16. He’s expected to graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in mechanicalForwardengineering.ColeFrilling, a mechanical and aerospace engineering major, averaged 16 points a game. A junior, he’s expected to play a starring role again next year. Also eligible to return will be junior Josh Levy (computer science) sophomore Daniel Florey (mechanical engineering); and freshmen Luke Gensler (electrical engineering) and Umar Rashid (computer science).Sonext year may be another season to shout about. the

With help from sharpshooting engineering students, the men’s basketball team made history. for years. After not playing at all last year due to Covid-19, here’s what the 2021-2022 Spartans achieved:

A remarkable season for the Spartan men’s basketball team ended March 11 with an overtime loss to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in a packed Horsburgh Gym — but, oh, what a run. The boys in blue and white had reached the sectional semifinals of the Division III NCAA tournament — the Sweet 16 — for the first time in school history. With the help of sharpshooting science and engineering students, they created one of the greatest stories in the history of CWRU sports. People noticed. The success of true scholar athletes attracted fans and media attention. Terry Pluto, the popular sports columnist for The Plain Dealer, twice pub lished columns about the talent and resolve of players focused on academics while play ing basketball at a high level. He told his readers how there were no movies on the team bus to tournament games in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, as players had to study. Even CWRU’s sleepy fans came alive. They crowded Horsburgh Gym in the Veale Athletic Center for the Sweet 16 game. Many alumni came back to cheer on the team, which had a way of winning in dra matic loss ended a dream season, but the accomplishments will echo A season to shout about

• It’s the first CWRU team to reach the NCAA Tournament and the first to earn postseason wins (two) Three graduate transfer students elevated an already solid team, but under graduate STEM majors played big roles.

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The Science of Beer

• The 20 wins are a program best, as are the eight wins in the UAA

A second Case team, Over the Hops, won for Best New Team and Most Efficient Brew. That team is made up of Will Dean, Drace Penley, Rachel Beller and Bethany Kersten. We toast them all.

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Kaler chaired the committee that wrote New Directions for Chemical Engineering, a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine that outlines an ambitious future for the field.

The AMMRC marks 35 years of finding the best materials for the job. several rooms on three floors of the Charles White Building,Metallurgyhometo the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. “I don’t think you’ll find something like this anywhere in the country,” he said. “And it continues to andproducts,expand.”That’sbecauseprocesses,materialstoproduce them continue to grow more refined and complex.

the Department of Chemical and Biomo lecular Engineering at the Case School of Engineering and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He said the report points to opportuni ties to be seized. Pressing issues chemical engineers can address include:

9, the report ar gues that chemical transformations made possible many of society’s advances, like synthetic fertilizers that enabled the Green Revolution, and that chemical engineers are ready to create new “Chemicalmarvels.engineering is often at the heart of solutions to many of the prob lems we face, but for our field to stay in a position of global leadership and continue our pace of innovation, we need to reaffirm strong investment in this field,” Kaler said in a statement. A former professor of chemical engineering at the University of Min nesota, Kaler is a tenured professor in

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CWRU President Eric Kaler leads a call for more national support for chemical engineering. generating medical advances and smoothing the transition to renewableReleasedenergy.Feb.

When Distinguished University Pro fessor John Lewandowski founded his lab 35 years ago, prized equipment included a small but mighty rolling mill capable of shaping steel and aluminum alloys destined for cars.Today, his researchers are just as likely to test the reliability of parts for implantable devices, like pacemakers, where failure really is not an option.

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• Decarbonizing the U.S economy Creating a cleaner, healthier environment Advancing drug discovery Making healthcare cheaper and more equitable Advancing the “circular economy” where much is repurposed and Findreusedthe study at the National Acade mies website, www.nationalacademies.org. the

Seeing what works

Recently, a student researcher found the flaw causing cracks to form in a truck part. Lewandowski’s team helped the manufacturer tighten its steel specifications to solve the problem. In a quieter room with finer scale equipment, Janet Gbur, PhD ’18, tests wires and cables used in implantable electrodes, tiny devices to be implanted in the human body.

Janet Gbur and John Lewandowski stand aside a Instru-Met uniaxial testing machine in the AMMRC, each holding specimens to be tested.

“No one has the breadth of what we have here,” said Gbur, the center’s seniorTheresearcher.AMMRC contains about $5 mil lion worth of equipment, Lewandowski estimates. That includes fatigue testers, extruders, melters, and forging/forming simulators that pound, stretch, bend, and deform materials of all shapes and sizes. Throughout the year, the center will be highlighting its capabilities and celebrating its legacy with events and reflections posted to its website: ammrc.case.edu.

Not only is he president of Case Western Reserve University, Eric Kaler, PhD, is an accomplished chemical engineer. That background shines through in a new report calling for deeper federal investment in chemical engi neering to solve society’s challenges.

The study argues that fresh support for chemical engineering is critical to maintaining U.S. leadership and meeting coming challenges — including ChemEs can do it

The goal of assuring reliability shines on, but the challenges loom more sophisti cated at the Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical Reliability Center, a proving ground for the materials that comprise the products of modern life. The uncommon center is celebrating a landmark birthday in 2022 with plans for growth. Lewandowski, the center director, expects to install about $1 million worth of equipment this year. He has high hopes for game-changing grants that would allow the center to advance into roboticMeanwhile,controls.he’s busy running a oneof-a-kind center that sprawls across

The chipmaker is looking to schools like Case to fill a talent pipeline. plant’s 3,000-person workforce to be engineers. Another 70 percent will be skilled technicians, and five percent of jobs will be unskilled. The engineering roles span the field, he said, from chemical and mechan ical engineers to materials scientists and physicists. Interestingly, computer scientists are not in high demand at a chipmaking“They’replant.the customers,” Zorman said. “This is a highend manufacturing process, starting with sand.” Ohio State University is seen in the best position for jobs and influence, based on its size and proximity to the Intel complex. But faculty and Case students are familiar with manufacturing very small precision products — and Intel now knows it.

Two days before the Columbus gathering, Intel executives visited Case. Zorman shared the school’s expertise in microsensors and nano-scale devices, explained relevant courses, and showed them several labs equipped with “clean rooms” that allow for microfabrication and“Theyresearch.were like, ‘Wow, yep, this is defi nitely related,’ which is what I expected,” he said.Now a deadline looms. Intel has given schools until May 31 to apply for a share of the Ohio fund, which complements a $100 million national research fund. It wants to hear plans for curriculums, programs, and lab enhancements that can advance a chipmaking industry in Ohio. Case will be ready with proposals, Zorman said, and ready for a new era. He noted CSE already sends graduates to similar jobs out of state. “Now, for the first time, we don’t have to point them south and west to do this kind of work.”

Ken Barker '70 drove in from Pittsburgh to attend Founders Day activities with his SAE brothers.

Several weeks after unveiling plans for a $20 billion microchip manufactur ing plant in central Ohio, Intel explained how it plans to staff the giant facility. On March 17, company executives an nounced a $50 million fund to help Ohio colleges and universities train the skilled workers it needs. That was welcome news at the Case School of Engineering.

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The SAE scholarships are named in honor of Philip Legge ’43, a former administrator for Case Institute of Technology and an active SAE nearly his entire life before his death in 2009. They are administered by the Case Alumni Association.

“We have a great alumni base. It’s awesome,” said chapter president Austin Grillo, a civil engineering major. He noted the chapter’s alumni also staff a mentor-mentee program for the sopho mores. “Our alumni are very important to us. They keep us grounded.”

On March 18, about a dozen alumni arrived to share lunch and to display another stream of support. In what’s be coming an SAE Founders Day tradition, they awarded scholarships in honor of a distinguished alumnus. Alumni and students gathered in the living room and applauded as, one by one, five young men were called forward Comeback for brotherhood Greek organizations like SAE are gathering again, resuming treasured traditions. to receive scholarships ranging in value from $1,500 to $2,500. The scholars were chosen by an alumni scholarship committee for their contributions to the house and to the brotherhood. It’s a tie that“Supportingbinds. the brotherhood, as well as the school, is a cause that’s near and dear to all of us,” said Marc Vitantonio ’82, chairman of the SAE scholarship committee.

Spring 2022 9 Founders Day resonated with a little more fervor this spring at the Sigma Al pha Epsilon house at Hazel and Magnolia drives, just off campus. With Covid-19 restrictions relaxed, alumni returned to participate in a live rite of brotherhood for the first time in two years. Making the moment more auspicious, the fraternity was celebrating its first Founders Day in its new house. Alumni had raised some $400,000 to transform a musty old mansion into a practical and handsome home for 23 students.

