My introductory experience to LGO was a little bit different from most. Nearly every student can tell you about their famous call from Don welcoming them to the program. It wasn’t quite the same for me. It was a Friday afternoon when I received the call from Don. He told me that they really wanted me in the program but that they weren’t sure that the engineering school was going to take me and he’d let me know the following week. My life was in limbo for a weekend before I found out that I was accepted. It wasn’t quite the call I expected. It was, however, a reflection of Don’s intellectual honesty, quirkiness, and authenticity.
While in LGO, I continued to see Don’s intellectual honesty and quirkiness. Don loved operations and he loved teaching students operations. He was always attentive during plant tour, seeing every kind of manufacturing operation from cars and Boeing airplanes to Kodak film and semiconductor equipment. As my thesis supervisor, he loved surveying the operation and helping identify a meaty problem to work on as part of my thesis – even in a cosmetics warehouse for Procter and Gamble. His enthusiasm was contagious and to this day I still love going on factory visits as well.
Since graduating, I’ve been fortunate to see Don in Boston for recruiting and conferences and in the Bay area for alumni events. I’ve appreciated his authenticity and genuine caring. Most recently, as I was in the process of searching for a new job and feeling a bit lost, I remember Don telling me, “Let me know how it goes” and I knew that he really meant it. In education and in work, it is rare to meet someone who generally cares about your well being when the intersection of your lives together have long past.
To his family, he talked about you with us and was proud of you. Thank you for sharing him with us so that he could impact our lives as well.