PAUL R BRUGGINK

Yes, I am the one in the picture. I was an undergraduate chemical engineering student in 1962-64. I think someone thought I was a graduate student, possibly because I transferred in from Hope college in Holland Michigan, where one can get a degree in chemistry but not chemical engineering, and was taking advanced chemistry courses at Illinois.

I was asked to join ΑΧΣ and did so without really comprehending what it was about and did not live at the house. I went through the initiation and a few meetings, and even helped out once at a subsequent initiation.

After getting my B.S.Ch.E, I went to work for Gulf Research & Development Co., outside of Pittsburgh, PA. That ended in 1985, a year after Chevron bought Gulf and closed the lab. After a year at Amoco Corporate Research in Naperville, Illinois (the only place I could find that would hire an old chemical engineer), I had an opportunity to return to the Pittsburgh area (which I really liked), and have been working at the Alcoa Technical Center for 17 years now.

I will be retiring early next year to go to work for my wife, who manages a small set of rental cabins (Hemlock Rest Cabins) in our favorite spot on earth (Cook Forest, PA, home of three of the six tallest trees east of the Mississippi), that we used to stay at on vacations and subsequently bought four years ago. Renting cabins obviously qualifies one to own and operate them. Much to my surprise, it's actually working out. We get to live in our favorite spot on earth, meet a lot of nice people, and enjoy the company of our children and grandchildren, who really like to come up and visit.