The 2022 Legge Scholars of the SAE are juniors Austin Grillo, Lucas Decaro, Joseph Cavallo, Randolph Ayers and Antonio Orsini. the QuaD

IntelCommunityannouncementOhio’seconomicbebigCSE.AssociateZorman,opportunity,”once-in-a-lifetimesaidChristianMS’91,PhD’94,theDeanforResearchatHeaddedthatitraisesaquestion:“HowcanCaserelevanttothelargestsingledevelopmentproposaleverseen?”ZormanrepresentedCaseattheeventatColumbusStateCollege.Helearnedthatexpectsabout25percentofthe

“This is a Intel’s impact

“We are honored by the confidence that Joel Roth has shown in us with his gift,” University President Eric Kaler said in a statement. “We are all dedicated to providing Roth Scholars learning experiences that prepare them to make meaningful change in the world.”

“We issued billions of dollars of construction values in permits every year and did more than 1,000 demolitions every year,” she told The Land Now she is overseeing Enterprise programs that will help to rehabilitate homes, seal their lead paint, and build housing for former prison inmates and former foster children. A code enforcer is now a home builder — aiming to build them right. Home maker Alumna brings her safe-housing skills to communities across Ohio.

Joel Roth commits $20 million to launch a new generation of leaders.

After Case, Roth earned an MBA from New York University and worked at Proctor & Gamble, Ernst & Ernst and Gulf and Western. In the early 1970s he began buying companies in the southeast, including Fulton Supply, headquartered nearByAtlanta.theearly 2000s, Roth’s companies offered everything from conveyor belts to drill bits, janitorial supplies to safety materials, as well as a range of engineering expertise. Roth’s teams applied that exper tise to help companies’ supply chains and manufacturing become more efficient.

That’s leadership

As director of Cleveland’s Department of Building and Housing, Ayonna Blue Donald ’01 enforced the city’s land use ordinances and directed the razing of thou sands of vacant and abandoned properties. In her new role, she expects to be way more of a builder — shaping properties into healthy homes.

In November, Blue Donald was named vice president and Ohio market leader for Enterprise Community Partners, a nation wide nonprofit that works to make homes affordable and lead-free, often through rehabilitation and building projects.

“I’ve always had an affinity for building things,” she told The Land, an online Cleveland news magazine that profiled her in January. Blue Donald described herself as an engineer and a lawyer passionate about providing safe living spaces.

Blue Donald is responsible for advancing housing-based programs and devising solutions that help Ohioans achieve housing stability and safety.

casealumni.org10 aLuMni newsMakers ALUMNI newsmakers

“The problems are getting bigger and bigger, and more and more lasting,” Roth said in a press release. “The Roth Institute will provide highly motivat ed, quality students a broad array of experiences that will help them become leaders who solve problems and change the Hisfuture.”commitment will provide full-tuition scholarships to up to eight students annually starting this fall.

Starting with a civil engineering de gree from Case Institute of Technology, Joel Roth ’58 went on to become a successful manufacturer whose com panies had a knack for churning out products more efficiently. Now he’s paying it forward. In Feb ruary, Case Western Reserve University announced that Roth had committed more than $20 million to launch the Roth Leadership Institute, designed to prepare students to address the world’s increasingly complex challenges.

“You think of your home as your castle,” she said. “There’s so much peace and serenity there. But imagine if you’re homeless. Or imagine if more than half your income is going to where you live, and you can’t afford food, healthcare and other basic Originallyneeds.”from Detroit, Blue Donald came to Cleveland to earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Case School of Engineering, becoming her family’s first college graduate. She went on to earn a law degree at the University of San Francisco and practiced law in Texas before returning to Cleveland with her two children. She rose through the city’s building and housing department and led the department from 2017 to 2021.

In 2008, Roth published The 20% Solution, a guide for businesses to analyze their operations to identify and realize big savings.

The Roth Scholars will receive mentoring and academic and practical experiences that are expected to shape them into leaders. It’s hoped they will go on to address major societal and community problems.

A pair of startup savvy Case alumni think they have a solution, and deeppocketed investors seem to agree.

ALUMNI newsmakersaLuMni newsMakers

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“This team has the right founder market fit to deliver,” Patrick Yang, general partner at Amity Ventures, told the Ghoshmagazine.andFridman previously founded Workbench Technologies, a supply chain management software company for the e-commerce industry. They launched Factored Quality in 2021 with Justin Seiden feld, whom they met when they went through Y Combinator, a renowned startup accelerator.

Sixty years ago, Don Knuth helped the basketball team achieve new heights. dramatically. After going 6-10 the previ ous season, the Rough Riders in 1958-59 achieved a 13-4 record. What’s more, the use of an “electronic computer” tapped the public imagination, and the team and its whiz-kid manager were featured on the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite Knuth would go on to greater fame as the author of the classic, multi-volume series The Art of Computer Programming "This series of books," the author wrote, "is affectionately dedicated to the Type 650 computer once installed at Case Institute of Technology, in remembrance of many pleasant evenings." Most people are aware of how Covid-19 strangled the global supply chain, stoking scarcity and inflation.

As the men’s basketball team celebrated a magical season, some recalled another time when a Case teamInsurprised.thelate1950s, Donald Knuth ’60, MS ’60, PhD, was discovering his love for computer programming at Case Institute of Technology. Knuth famously mastered the school’s early IBM 650 mainframe. At the time, the inquisitive teen was also manager of the school’s lackluster basketball team. He went to work engineering more wins. As recounted in The Daily, CWRU’s online news source, Knuth devised a system to rank players based on scoring, steals, rebounds, and other performance factors. He fed the data into the com puter via punch cards, then shared the insight with Coach Phil “Nip” Heim. How much the new metrics helped is debatable, but the team did improve Early moneyball

A lesser-known story is the impact that travel restrictions and cost controls have had on quality control. As the pandemic raged, U.S. companies found it harder to reach their foreign manufacturers, resulting in fewer inspections and maybe hurting the reputation of their brands.

Prince Ghosh ’19 and Lucas Fridman ’19 are co-founders of connectthatQuality,FactoredastartupsaysitcanU.S. businesses with quality control inspectors in foreign nations while updating a ladentradition-field.InFebruary, the company announced attracting $5.6 million from investors in a seed funding round led by AmityGhosh,Ventures.theCEO of Factored Quality, told Modern Shipper that the company can connect brands to third-party inspectors anywhere in the world with on-demand booking, and that the service is badly“Geopoliticalneeded. tensions, trade wars, and logistics constraints have forced modern brands to take a decentralized and lean infrastructural approach to manufacturing,” he said. “We’re building Factored Quality to help those brands scale their quality and manufacturing operations with ease.” Not unlike other services in the gig economy, the platform allows the company and the inspector to post reviews and ratings of each other.

Quality idea Young alums address a lesser-known impact of the pandemic.

PLAYERFRANCHISECASE'S

Tom Kicher served his alma mater for more than 60 years as teacher, dean, and guiding light. By Robert L. Smith

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Born October 20, 1937, Kicher was raised in Johnsonburg, a small mill town next to the Alleghany National Forest in north west Pennsylvania. In an earlier interview, he said he quickly fell in love with Case and the University Circle neighborhood.

“He was the right guy at the right time to put these things together,” said Diamant, a member of the board of the Case Alumni Association. “He didn’t have an ounce of guile in his body. Tom only wanted the best for the School of Engineering and for the university. And he was highly regarded by alumni, by anybody he worked with.”

“He was uniquely capable,” said Jack Daly ’89, MS ’91, a former partner and manag ing director of Goldman Sachs. “He had that positive energy, the ability to grow an organization and inspire people. He was the franchise player.” Michael Diamant ’68 first met “Professor Kicher” as a sophomore. He later chaired the visiting committee of alumni and industry leaders that helped guide the new Case School of Engineering in the 1990s.

When a teenaged Tom Kicher ’59, MS ’62, PhD ’65, arrived at Case Institute of Technology in 1955, he had plenty of reasons to be enthralled with his new world.

Sunniva Collins, MS ’91, PhD ’94, came to know Kicher (pronounced “KICK-er”) best through the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, where she’s an associate professor. Kicher engaged with faculty long after his retirement in 2005 as the Arthur P. Armington Professor of Engineering.

“Always a calming presence,” she said. “He said to me that being a professor at Case is the best job in the world. He said that we get to know these bright young people when they’re just starting their careers, and we can help them. I think he really took that to heart.” Many treasured his guidance.

The school president was on leave to lead the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. A crater on the moon was named for the chairman of the Astronomy Department. And the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was building flood control dams using designs drawn up in the Department of Civil Engineering.

Upon his death Feb. 19 at age 84, many admirers spoke of his timely leadership, wisdom, and captivating spirit as they memorialized one of the best-known, longest-serving faculty members in the history of the school.

Tom Kicher and Susie Nagorney ’76 at the reception for Junior Senior Scholars in 2018.

Kicher’s admiration for Case, which he wrote about years later, quickly became mutual. He earned three engineering degrees on Case Quad, including his doctorate, then joined the faculty and became a change agent. He led the committee that wrote the white paper that created the modern Case School of Engineering, in 1992, and served as it first dean.

