Alum Notes
We take pride in celebrating the good news of our fellow alumni. Where has life taken you since graduation? Tell the Tech alumni community about career changes, achievements, family news, awards, and more by submitting an alum note using the form below.
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- Career Milestones
- Life Celebrations
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Class of 1959
John Johnson
November 16, 2022
After graduating Tech I received a BA in Economics from Tufts and an MBA from Columbia. I worked at Ford and GE in human resources before beginning what became a 37-year career in the Executive Search business. In those 37 years I ended up meeting hundreds of fellow Tech grads as clients and placements. Now happily retired in Naples, FL, I still run into Tech grads. I also interview applicants for Tufts and have had the opportunity to interview a number of Tech seniors applying to Tufts. They have all been outstanding individuals and students.
Class of 1963
Joseph Citron
November 16, 2022
My graduation from Tech in 1963 was followed by a long career as a student. College was Boston University and medical school was back in New York at Einstein College of Medicine.
The engineering background and knowledge I got from my Fort Greene alma mater prepared me for a life as a surgeon. The Mayo Clinic honed my skills and set me on my path to be a missionary doctor, teacher, and mentor to many.
I have retired to a small farm in rural Georgia where again my engineering skills help me build and repair.
I still love the area around and inside Tech. A favorite memory is the fiftieth class reunion at Tech! About 200 of the class of 1963 gathered and had a ball!
Thank you BTHS!
Class of 1954
Gary Bigel
November 16, 2022
I graduated BTHS in 1954 and received a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 1960 from CCNY and then, a few years later, a Master’s degree. Were it not for the background I received from BTHS, I truly believe I would not have successfully achieved these college degrees nor later success working in the engineering field.
Class of 1968
RALF HARTMANN
November 4, 2022
Brooklyn Tech gave me the foundation that has helped me all my years after graduation!
I fondly remember the Aeronautical course of study and some of the various courses I had to take. From Ms. Cincotta to Mr. Berman, to Mr. Esposito to “Crazy Al” for physics and of course our SOS! From the pattern-making class to the application in the foundry and all the way down to working on the T-6 aircraft. A school well remembered!
Upon graduation in 1968, I applied to about four colleges and got accepted to all. But I was just tired and mainly bored with classwork and could not fathom going on for another four years of school. So I volunteered for the Air Force, and because I scored so high in their qualification exams, the recruiter said I would be placed in a comparative field of work! What did the Air Force give me? Parachute Rigger and Ejection Seat Specialist!!! Minimum required test score was the 50th percentile. After one tour in the beautiful, downtown jungle in the Cambodia/Laos/Thailand triangle, I came “home” in 1971. I applied for a position as a Computer System Analyst and, after a second battery of test, I was accepted for advanced training. I then had subsequent tours in Germany, Spain, Nebraska, and finally New York. I was recruited for White House Communications, but turned down the offer. If I had been single though I would have taken the hand-picked position. While in Nebraska, I ended up controlling satellites, commanding them to record specialized global data and sending some of it to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon. My last active tour was to Plattsburgh Air Force Base where I served as the superintendent of communications for the base. I retired from the Air Force in 1988.
After the military, I worked for a French company, headquartered in Paris, and our plants in Canada and the US designed automated door systems for Alstom, Bombardier, Siemens, and Kawasaki. Traveled several times to India, Taiwan, Japan, Nevada, California where we had major rail projects. Retired again in 2011.
My wife and I built a house in the Adirondack Park, living near Saranac Lake, NY. We have a daughter in Alaska and a son about 45 miles away.
Thanks, Tech, for giving me the background and knowledge that helped in all my undertakings!
Class of 1960
ROBERT MOSS
November 1, 2022
My favorite non-academic class at Tech was the Inspection Lab, which was kind of a shop class, taught by Mr. Poland, who was also the baseball coach. I learned how to use all types of micrometers, vernier calipers, and other instruments that helped me in other aspects of my diversified career. Even now, being semi-retired, I still work in my own contracting business where accurate measurements, not necessarily to the 10 thousandths of an inch, are valuable working on all types of projects.
Class of 1952
Frederick G. Moritz
October 31, 2022
Upon graduation I was employed as a junior draftsman working for Mr. Ruffle, a former Brooklyn Tech teacher who had returned to industry. I then received my BSEE from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in 1956, followed by my MSEE in 1963.
