News From Fort Schuyler

March 13, 1998 - Volume 2, No. 13

LATEST WORDS FROM PROFESSOR CHU - On Monday morning FEN-DOW-CHU called the Engineering Department and stated the obvious: "Fen-Dow is not dead!" He reported that he is doing very well after undergoing quintuple bypass surgery on March 6. According to the Chairman of the Engineering Department, CHARLES MUNSCH, Class of 1973, Fen-Dow will be coming home today for six weeks of recuperation before returning to the classroom.

OH, THAT COMPUTER GENERATION! - For those of you who may be new to computers, don't assume that you have invaded the exclusive domain of the X-Generation. FERGUSON J. BYARS (A.K.A. "Fuzzy" or "Fergie"), Class of 1939, notes that "...though I'm 80 I work every day as a computer instructor in an elementary school where I keep a slew of teachers, 800+ kids and more than 50 computers humming. If anything goes wrong with the machines the teachers send a kid to "get Fergie!"

Fergie's 80th was recently celebrated in a big way with an hour-long school-wide assembly at Pioneer Valley Elementary School in Washington State, were he works as the computer technology assistant. Local newspaper articles not only described the event, showing Fergie dancing to the song "YMCA" with the kids, but they also noted that Fergie's favored transportation is his Honda 900cc motorcycle. The school librarian is quoted as saying: "He'll ride up to your house on that giant motorcycle - on his own time - to help you solve a computer problem. He's like a kid with a puzzle about anything that has to do with technology. " Fergie says, "I live now the same way I used to 30 to 40 years ago. I just like to be at the forefront of technology, to stay curious and keep learning."

The article went on to say that: "In the past 80 years, Byars has traveled far from the tent where he was born on a small plot of land in Montville, NJ. He headed for South America and the Far East with the merchant marine. Years later, he flew over those oceans as a navigator for Pan American Airways on "flying boats", luxury transoceanic planes." Modes of transport beyond the Honda? "I don't plan to do any skydiving or bungee jumping anytime soon. Or, who knows? Maybe I might."

Fergie's wife Patti of 14 years, commenting on their 25 year age difference, thought he was in his forties when they first met and admits that she was dumbfounded to find that he was actually 63. But Fergie "does all the cooking and the two go square-dancing every first and third Saturday of the month." As the librarian noted, "...he has so much vim and vigor that people are just floored when they find our he's 80." So Fergie, a belated "Happy Birthday" from all of us here in cyberspace at News from Fort Schuyler and keep up the good work. (Source: E-mail correspondence and newspaper clippings from The News Tribune.)

WHAT IS THE MYSTERIOUS ATTRACTION? - According to ROBERT BERCIK, Class of 1952, his half mile-long street in Hobe Sound, Florida, has two other Fort Schuyler residents: EUGENE R. "BOB" BURDON, Class of 1952 and CHRISTIAN UECKER, who will be graduating in the Class of 1998. Robert asks, "Can any other street beat this?" (Source: E-mail correspondence)

GETTING PERSONAL - A new personal home page from ROD McFADDEN, Class of 1975, is located at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/2906. Rod even provides two links to the Maritime College website. For your corporate web list, BLAINE COLLINS, Class of 1986, invites a visit to The Det Norske Veritas Division Americas page at: http://www.dnvda.com It's got all the bells and whistles, even a slide show. DNV is currently celebrating 100 years of doing business in the US.