“Tom was warm, funny, wise and kind, a true Case engineer,” said Venkataramanan “Ragu” Balakrishnan, the Charles H. Phipps Dean of the Case School of Engineering. “He will be missed.”

“ When I think about Tom, I think about his willingness to take chances, try new things. He was always looking to think a little bit bigger.”

Tom Kicher and two of his students made the cover of Case Alumnus in 1992, when he was chair of the Department of andMechanicalAerospaceEngineering.

Dean Kicher helping to announce an electric car race in 1994.

In an era of uncertainty, he guided CIT under the umbrella of Case Western Reserve University, uniting students, faculty, and alumni behind a mission to maintain the rigor and prestige of a Case education.

Joe Fakult ’90, a senior engineer at Safron Electrical & Power, recalls him sketching out a mechanical system with felt-tipped markers on an overhead projector, illustrating a problem to be solved in a factory maybe a few miles away. An expert in design and failure analysis, Kicher consulted for industry and brought real-world challenges into the classroom. “He was an excellent teacher,” Fakult said. “Every step of the way, he put himself at the viewpoint of the Curiousstudents.”and contemplative, Kicher dove more deeply into Case history later in life, tapping his vast breadth of ex perience. As a student in the 1950s, he once observed, he had professors who had been teaching at Case since the 1890s. In 2019, he wrote the cover story for the spring issue of Case Alumnus, exploring the Case family and Leonard Case Jr.’s role in the launch of the Case School of Applied Science in 1880. The Case Legacy proved so popular among alumni that the association commissioned a rare reprint.

After a brief tour in the aerospace industry in California, he joined the faculty in 1965 as an assistant professor of engineering. He became an associate professor, then a full professor in 1979. He served as chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and as the Associate Dean of Science and Engineering from 1974 to 1979.

Kicher is one of the principal contributors to Case School: An Evolving History, a multimedia history project led by the Kelvin Smith Library and housed online at scalar.case.edu/ caseschool/index. He was also the vice president of an engineering consulting firm, Kicher & Co., where he worked alongside his son, Paul ’91, untilHerecently.issurvived by Janet, his son Paul, daughter Laura Chamberlin, and five grandchildren — Mackenzie and Peyton Kicher and Macey, Regan, and Keely Chamberlin. News of his passing sparked tributes from former students and colleagues and from alumni and admirers far and wide. Distinguished University Professor Clare Rimnac smiles to recall a change agent who kept a fully outfitted machine shop in his basement. When she arrived at the Case School of Engineering in 1996, she Case Alumnus Spring 2019 The Kicher Family Case School: An Evolving History homepage He met his wife, Janet, at Case and watched all three of his children graduate with Case degrees.

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“I was exposed to a lot of things I’d never been exposed to,” he told Case Alumnus in 2018. “Arts, culture, the sciences. I could approach almost anyone and ask questions. It was an ideal place for a young boy from a small town. Case changed my life.”

“I figure I’ve held more and varied roles on this campus than just about anyone,” he onceHeobserved.methiswife, Janet, at Case and watched all three of his children graduate with Case degrees. As a faculty member for 40 years, he imparted memorable lessons. Tall, bearded, and prematurely bald, Kicher possessed a reso nate voice that carried easily across a lecture hall.

Tom Kicher and Professor Ken Loparo, PhD ’77

Fish graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer engineering and become a technology pioneer in Silicon Valley. He has never forgotten the administrator who believed in him.

was one of five women in a faculty pool of 105. Kicher huddled them into a planning group.

Jack Daly, today a partner at the private equity firm TPG Capital, earned two mechanical engineering degrees at Case. But before he could leave for industry, Dean Kicher convinced him to stay on as an instructor for six years. He wanted Daly to continue to run a student group he had founded, one that matched engineering students with community service projects.

Stephen Zinram, executive director of the Case Alumni Association, said he has lost a mentor who knew how to get the best out of people.

Roger Cerne ’63, left, Jack Flynn ’51, MS’53, PhD ’56 and Dean Tom Kicher

The Silver Bowl Tom formerKicher,chair of the Department of JuneEngineering,andMechanicalAerospacein2017

“He brought us together to strategize, how to support female faculty,” she recalled. “He said, ‘If we’re going to attract more women into engineering, they need role models.’ And I appreciated that.

“I think he was an agent of thoughtful creation,” Fakult said. “And he fully understood the legacy of Case engineering, what its students and faculty were like. He knew how to keep that legacy alive.”

After retirement, Kicher joined the board of the Case Alumni Association, where he became known as Case’s elder statesman. The board made him a life member and, in 2018, awarded him the Silver Bowl, the association’s highest honor.

“When I think about Tom,” she added, “I think about his willingness to take chances, try new things. He was always looking to think a little bit bigger.” Many alumni can recall a Kicher encounter that changed their life. For Ram Fish ’95, MS ’95, it came when he sought to enroll in an unusually large number of courses to finish his degree program early, as he could not afford tuition. When his advisor balked, Fish went to see the dean. He said Kicher weighed his proposal for several days, contacting references, before approving. He also steered Fish to Roger Cerne ’63, who arranged a loan from the Case Alumni Association.

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“He was the most important mentor in my life,” Daly said.

“I am very grateful to Dean Kicher,” he said. “He listened to me. He was willing to work around the system to get something done for a student.”

You can honor the memory of Tom Kicher with a contribution to the Class of 1959 Scholarship Fund. The fund, which Kicher helped to create, assists fourth year students facing an unforeseen financial challenge. Find the fund at casealumni.org/give/. Questions? Contact Janna Greer; janna.greer@casealum.org, 216-368-3647.

“He listened to your question and always gave a well thought out answer, often an anecdote,” Zinram said. “He never rushed into an answer, but instead he became the professor who led you down the path and helped you find it.”

Daly feels Kicher saw both a worthy cause and a young man who would benefit from leading it. He flew in from San Francisco for the funeral at St. Noel Catholic Church in the Cleveland suburb of Willoughby Hills.

Fakult, the president of the Case Alumni Association, sees a legacy enshrined in the school.

meticulous young man in a leather apron pulled a bow across the strings of a candycolored, plastic violin. A surprisingly deep, resonant sound filled his workshop.

More than 100 iterations later, he’s still tinkering with a formula he thinks could lead to far more children playing a prized instrument — or at least giving it a try.

Because his violins sound pretty good. And that may be good enough to get started.

By Robert L. Smith of 3D Music. The company sprang from his master’s thesis, which entailed creating a plastic violin on 3D printers in Sears think[box], the university’s maker space.

Is it real or is it think[box]?

Morgan had never seen a plastic violin before the two Case alumni walked into his Cleveland Heights shop two years ago.

When it comes to violins, two young alumni want to make it hard to guess.

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“These are simply way better than when you guys first approached me,” he finally said. “You’re on point.” Still, he saw an issue with tuning nuts in the neck. He recommended subtle adjust ments. Canel nodded and smiled. They were getting close. A mechanical engineer with a theater background, Canel is the founder and CEO

They were awaiting the opinion of Max well Morgan, a luthier, or craftsman who builds and restores stringed instruments.

THE MUSIC MAKERS

Standing nearby, Matt Canel ’20, MS ’21, and Ben Kaufman ’12, MEM ’13, waited expectantly. They hoped to begin soon mass producing this instrument, which they designed for children. Their violin is cheaper and sturdier than a traditional wooden model but sounds, they think, like the real McCoy.

“We’re dropping the cost barrier,” Canel said, describing how he plans to disrupt the market. “That means that more people could have the chance to learn an instrument. And I think that could have a big Theimpact.”violin is probably the best-known musical instrument in the world. Its lush sound has captivated audiences for centuries. But it’s also a fragile and expen sive work of art. Concert-level violins can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Even the banged-up violin in the school band room is probably worth several thousand dollars. Children generally get started on smaller, quarter-scale violins — about half the size of a full-scale model. These are cheaper and easier to handle than a concert violin, but still several hundred dollars and highly breakable.

Maxwell Morgan, a luthier in Cleveland Heights, helps Matt Canel test one of his 3D printed violins.

Because of the expense, many music students never come to own their own instruments — and many children never get Canelstarted.and Kaufman aim to change that. Their hard plastic, quarter-scale violins sell for $200, or about half the cost of a popular wooden beginner model. Meanwhile, it’s kid friendly in other ways.

In January, Canel and Kaufman took several of their violins to CES, the Consum er Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where they exhibited alongside other innovators from Case Western Reserve. That appear ance attracted media attention, which continued through the winter.

On a recent afternoon, a producer from WCPN Ideastream, the public radio station in Cleveland, visited them in their $375-a-month production space on the 7th floor of Sears think[box]. In a work bay not much larger than an office cubicle, four 3D printers whirred away, slowly printing violins. Jean-Marie Papoi filmed and taped as Canel drew a bow across a freshly print ed model, playing scales.