I pursued increasingly responsible positions in electromechanical engineering, primarily in the design of computer peripheral equipment such as digital tape drives and high-speed line printers, becoming Chief Engineer of Bucode, Inc.
Was then co-founder and president of MFM Technology, a pioneer in the design of brushless DC motors and precision motion controls and systems for 25 years. MFM then merged with Bayside Motion Group, a manufacturer of planetary gear heads and linear slides. At Bayside I taught classes in motor control, electronics and servo system theory.
I have been granted 20 U.S. and foreign patents in the electronic and motion-control fields.
I published a book, Electromechanical Motion Systems – Design and Simulation ( J. Wiley & Sons) that is a concise introduction to the precision motion-control field.
Note: Even after all these years I still have the soldering iron that I fabricated in electrical shop at Brooklyn Tech; it still works very well!
Class of 1962
Joe Weingarten
October 31, 2022
After graduating Tech in 1962 I went on to NYU to study Mechanical Engineering. Four years later, with a degree in hand, I received an offer from the USAF that I could not refuse. A direct commission with no boot camp, no training at all. I was sworn in as lieutenant, put on a uniform on, and went to work as an engineer. My first job was to design the US mail system for Vietnam as it had been taking two months to get a letter to a solider in the field. I developed a containerized system and got delivery down to two weeks. But in doing that I kept asking questions about why are we doing this and that. Those questions led to my being given time off to study the ‘why’ to one of my questions. I found that aircraft were being built for a crash that would never happen and I changed the internal structural criteria for aircraft by 2/3. Since 1974 every aircraft and spacecraft in the world uses my criteria, so when you buckle your seat belt remember its structural criteria started at BTHS. For this work I was selected at the top young Aerospace Engineer in the nation by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). One day, the USAF told me they were withdrawing my ME in the records and changing it to Aerospace. NASA had me develop the criteria for the shuttle and now every spacecraft uses it. I remained with the AF in R&D for the next 30 years, resulting in 11 patents and lots of other inventions and papers. I credit this in a big way to Tech and Mr. Marx, my German teacher, as he used to use his favorite word, beobachten (to observe).
Yes, I observe and ask why, then find solutions. If I tell you many of the USAF solutions I would have to….
After the USAF I opened an Apple Computer store and it grew to one of the largest in the nation. Apple executives showed up to see what I was doing.“You don’t charge for tech support even to people who did not buy from you.” “That’s right and next time they will buy from me.” Today Apple calls it the Genius Bar. Today, I write books on aviation and military insignia and enjoy seven grandchildren. By the way, I knew how to wear that uniform from my many years in the Boy Scouts and am still a Scout.
Class of 1966
Dan Kaye
October 26, 2022
Tech memories:
- The belt jungle (machine shop lathes operated via belts from overhead-driven shafts)
- Large-scale slide rule hung above blackboard as a teaching tool on its use
- Mr. Heepe (Teacher)
- The auditorium
- Principal’s first speech to us as new freshmen: “One out of every three of you will not finish at Tech.”
- Pattern making
- Foundry
- 8th floor gym
- School lunches paid with plastic chips
Worked for Allied-Signal Inc., now called Honeywell, for 27 years as a mechanical engineer. Now semi retired, just doing part-time consulting work, and living in Richmond, VA since 1979.
Class of 1961
Ira Meislik
October 26, 2022
On October 31, 2021, I retired from the practice of law. I loved the practice, but always had the following statement in the back of my head: “No one on their deathbed ever said I wished I had spent more time in the office.”
That leaves Karen (58 years of marriage, 65 years since we met) and me here in San Diego (since 2016). Are you asking why? Number 1 Family Feud answer: “Grandchildren.” All four are here in Southern California and we couldn’t get them to move to New York City. So, we followed them (and our two children) here.
So, what fills my day that didn’t before retirement? I’ve been taking serious classes at UCSD and at San Diego’s Community College, ones that didn’t fit in our BTHS curriculum or at Poly or in law school.
Regards to all. I can be reached by email, if you can’t find a different way.
Class of 1965
Stephen Woolbert
October 25, 2022
After Tech graduation, and attending Northeastern University, I spent the next 20 years as an engineer in the food and beverage industry, then the next 20 years in healthcare. I’m retired and live in West Hartford, CT. I spend my time volunteering at the Connecticut Humane Society, playing golf, and traveling. I still stay in touch with several Tech friends from the Aero course. I get a real kick hooking up with Technites and sharing our life stories.
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