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Alumni Reunion 2007
NOTE: Reunion 2008 will take place on August 7, 8 & 9
Alumni Reunion 2007 Recap
"Your support makes change possible. You make a big difference."
-Glenn Mroz, (Class of '74) Michigan Tech President, addressing alumni at the banquet
The alumni who gathered last week rekindled memories of old times and old friends. Their stories varied, but the one constant was the University and its unique niche in the lives of people who look to Tech for a start in a career and citizenship. Alumni agree that Tech offers more than a degree. "Tech is a character-builder," says Janice Silvola Heather '57, of Laurium, Michigan. "It makes great human beings."
When some of these connected at reunion, nostalgia was thick in the air. "You almost want to come back," said one, remembering the good times. "Almost," joked another, remembering the work.
Added a third, Johnny Peavey '74, electrical engineering technology, who returned to his karate center in Kingwood, Texas, after having relished the hospitality at this 2007 reunion, his first. Everybody, he said, was "open-armed, warm, and welcome."
Photo Review
Click here to watch the photo review of Alumni Reunion 2007 Highlights
Alumni Stories
At the breakfast on Friday, President Mroz welcomed the many alumni returning to their beginnings. "I want to hear your stories," he said. "By telling what you've done in your lives, I can tell prospective students and their parents what their future will be like." Here are four of those stories:
Alumni Quotes
| "Michigan Tech alumni are indisputable evidence of the incredible value of this institution." -Scott Hartz, '81 and '83, addressing alumni at the banquet |
"You blazed a trail for us. Without you, the class of '97 would not have passed through these portals." -Derhun Sanders '97, talking about his predecessors. |
| "People ask, 'How do you do this stuff? How can you start a company, be a surgeon, and try to be a father and husband?' The first thing you do is-surround yourself with people who are a lot smarter than you. The second thing you do is-reach for goals that everyone tells you you can't reach. And, third, you persevere." -Dr. Matthew Songer '79, orthopedic surgeon and owner of a medical instrumentation business, talking about success |
"I was sixteen when I first heard the word 'forestry...' I wrote a letter up here, and it got into the hands of Bert Noblet, who was the head of the department of forestry at the time. Incredibly, he sent a letter back, and he said, 'Yes, by all means, we'd like to have you enroll up here.' I was amazed because I barely eked out a C-plus in high school. I probably couldn't get into this place today." -Dennis Teeguarden '53, who went on to a distinguished career in forestry and forest economics at the University of California, Berkeley |
| "You have helped to create this wonderful institution. The future depends on how much all of us get involved because it no longer is going to be sustained as public education. It's going to be supported largely by private donations and private involvement." -Ross Roeder, who attended Tech for two years in the mid-50s, about flagging state support for higher education |
"Michigan Tech holds a close place in all of our hearts. It has the opportunity to touch a lot of people-to change their lives. We've all been enriched by Michigan Tech." -Robert Stebler '57 " |
| "This campus is beautiful. It's gorgeous. One of the most beautiful campuses in Michigan, and I've been to a lot. They did a fantastic job, a marvelous job, on the new buildings." -Janice Silvola Heather '57 |