“If your kid is on the fence (about playing a violin) pick a color,” said Kaufman, a computer engineer by trade. “Our sound quality is significantly better than a traditional wooden violin at our priceThepoint.”project began several years ago, when Canel was an undergraduate student worker at Sears think[box]. He became an expert on its array of 3D printers — machines that can be programmed to print three-dimensional objects. He played cello in middle school but could never afford his own. Now he wondered, could he print one? He decided to start with a child’s violin, which proved challenge enough. The quest became his thesis and, in 2020, his company. Kaufman soon joined him and they now have a luthier to consult and two design patents pending.

First, though, he hopes to put affordable violins into the hands of beginners. He con siders his company to be in the “rapid pro totyping phase,” making small adjustments each day, working toward mass appeal.

Printing a violin takes 3D Music about two days. Ben Kaufman tests a violin at Sears think[box] as a producer for WCPN-Ideastream tapes a radio show and Matt Canel looks on.

“Eventually, I would like to print a cello,” Canel mused. “That’s a $45,000 instrument. Nothing is out of the question.”

The next week, they made their first sale, to a customer from Colorado who ordered off their website: www.3dmusic.org/.

“We’ve learned this does work,” he said. And violinists are not the only young musicians needing practice. To comment on this story, email casealum@caselaum.org. 3D Music violins

“Our strongest selling point is, we’re droppable,” said Kaufman, the company co-founder and business development manager. 3D Music violins come apart and snap back together, he noted. They also come in fun colors, like banana yellow and candy apple red.

A dozen students sit around a large conference table on an upper floor of Sears think[box]. At the front of the table, an alumnus leans back in his chair and opens the class with this observation: “In entrepreneurship, you need to fall in love with the problem, not the Studentssolution.”instantly look intrigued, as they’re always focused on solutions in the classroom. But this isn’t your typical class. It’s being taught by Ram Fish ‘95, MS ’95, a technolo gy entrepreneur and Silicon Valley success story who is helping to pioneer a new kind of course at Case Western Reserve University.

Shaping tech leaders

casealumni.org

By Hannah Jackson ’24

In a new course, alumni superstars share their startup savvy with aspiring entrepreneurs.

“We have amazing alums. They want to do more with our great stu dents,” Goldberg said. The course is like no other offered at Case, as it offers a view of startups and tech giants from people who succeeded in theAfterfield.earning two computer en gineering degrees at Case, Fish went on to lead digital health strategy at Samsung, where he helped to build Simband, the world's leading platform for wearable health sensors. He also played influential roles at Apple, Nokia, andToday,Openwave.Fishlives in Menlo Park, Cali fornia, where he runs his latest startup, 19Labs, a company seeking to bring state-of-the-art emergency medical care to remote corners of the globe. In the seminar sessions, Fish and Goldberg invited students to discuss the highs and lows of startup culture, engage in conversations with industry experts – often via Zoom – and research current companies and their employees.

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The class, “Technology Management and the Startup Trek,” is designed to bring together students interested in entrepreneurship with alumni who can share firsthand experience and insight. Also known as VEAL 333, the course is a partnership between the Case School of Engineering, the Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship and Post-Graduate Planning and Experiential Education. It was designed by Fish and Michael Goldberg, the executive director of the Veale Institute and an associate profes sor and entrepreneurship specialist at the Weatherhead School of Manage ment. Goldberg said he saw a chance to connect students with opportunities in the tech industry and to strengthen student-alumni ties.

Fish’s background in the mobile phone industry allowed him to bring in speakers like Lisa Waits, who was Ram Fish leads a class at Sears think[box] in February.

The debut class offered some un usual features, including an all-expens es-paid trip to Silicon Valley, where Fish and Goldberg introduced the students to other founders and technology inno vators — many of them Case alumni.

Students of VEAL 333 outside the offices of Oracle in San Francisco. ” “ I want to help students get recruited. That’s half the battle of the tech industry.

Students of VEAL 333 couldn’t agreeMaxmore.Pennington, a senior studying chemical engineering, took the class to learn how to lead a tech company. He has his own startup, CLEANR, which works to minimize microplastic pollution through smart filters on washing machines.

VEAL 333 will continue this fall, with Fish again teaching the course. Goldberg plans to package the class into the new Veale-Snyder Fellows program at the Veale Institute, then open the course to more students and more alumni instructors. That will provide more alumni with the opportunity to share their expertise with Case students hungry to learn.

Goldberg said Fish’s real-world experience complements faculty knowledge, which makes the class dynamic in a way that students haven’t experienced before. listen to our personal questions for advice with our own companies,” Pennington said. “It is not very often that you get the opportunity to pick the brain of people with as much ex perience as he has, and this is another great reason to take the class.”

Spring 2022 19 Alex Yakubovich '07, a Workday executive and co-founder of Scout RFP and ONOSYS, talks with students in Silicon Valley.

Ishaan Gupta, a third-year computer science major, said the field trip to Sili con Valley added a special dimension.

“This trek just took my understand ing of startups, product design, and entrepreneurship to just another level,” he said.Megan Nellis agrees. She’s a fourth-year student majoring in chemi cal

Nokia’s Chief Counsel when the company fought for survival in a digital world being disrupted by Samsung and Apple. She discussed with the students why Nokia was unable to sustain its success and what that means for future mobile“Whystartups.didthey fail?” Fish asked, encouraging students to look at the background of the CEO and his or her willingness to take risks. “The pace of your decision-making is absolutely critical.”

“Mr. Fish not only listens and answers our questions during class through the seminar, but he has been willing to take time out of his day to that he’s always wanted to teach, so he’s thankful that his alma mater made that possible.

“When I went to Case, the idea of going off and starting a company anywhere outside of the Midwest was not something kids thought about,” he said. “This bubble of ambition was what people’s minds were set on. But there's so much more that you can do once you realize there are no limits and other possibilities. I want to open students’ minds to these possibilities.”

A dozen students from across Case’s academic schools were selected for the pilot course. They met several times in person and via Zoom before flying off to visit Silicon Valley March 23-26. Fish and Goldberg arranged tours of innovative companies and introduced students to Case alumni working in the San Francisco Bay area. Fish had even bought the students personalized hood ies, conversation starters to wear when they met engineers and executives from companies like Salesforce, Oracle, Apartment List, Airbnb, Netflix, GoPro, andTheMeta/Facebook.networkingopportunities may be the class’s most rewarding feature, Fish“Ibelieves.wantto help students get recruited,” he said. “That’s half the battle of the tech industry, so Michael and I are leveraging our networks to create the best experience for ourHestudents.”addedthat he enjoys the discussions with Case students and

“Theengineering.SiliconValley Trek and the VEAL 333 class are hands-down one of my favorite and most valuable experiences from CWRU,” she wrote afterward. “I was able to network with so many successful CWRU alumni I never would have had the chance to meet otherwise. I learned invaluable lessons from their experiences that have inspired me to continue to pursue my career in entrepreneurship and to dream even bigger.”

For more information on VEAL 333 and future classes, Michael.Goldberg@case.edu.email

casealumni.org20 Case MeMories CIT Family Christmas Party, 1963 Surveying, 1980 Univac 1004 input-output station, 1970 Here's another selection of photos from our archives. If something or someone triggers a memory, please write and share it with us: casealum@casealum.org Outside the old Baker Building, date unknown

Spring 2022 21 Computer Science Lab, date unknown The patio at the Barking Spider Case Alumnus cover, 1999 Tug-of-war, Greek Week 1980

“Tragically, after decades of hard-won peace, war has returned to the European continent,” the top administrators wrote. They alerted international students and faculty — and anyone else who needs it — to the university’s counseling services. And they closed with this: “For now, we hope for continued triumph of democracy and peace over authoritarianism and aggression.”

NewsBytesSolidaritywith

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Justin Bibb, who won a landslide victory last fall to become Cleveland’s 58th mayor, will deliver the university’s commencement address Sunday, May 15, as well as the law school address the day before. The 34-year-old mayor earned dual degrees at CWRU, in business and law.

Girl Talkin’ still While earning a bio medical engineering degree at Case, Gregg Gillis ’04 managed to become a musical sensation known as Girl Talk. His electronic mashup project rolls on. On March 31, Gillis kicked off a new Girl Talk tour with a sold-out concert at Cleve land’s House of Blues and talked with The Plain Dealer about how it all began. He shared fond memories of CWRU dorm life, Coventry music clubs and Hessler Street house parties.

A White House summons Biomedical Engineering Professor Dustin Tyler, PhD '99, has achieved success developing prosthetics with a sense of touch, a story we told in the Fall ‘21 Case Alumnus. Federal funders see money well spent. On March 18, Tyler was invited to Washington, D.C., to discuss his DARPAsponsored research with President Joe Biden. The White House is shaping a new funding agency to support medical innovation, and Tyler’s approach is seen as a winning model.

