I’M
A WOMAN, W-O-M-A-N
Stevens
Alumni office inviting me to attend a luncheon on October 11, 2008 in Tempe
that would feature two speakers, both newly minted engineers from the class of 2008.
I phoned the Alumni office in order to register and spoke with Ken DeGraw, 1957.
He sent me the names of ninety seven Stevens graduates who live in the Phoenix area,
asking me to phone some of them to stir up interest in the event. I did, but
had little success. Only six of us attended the affair. We joined Ken, his wife,
Marge, and chatted with the two featured speakers before digging into our
chicken and peas meal.
Each
of the graduates then told us about themselves.
One, a young man, said he graduated with an Electrical Engineering
degree and now works in Tucson for
the Naval Sea Systems Command. I must admit, I had no idea what his employment
entails. His remarks were mundane.
The
other graduate, a young woman with a Mechanical Engineering degree then took
center stage and bowled me over. Stevens did not admit women until sometime in
the mid 1970’s, but until now, I had not come face to face with any of them.
“I
work in Tucson , my home town, at Raytheon’s
Missile Division, helping to blow things up.”
I
asked, “Why did you attend Stevens instead of the University
of Arizona
“My
parents insisted I attend a few of the college recruiting sessions conducted at
high school. The Stevens recruiter arranged to fly me to Hoboken
to see the campus. That did the trick. I accepted the school’s offer of an academic
scholarship
"I
spent a few summers working in Peru
for a mining company and speak Spanish fluently. I play the piano at almost a
concert level of ability. I became the president of the school’s chapter of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers; appeared in a show as a member of the
Dramatic Society; became a member of both the fencing team and the yacht club,
although I had never sailed until I arrived in Hoboken .”
Someone
asked, “Did male students harass her while she pursued her education.
“No.”
I
asked, “Do you think you are a role model?”
“No.
I would encourage girls to enter the field of mechanical engineering if they
have the skills and desire.”
I
noticed she wore absolutely no makeup.
Ken
informed us that the school’s Honor System remains in force, and students must
still take four years of Humanities to graduate.
My
scholastic achievements at Stevens were nil. No military defense contractor
would have employed me upon graduation. I could never be hired to blow up a
missile, on purpose. I could and did destroy many aircraft, however. Some of my
balsa wood model airplanes never made it out the box, let alone a hanger.
The
Alumni Office wants to arrange another luncheon, in April 2009. I have made
tentative arrangements to hold it at Monti’s La Casa Viejo in Tempe .
Ken suggested we invite some distinguished Stevens graduate as our featured
speaker. The one he had in mind appears on YouTube spouting off on how it is
possible to convert algae into diesel fuel. Good God. I can’t stand technical
talk. It is my hope he can round up another girl graduate, one who could
recommend some classy Hoboken bars,
an oxymoron.
▀
.
No comments:
Post a Comment