Two commencements, one busy mayor

Ukraine Soon after Russian forces invaded Ukraine Feb. 24, CWRU President Eric Kaler and Provost Ben Vinson III emailed a message to the campus community expressing sadness and solidarity.

“The JD/MBA degrees I received from CWRU helped strengthen my belief that I could one day lead our city,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to returning to campus and sharing words of wisdom to inspire the next generation of leaders.”

“It was a huge thing – it was a really fun community there, just being able to play shows at Case,” he said. And he did bring home that engineering degree.

Case’s Cupids in demand

The Case Men’s Glee Club uses singing Valentines to sharpen its skills and raise money for the club’s coffers. Fortunately for the university’s oldest student group, love is in the air at CWRU.

Two Case researchers recently received CAREER awards from the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program. These are grants designed to accelerate the research of the nation’s top junior faculty.

Spring 2022 23

Lydia Kisley, an assistant professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a five-year, $625,000 grant for her work examining metal corrosion at the molecular level.

Svetlana Morozova, an assistant professor in the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engi neering, was awarded a five-year, $610,00 grant to expand her work exploring the unique properties and possibilities of polymer gels.

“We did carry Coach Heim to the pool and dump him in,” he writes. “His only request was to let him take off his glasses and his wallet.” Rising in the rankings

The most requested song? Sh Boom Sh Boom, followed by Can You Feel the Love Tonight and, of course, My Girl

On Feb. 14, glee club members delivered 169 serenades — at $5 to $10 apiece — to blushing sweethearts in classrooms, offices and dining halls, continuing an upward trend in Valentine’s Day demand.

The success of the 2021-22 Spartan basketball team has some alumni recalling the great Case Institute of Technology teams of the 1960s.

Research worth accelerating

The annual graduate school rankings of U.S. News and World Report had good news for the Case School of Engineering. The school climbed seven notches to rank 45th nationally — its first time back in the 40s since 2016. The chemical engineering program leapt from 41st to 34th, and materials science from 40th to 35th while civil engineering improved from 57th to 47th. Computer engineering improved six slots, to rank 50th in the nation.

When RidersRoughruled

Co-champions of the Presidents Ath letic Conference in the 1969-1970 season, the Rough Riders won the conference outright in 1960-61, and Don Zito ’62 will never forget it. He was part of that championship team.

By John Canale

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For centuries, women have struggled to convince men to join them on the dance floor. More often than not, it’s a losing battle and the men watch as their significant others dance with theirSusiefriends.Nagorney ’76 is one of those women who won the dance battle. She convinced her future husband and dance partner, Frank Nagorney ADL ’72, to take lessons so he could join her on the dance floor. The duo never looked back as they teamed up to become a success in the world of ballroom dancing.

educator, is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Cuyahoga Community College and a mem ber of the board of directors of the Case Alumni Association. She was elected the board’s first female president in 2006. While serving students and her alma mater, she became an aficionado of ballroom dancing.

A romance with dance

She never took dance lessons when she was growing up in the Cleveland suburb of Parma. It was not until she took classes with her future husband that she fell in love with the Whileart.dancing has brought them closer, it was the sport of fencing that brought them together.

The couple participated in competitions and performances in Greater Cleveland and throughout the Midwest from 1983 to 1993, then took a break to devote more time to their children — then 13, 11 and six. After the children had grown, Nagorney was eager to get back to the dance floor. But it took some convincing, and Father Time, to get Frank to lace up his dancing dear to Nagorney’s heart. She is an 18-year breast cancer survivor.

“I took a fencing class at Case, because I had to take a physical education class that fit into my schedule,” Nagorney said. “That summer the fencing coach Mr. (Menyhert) Kadar asked me to fence at his studio. My husband was there, home from law school, fencing for the summer, and that’s where we met.”While it may have been fencing that brought them together, it’s their shared love of dancing that’s continued to sweep them off their feet. John Canale is a freelance writer in Northeast Ohio.

In November, Nagorney and her husband took part in a dance marathon at South Park Mall in the Cleveland suburb of Strongsville. The event was a fundraiser for Ohio Cancer Research, a cause near and Susie Nagorney, a mathematician and educator, will seize any chance to ballroom dance.

“When he was in law school, he would come to visit me in college here at Case,” said Nagorney, a mathematics major at Case Institute of Technology. “There would be dances and he wouldn’t go out there and dance. He didn’t like to go out there and just move around. He wanted to learn steps, so we started taking ballroom dancing lessons.” They continued to hone their dance skills long after their college days. This led to the world of competitive ballroom dancing, where it’s not a matter or winning or losing, but impressing judges with your skills and Nagorney,techniques.alifelong

The couple performed their waltz twice during the marathon, helping the event to raise“I$5,000.reallylike the tango, but my husband does not,” Nagorney said. “But we both enjoy the waltz, the foxtrot, swing, cha cha, and rumba.”

aLuMni aDventures

Have an alumni adventure to share? casealum@casealum.orgEmail

shoes“Myagain.husband was an All-American fencer in college,” Nagorney explained. “He was competing in the over 50 group and got injured. The doctor told him he better stop fencing. So, I was finally able to convince him to get back to dancing.”

casealumni.org

It was not until she took classes with her future husband that she fell in love with the art.

But afterward, several students came up to compliment him. “He just strode in in pants and a t-shirt and tore right into it,” said Merat, approving of the lessons.

When he added a bachelor’s degree to his lengthy LinkedIn profile, he says, he declined to send out a status update.

A Denver resident, Cookson has since joined another tech startup, Mews, based in Prague. He’s vice president of strategy and business operations at a company that aims to transform the hospitality industry. It’s a new experience for him — his first job with a college degree.

Dean Cookson ’22 doesn’t expect his newly minted college degree to open any doors. But it has helped him to reflect on the many he’s already walked through.

“He was great,” said the presiding professor, Frank Merat ’72, MS ’75, PhD ’78. “The students loved him.”

“Idid a presentation on 30 years’ worth of co-ops, basically, including 10 years in a CIO/CTO role. I was a little worried the kids were going to be bored by the old guy waxing poetic.”

Between freshman year and graduation, Dean Cookson squeezed in a remarkable career.

The overdue degree represents a milestone for Cookson, although one he’s accepting quietly and with some bemusement.

The veteran technology executive received his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering in January, some 35 years after starting classes at Case Institute of Technology. His capstone presentation, titled “How I Spent the Past 30 Summers,” was delivered to an audience of about three dozen graduating seniors.

Spring 2022 25 what I wanted to do,” he said. “I thought, you know, one thing I could do….” He emailed Dean Ragu Balakrishnan who, to his surprise, responded. Cookson was connected to the Depart ment of Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering, which was still waiting for his senior project. He was given a list of options to fulfill the requirement, including a presentation on his co-op. He registered for ECSE 398, paid his tuition, built a slide deck, and flew to Cleveland. On Nov 8, 2021, he walked into a lecture hall in the White Building. “I did a presentation on 30 years’ worth of co-ops, basically, including 10 years in a CIO/CTO role,” he said, laughing again. “It was fun. I was a little worried the kids were going to be bored by the old guy waxing poetic.”

“A lot of the critical thinking I learned at Case, how to look at the world, how to measure things you can’t really measure, actually helped a ton,” he said.

“I was employee number 315,” he recalled. “The next year, we hadHe1,600.”started out as a computer programmer but quickly became a designer of computer systems and an e-commerce specialist. In a whirlwind career, he went from COO at Snapfish to vice president and CTO at the upstart airline Virgin America — “a fantastic place to work.”Acouple of times in his career, he said, a hiring manager asked about a college degree, but the lack of one never held him back for long. “The Bay area tech world is pretty chill about that,” he explained.Hewassenior vice president and CIO at Red Robin, the gour met burger chain, when the pandemic devastated the restaurant industry. Remote school meant his two school-aged sons would be learning from home, in need of supervision. It seemed like a good time to get off the treadmill. He left Red Robin in 2020. “I had a chance to hunker down at home and think about Dean Cookson upon complet ing his private pilot check ride in December 2016.

D

In addition to describing several of the systems he designed for various companies, Cookson talked about engineering manage ment, navigating change, “lots of the soft skill stuff that engineers need,” Merat said. “The class loved him.”

Overdue degree

At Case, he had started as a double major — physics and saxo phone performance — but switched to computer engineering when he realized he was always playing in the computer lab, he said. Still, he feels the physics classes and music lessons gave him a good foun dation for jobs where he was often designing systems from scratch.

“Only 30 years late!” he said, laughing. “I’ve never been good at following instructions. You know, it’s neat, actually. It’s been kind of fun.”Hemeans the gradu ation experience, but he could have been referring to his whole headedcreditsyoungwasAmerica’scareer.techindustrymushroomingwhenaDeanCookson,afewshyofgraduation,toBostonin1990for a co-op with one of MITRE’s research and development centers. One semester of cooperative work experience became two, then a startup drew him into the vortex of the tech boom.

Steve Fossi ’78 Santa Rosa, California Steve has retired as the angies.KeysightmentbusinessglobaldevelopmanagerforTechnoloHiscareeraselectricalengi neer, sales manager, and senior executive at numerous companies included 27 years working for Hewlett-Packard and its spinoff Agilent Technologies.

1960s Bruce Banks ’64 Olmsted Falls, Ohio Bruce was induct ed into the NASA Glenn ter’sofasCenterResearchHallofFamepartofitsClass2021.Thecenmostpatented inventor, Bruce made significant con tributions to NASA’s efforts in electric propulsion, thin-film coatings, surface texturing, and atomic oxygen protection. He also found an array of uses for these technologies in the private sector.

Joannie Chin ’86, PhD Frederick, Maryland Joannie was named Director of the Engi neering Laboratory at the National Insti tute of Standards and Technology, where she was formerly deputy director. She leads a staff of more than 400 charged with developing mea surement science for critical national needs. Joannie earned her bachelor’s degree in polymer science and macro molecular engineering at Case Institute of Technology and her doctorate at Virginia Tech.

Julie Gerberding ’77, MD ’81 Huntingdon PennsylvaniaValley, Julie has retired from Merck after 12 years

1950s

James P. Buchwald ’54 Mount Vernon, Ohio Jim’s belief in engi neering education will long endure thanks to a scholar ship named in his honor. In January, Jim’s daughter, Karen Buchwald Wright, announced a $1.5 million gift to endow a full scholarship for an undergraduate student from Ohio attending the Case School of En gineering. Karen recently stepped down as president and CEO of Ariel Corp., which her father founded in 1966 and built into the world’s largest manufacturer of separable reciprocating gas compressors. Long retired, Jim contin ues to support community causes in his beloved Mount Vernon.

CLass notes with the pharmaceutical giant, where she most recently served as executive vice president of population health and sustainability. In March, she announced she has accepted the role of CEO of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. Julie was the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preven tion from 2002 to 2009, the first woman to hold the position. Over her career, she has been included in Forbes magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Women in the World, Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and Glamour magazine’s Women of the Year.

1980s Kandice Marchant, MS ’83, PhD ’85, MD Cleveland Heights, Ohio Kandice has opened Marchant Manor Cheese on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, where she makes and sells artisan Wisconsin-borncheeses.and raised, Kandice earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in materials science from Case Institute of Technology and then her medical degree from the CWRU School of Medicine. She became a pathologist at Cleveland Clinic and eventually Chair of the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute — the first woman at Cleveland Clinic to head a clinical institute. She now happily calls herself the Cheese Doctor.

1970s

“MCBDD programs have allowed him to be independent and function extremely well within the community.”

Andrew Olah, PhD ’85 Spencer, Ohio Andy was appoint ed to the Medina County Board forcommunityabilities,DevelopmentalofDisthecounty’sresourcecoordinating and funding services for people with developmental disabilities. “The major incentive which prompted me to apply for a seat on the Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities was the strong impact the agency has had on my son Patrick,” he said in a press release.

Cindy Zaharchuk ’89 Cleveland, Ohio Cindy is a senior electrical engineer for The Austin Co., one of the nation’s contractors,design-buildoldest headquartered in suburban Cleveland. She’s also an instrument-rated private pilot. Cindy earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Case Institute of Technology.

1990s

Aaron Henderson ’97 Bethel Park, Pennsylvania Aaron was named “One of 20 People to Know in Engineering” by the Pittsburgh Busi ness Times. He’s an Engineering Group Manager and Civil Practice Lead at Sci-Tek, a Pittsburgh engineering, surveying, and consulting firm, where he oversees a team of civil engineers, designers, and drafters. Aaron earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Case. Ketal Patel, MS ’97 North Royalton, Ohio Ketal is the co-founder and CTO of Vitalx change, a digital platform that helps parents and caregivers of special needs chil dren find guidance and resources. Previously he was an engineer ing director for Medtronic and software development manager for CardioInsight, a Case-connected startup. Ketal earned his master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the Case School of Engineering.

Theodore Otero ’99 Chagrin Falls, Ohio Ted was named one of Cleveland’s Top 500 Leaders, Doers, Visionaries & Idea Generators by Cleveland Magazine. He’s the president of Otero Signature Homes. Asked what he would tell his 16-year-old self, he told the magazine: “Hug your grandparents because you will miss them when they are gone.” Ted earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Case.

Jon has started a new position as Branch Chief at the NASA Glenn forphysi-cistCenter.ResearchAresearchforNASA30years,he’sone of the few NASA employees to be a two-time Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) winner. Jon earned his master’s and doc torate degrees in materials science and en gineering at Case School of Engineering. Ron Jezerinac ’93 Jupiter, Florida Ron reflected on his days as a runmadeasCWRUbasketballstandoutplayerfor(1989-1993)today’sSpartanstheirimprobabletotheSweet16in the NCAA Division III Tournament. “I wish someone would have told me to slow down a little bit. Survey our team and the other team more. Think your way through the game a little more,” he told The Daily, CWRU’s online newsroom. Ron is the founder and president of the Jezerinac Group, a structural engineering firm in West Palm Beach, Florida. Scott Stiefel ’93, MS ’93 Shaker Heights, Ohio Scott has casters.anderClevelandatpromotedbeentoco-CEOTelosAlliance,amanufacturofaudioproductssystemsforbroadPreviously,he was chief operating officer at the global company. Scott earned his Case degrees in electrical engineering.

Cheryl earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer engineering from Case School of Engineering and her doctorate in genetic and molecular epidemiology from CWRU.

2000s Xinsheng Lou, PhD ’00 West Hartford, Connecticut Xinsheng started the new year as the volunteer leader of the Industries and Sciences Department of ISA, the Interna tional Society of Au tomation, which sets industry standards and engages automation professionals. A control technologist for GE Power, Xin sheng earned his doctorate in systems and controls engineering at the Case School of Engineering.

Cheryl Thompson ’00, MS ’03, PhD Hershey, Pennsylvania Cheryl has started a new position as the Associate Director for Population Science at the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute and Professor of Public Health Sciences at the Penn State College of Medicine. Previously, she taught and served administrative roles at the CWRU School of Medicine for a dozen years.

Rob Stalder ’94 Emory, Virginia Rob is the new Chief Information Officer at Emory & Henry College in Virgin ia. Previously, he was CIO at Coahoma Community College in Mississippi. Rob earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Case School of En gineering and is a member of the board of directors of the Case Alumni Association.

Peter Johnson ’94 Gibsonia, Pennsylvania Peter recently travelled to Oświęcim, Poland, to help One Humanity Institute repair and furnish housing and community spaces for Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion — and to help hand out thousands of Teddy bears to Ukrainian children. To support his Ukrainian relief efforts, go to house-of-hope/.www.onehumanity.institute/

Jon Goldsby, MS ’91, PhD ’96 Strongsville, Ohio

Abdou A. Ayoub, MEM ’05 Middleburg Heights, Ohio Abdou is HefoundedAIdataofManagingtheDirectorParagonShift,aanalyticsandsolutionsfirmhein2010.startedhiscareer with Deloitte Consulting in Cleveland, working with clients in the Americas and Europe, and later transferred to the Deloitte Middle East practice, based in Beirut, Lebanon. A private pilot and a licensed scuba diver, Abdou speaks and consults around the world on topics related to data analytics and AI solutions.

ontwowhereNorthrop-Grumman,atsheisleadingprogramsfocusedrefuelingspacecraft in orbit. Previously, she was the Opera tions Manager for a portfolio of 13 Nation al Security Space programs in Denver. Lauren earned her master’s degree in me chanical engineering at Case and serves on the board of directors of the Case Alumni Association and the Industry Advisory Board for the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Ran Wei, MS ’14, PhD ’20 Sheffield Village, Ohio Ran is a doctoratehisOhio.SystemsCommercialengineerhardwareforBendixVehicleinElyria,Heearnedmaster’sanddegrees in electrical engineering at Case, where he was a ThinkEnergy Fellow with the Great Lakes Energy Institute. Timothy Nevin ’15, MEM ’16 Cleveland Heights, Ohio Tim has been pro moted to vice presi dent of operations at Cotsworks, a Cleve land-based designer and manufacturer of rugged fiber optical materials for harsh environments. Pre viously he was its director of strategic initiatives and director of manufacturing technologies. Tim is an Eagle Scout and an assistant scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America. Send your updates, including photos, about job promotions, professional development and personal milestones to casealum@casealum.org.

Ayonna Blue Donald ’01 Cleveland, Ohio Ayonna is the new Vice President and Ohio Market Lead for Enterprise Com munity Partners, a nationwide nonprofit that helps to place people in healthy, affordable homes, often through rehabilitation proj ects. Previously, she was the Director of the Department of Building and Housing for the City of Cleveland. A lawyer and an engineer, Ayonna earned her bache lor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the Case School of Engineering. She was president of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

2010s Tawny Bragg ’10, MEM ’12 Chicago, Illinois Tawny is a Specialty Account Manager at CVS Health, where she helps to bring specialty drugs to market. The job that keeps her most busy, she reports, is being a wife to Babajide and mother to “two beautiful boys,” Joshua and Tatum. Whenever possible, she loves to bake and work with youth.

Levon Pogosian, PhD ’01 Vancouver, British Columbia Levon has been awarded the Buchal ter Cosmology Prize, which vational,theoretical,“ground-breakingrecognizesobserorexperi mental work in cosmology.” He and his collaborator, Karsten Jedamzik, won first prize for their research on relieving the Hubble tension with primordial mag netic fields. The Hubble tension, one of cosmology’s greatest puzzles, concerns the apparent difference in the Hubble constant — or how fast the universe is expanding today — determined using different types of observations. The pair showed how to reconcile the difference by accounting for magnetic fields in the early universe. Levon is a Professor of Physics at Simon Fraser University.

CLass notes

Lauren Smith ’13, MS ’15 Arlington, Virginia Lauren is now a Program Manager for Satellite Servicing

Matt Davis ’12, MEM ’13 Cleveland, Ohio Matt has assumed a new position as Regional Manager for Parker Hannifin Corp., the global leader in motion and control technologies. Previously, he was business development manager and a product sales manager for the hydraulic valve division. Matt earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at Case while playing football for the Spartans.

Daniel Elgort, MS ’03, PhD ’05 New York, New York Daniel has been named Chief Data and Analytics Officer at M2GEN, a bioin formatics company that applies data and analytics to oncolo gy research. Previously he was the chief scientific officer at Covera Health. Daniel has spent his career at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and data science. He earned his master’s and doctorate degrees in biomedical engineering at the Case School of Engineering.

Santiago Chabrier ’17 Cleveland, Ohio Santiago has joined Avery Dennison as a team soroperationsaPreviously,manager.hewasmanufacturingsuperviforSherwinWilliams in Garland, Texas. He came to Case from Cleveland’s Max Hayes High School through the Envoys Program of the Case School of Engineering. Santiago earned dual degrees in chemical engineering and chemistry. Hivank Dokania, MEM ’17 Chicago, Illinois Shivank has joined delivery.mercializationforprogramCommerceCardinalasamanagerproductcomandPreviously, he was a project manager for Hyland Software in Cleveland. Shivank earned his master’s of engineering and management at the Case School of Engineering. His community service led to him being honored as a Civic Engagement Scholar by CWRU. Preethi Kumar, MEM ’17 Union City, California Preethi is now a technical program manager for Argo, a Palo Alto company that develops selfdriving technology for automakers. Previously, she was a technical program manager for Iron Ox, a sustainable food producer, and for the autonomous vehicle program of Uber. Preethi earned her master’s of engineering and management at the Case School of Engineering.

Jing (Zhao) Lyon ’16 Cleveland, Ohio Jing has joined Brite Energy Innovators as esacceleratorTheprogramsentrepreneurdirector.Warren,Ohio,focusonearly-stage companies in the energy sector. She previously was a project manager of Allganize and a project control analyst for Nexus Engineering, both based in Cleveland. Jing also founded her own company, EcoSpinners, while earning her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at Case.

Chioma Onukwuire ’17, MEM ’18 Dearborn, Michigan

Janet L. Gbur, PhD ’18 Canfield, Ohio Janet has been named to the ASTM International board of directors, where she will share her materials expertise. She is a research biomedical engineer and investigator in the Advanced Platform Technology Center at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center and a senior research associate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Case. Janet, an ASTM member since 2012, earned her doctorate in materials science and engineering.

Lauren Homack ’19 Youngstown, Ohio Lauren afterHubbard,castingengineerasEllwoodjoinedAluminumametallurgicalatitsnewshopinOhio,completinga metallurgical engineering development program. She earned her bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering at Case and was an All UAA Academic Honoree on the varsity swim team.

Chioma has joined Cardinal Commerce as a technical product manager. Previously, she was a compliance analyst for Wells Fargo. Chioma also leads the African fashion platform Chimu, which she founded while a student at Case. In January, she discussed her experience in cultural entrepreneurship as part of the CWRU Entrepreneurship Speaker Series.

Spencer Boyd III ’16 Canton, Michigan Spencer is an exterior startedCenter,AmericaMotorsengineerdesignforNissanatitsNorthTechnicalwhereheasanintern in 2014. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Case, where he was a member of the Emerg ing Scholars Program and the varsity basketball team. Kristina Collins ’16, MS ’19 Cleveland, Ohio Kristina was selected as a finalist in the 2022 K. Patricia Cross Fu ture Leaders Award of the Association of American Col leges and Universities. She’s a member of the inaugural cohort of AAC&U’s Future Leaders Society, which rec ognizes graduate students who show exemplary promise as future leaders of higher education. Kristina, the former president of the Case Amateur Radio Club, is pursuing her doctorate at Case in electrical engineering.

2020s Zoe Le Garrec ’20 Boston, Massachusetts Zoe is a field service engineer for inbachelor’sSheAutomation.Rockwellearnedherdegreemechanical engineering at Case, where she was president of the Women in Science and Engineering Roundtable and a member of the Humanitarian Design Corps. Isabel Mcleod ’20, MS ’20 New Paltz, New York Isabel is a bridge engineer

CLass notes

Menghong Wang, PhD ’20 Pasadena, California Menghong is a Mac MLB reliability engineer for Apple. She earned her doctorate in macro molecular science and engineering at Case, where she was a member of the inaugural class of the CWRU chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu, the honor society of materials scientists. Ryan Buechele ’21 Columbus, Ohio Ryan is a graduate teaching associ ate at Ohio State University, where he is pursuing his doctorate in physics and exploring high energy theory. He earned his bachelors’ degrees in mathematics and physics at Case while also earning a bachelor’s degree in music through the CWRU Department of Music. While at Case, Ryan won the Albert A. Michelson Prize for physics and played trumpet with the jazz band Blue Theory. Dean Cookson ’21 Denver, Colorado Dean received his bachelor’s degree in computer engi neering in Janu ary, 35 years after starting classes at Case Institute of Technology. Before completing his se nior project, he enjoyed a wide-ranging career as a computer programmer and technology executive that included CIO and CTO roles at the likes of Snapfish, Virgin America, and Red Robin restau rants. On Nov. 8, 2021, he returned to campus and delivered his senior project presentation, titled “How I Spent My Last 30 Summers.”

Class Notes are generated by personal submissions as well as by news releases, public announce ments, and LinkedIn postings. If you have news to share, please send your professional and personal updates to caselum@casalum.org.

Connor Nee ’21 Cleveland, Ohio Connor earningatteam.itsasHowmetjoinedAerospaceametallurgistonqualityassuranceHeinternedHowmetwhilehisbache

Khayln Miller ’19 Long Beach, California Khaylin has joined Boeing as an andaircraftcommercialsustainableassociatedesignanalysis engineer. He earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace and mechanical engineering at Case, where he was a Gates Scholar and a member of the National Society of Black Engineers.

Emma Wyckoff ’21 Columbus, Ohio Emma recently passed the FE Civil exam and re ceived her Engineer Intern trackputtingcertification,herontobecoming a professional engineer. She is an engineer-in-training at Gresham Smith. Emma earned her bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering at Case.

lor’s degree in materials science and engineering. He also helped his class mates as a Peer Advisor for the Case School of Engineering.

Julie Wasielewski ’21 Cleveland, Ohio Julie is a manufac turing engineer at TYLOK Fittings & Valves, where she interned while earn ing her bachelor’s degree in mechan ical engineering. A sister of Alpha Chi Omega at CWRU, Julie served on the leadership team of the Women in Science and Engineering Roundtable.

earnedNewPoughkeepsie,MastersModjeskiatandinYork.Shebothher bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering at Case, where she was the design lead on the Steel Bridge Team that went to the national championships.

TRIBUTE Al Gordon

Spring 2022 31 in MeMoriaM

1920 to 2022 plastic bobbins and other parts for the electronics industry. A longtime resident of Beachwood, Gordon was married to his beloved wife, Lillian, for 66 years before her death in 2014. He nurtured a home greenhouse and brightened area nursing homes with gifts of plants. In 1997, he was elected to lead the Case Alumni Association as president. He served two more terms, 2004-05, and 2005-06, and spent many years on the scholarship committee, where he helped to award hundreds of thousands of dollars to deserving students. For his support of the CAA and the Case School of Engineering, Gordon received a Meritorious Service Award in 1993. In 2007, he was honored with the Samuel Givelber ’23 award for promoting fellowship. Then, in 2011, he was presented the Silver Bowl, the highest honor bestowed by the alumni association.Funeral services were held March 22 at Berkowitz-Kumin-Bookatz Memorial Chapel in Cleveland Heights. Burial was in Mount Olive Cemetery. The family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, www.jewishcleveland.org/.

Joseph J. Benich Jr. ’65, MS ’68; Isle of Palms, SC; Sherman12-22-21L.Heller ’65; Wilmington, NC; 10-1-20 John W. King MS ’65; Grand Blanc, MI; 11-20-21 Lawrence J. Stephan MS ’68; Wayne, IL; 2-6-15 Dr. Peter Weiss ’69; Venice, FL; 10-19-21 James E. Eilers PhD ’71; Edwardsville, IL; 3-12-21 Thomas R. Sawyer ’72; Moscow, ID; 12-24-21 Albert O. Richardson MS ’74; Chico, CA; 11-25-21 Richard A. Lueckel ’80; Westerville, OH; 2-4-22 Doyle K. McKenzie White ’97; city unknown; 12-21-21

Francis J. Borofka ’40; Timonium, MD; 12-1-21 George Matlow ’40; Louisville, KY; 11-1-21 Albert Gordon ’41; Beachwood, OH; 3-20-22 Frank A. Leisey ’44; Golden, CO: 2-22 Frank Hach ’49; Chardon, OH; 11-18-21 Glenn W. Miller ’50 Cleveland, OH; 9-21-21 Frank R. Hondlik ’51; Naples, FL; 1-7-22 Paul E. Renas ’51; Gaithersburg, MD; 10-27-21 Wendel “Pete” V. Peterson ’53; Mayfield Village, OH; Richard1-19-22F.Schneider ’52; Sunnydale, CA; 10-25-21 Robert E. Kane, Sr. ’53; Huron, OH; 12-20-20 Bernard “Dave” Hanhilammi ’54; Columbus, OH; Richard2-4-22W.

A lbert “Al” Gordon ’42 relished the opportunity to help Case and Case students and spent a long life pursing both goals. He died March 20, 2022, at the age of 101. A long-time member of the board of the Case Alumni Association, Gor don served three terms as president and was honored with the association’s most distinguished awards. Meanwhile, he lived a life of adventure, entrepreneurship, and familialBorndevotion.andraised in Cleveland, Gordon went from Glenville High School to West ern Reserve College but soon transferred to Case Institute of Technology, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in metallurgy. He served in World War II as a naval officer and was stationed in Hawaii, just after the attack on Pearl Harbor, where he helped plan the Okinawa invasion. After the war, he and his brothers founded Cosmo Plastics, which manufactured

David F. Nyman ’60; Naples, FL; 1-16-22 Warren M. Young ’60; Farmddale, OH; 2-16-20 Patrick J. Chambers, Jr. ’61; The Villages, FL; 2-6-22 Melvin H. Schwartz ’62, MS ’64, PhD ’67; Skokie, IL; Nicholas10-31-21J.Smilanich, Jr. ’60; Rocky River, OH; 12-10-21 Robert F. Bond ’62; Atlantic Highlands, NJ; Norman11-14-21C.Harbert MS ’62; Hunting Valley, OH; Jan1-29-22F.Kreider ’64; Boulder, CO; 1-24-22 John E. Miller ’64, MS ’70; Greenville, NC; 11-10-21

Detrick, PhD ’55; Midlothian, VA; 1-1-22 Marion R. Musser ’57; Griffin, GA; 1-21-2 Douglas B. Sheppard ’57; Torrance, CA; 10-25-21 John A. Armbruster ’58; Chardon OH; 2-18-22 Joseph F. Denk, Sr. ’59; Willoughby, OH; 12-28-2 Thomas P. Kicher ’59, MS ’62, PhD ’65; Euclid, OH; Dr.2-19-22Edward (Ted) M. Pflueger ’59; Menlo Park, CA; Leonard2-2-22K. Tower ’59; Cleveland, OH; 3-27-21 Ervin Behrin ’60; Livermore, CA; 11-14-21 J. Samuel Bitler ’60; Raleigh, NC; 12-12-21 Daniel J. Gans ’60; Wallingford, CT; 12-13-21

The annual tradition of over hauling the bed was passed down from class to class. Kermit Lichty (CIT ’68) taught me what the bed typically needed, and recommended the local bicycle shop he used to respoke the extra-heavy duty bicycle wheels. I then trained Mark Witzke (CIT ’71) so that our winning ways endured after I graduated. “Jocks” in the chapter were recruited for the staggered relay team we used to sustain a winning pace.

While some chapters took the bed race in fun, for those who seriously tried to win, the race was grueling. Because of the tight turns, the beds usually sustained major wear — especially on the For Greek Week 1970, our bed logged yet another win. In celebration, our relay team carried me bodily down to Wade Lagoon to be “ponded.” Ponding at Case was a fraternity tradi tion of tossing someone into Wade Lagoon whenever something especially good happened to them. It was usually reserved for when a brother became “pinned” to his sweetheart, but could be used on any occasion deemed worthy. While I have many fond memories of my years at Case, Greek Week 1970 is the best of all.

As winter turns to spring in Cleveland, Case students’ attention turns to thoughts of outdoor fun. Back in the 1960s, Case Institute of Technology had 12 national fraternities represented on campus, a large number for such a small college. Since roughly half of the student body was Greek, Greek Week was arguably the biggest campus event come Activitiesspring.included pie-eating and beer-chugging contests, various carnival style booths, and, biggest of all, the frater nity Bed Race. The Bed Race used the double figure-eight path within Case Quad between Strosacker Auditorium and the Sears Building. Teams of runners pushed their chapter’s bed to earn a trophy (and bragging rights), proclaiming which fraternity had the fastest bed on campus. The only restrictions were that the bed had to be muscle powered, piloted by the president of that chapter, and have a mattress. By Ken Barker ’70 When Greek Week ruled In 1970, it mattered that SAE had the fastest bed on campus.

casealumni.org32 LONG WE’LL REMEMBER… “ ” wheels. Our bed was a tricycle sporting a wooden frame. Our design featured cambered rear wheels to counteract the stresses endured when cornering, but they took a beating anyway. I reconditioned the SAE bed my senior year (1970) to ensure our winning streak continued.

Ken, the former Senior Vice President of Research for Mellon Financial Co., is retired and living outside of Pittsburgh. Give him your regards at 66ragtoppony@gmail.com. A ponding in Wade Lagoon, 1970 SAE bed, 1970 “In hindsight, my fraternity experience helped me mature as a person, make lifelong friends, and imparted my fondest memories of my four years at Case.”

Sigma Alpha Epsilon was the perennial winner of the bed race (in addition to sponsoring the Beer Bust). I had pledged SAE in the spring of my freshman year. I was drawn to their song-filled parties, gorgeous house on Magnolia Road, and the affinity I felt for the brothers. In hindsight, my fraternity experience helped me mature as a person, make lifelong friends, and imparted my fondest memories of my four years at Case.

Making a blended gift is easier than you think. Simply choose a gift that works for you today, like support of the Case Fund©, and pair it with one that works for you in the future — like a bequest or a beneficiary designation.

rollover/ Qualified

distribution MAKE

• Ensure the Case Alumni Foundation can continue our efforts by making an investment to benefit future generations of students, faculty, and staff at Case;

Disclosure Statement: The information in this article is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Figures cited in any examples are for illustrative purposes only. References to tax rates include federal taxes only and are subject to change. State law may further impact your individual results.

• Inspire others to give, while creating a legacy that’s personally meaningful to you.

When you combine a gift today with a gift for the future, you:

Do More Through Blended Giving

Let us help you to see the impact you can make at the Case Alumni Foundation both today and in the future. Contact Stephen J. Zinram, Executive Director at 216.231.4567 or stephen.zinram@casealum.org to learn more, or for help getting started finding the right blend for you.

Plan Your Giving Strategy

GivinG Corner

Tangible

Gift

Bank

Life insurance policies Beneficiary

MAKE AN IMPACT TODAY or check Stock or appreciated assets personal property Life charitable charitable A DIFFERENCE TOMORROW in your will or living trust Retirement plan assets or brokerage accounts designations

Blended Giving: The Best of Both Worlds

Why Blended Giving?

income gifts IRA

• Provide immediate support for key priorities on the campus;

Cash

You can make a difference at the Case Alumni Foundation both today and tomorrow by combining your current gift with the intent to make one in the future. This type of giving, called blended giving, allows you to make an even bigger impact than you thought possible.

Finding the best combination of current and future gifts to meet your charitable and financial goals can be challenging. Our staff is available to work with you and your financial advisor or estate planning attorney to help you find the best giving options to meet your needs.

CASE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Tomlinson Hall, Room 109 10900 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44106-1712 CLEVELAND,ORGANIZATIONNON-PROFITU.S.POSTAGEPAIDOHIOPERMITNO.2120