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Marine Systems Employees’ Association
Volume 19 Number 1 September 27, 2018
Meetings Prior Luncheon Meeting - Spring 2018 Our Spring 2018 luncheon meeting was held at the Nile Shrine Country Club on Thursday, April 26. We had a record turnout of over 85 people to hear some of our own recount their experiences on the Hughes Glomar Explorer Project. Larry Armbruster led the discussion with a summary presentation. Principal project team members, including Dick Abbey, Hank VanCalcar, John Owen, Pat Maes, Ken Prentiss, and George Diefenbach then participated in an informative round table discussion covering both the technical and personal challenges of the project. Many friends and family members of those who participated in the mission attended to hear first-hand about the “Taking of the K-129”. For those who were unable to attend, a link to the presentation material can be found below. Video credits to Michael White and his movie “The Azorian Project”. https://1drv.ms/p/s!Ah4RbyzkrFO4iPACivSZIYD1ln5Pxg Officers The current slate of officers, with their contact info, is:
President Mal Harnois 425-742-3185 [email protected] Vice President Carl Gowler 206-518-4743 [email protected] Past President Larry Armbruster 425-348-3734 [email protected] Web Master Mike Goodreau 206-779-7565 [email protected]
Secretary-Treasurer Laura Johnston 425-770-1671 [email protected] Newsletter Editor Lee Brissey 425-482-0536 [email protected]
Historian Pat Maes 425-745-1203 [email protected]
MSEA thanks the volunteers above for continuing to carry the flame. The organization depends on volunteers to keep track of our members, including their journeys, challenges, interests, and activities, as well as to organize the biannual luncheons and Newsletter.
Our New Vice President Many thanks to Carl Gowler who has graciously agreed to take on the VP Position. It is volunteers that keep the organization running, and Carl’s willingness to serve is sincerely appreciated. MSEA Info
Our MSEA website is at www.mseaorg.wordpress.com. The website posts meeting announcements, archives newsletters and other items of interest. Submit comments or memorabilia information to our webmaster, Mike Goodreau. Email deliveries reduce our costs significantly, especially as these Newsletters have grown and become more informative of your activities. As we are on a very tight budget, we will be sending this Announcement and Newsletter by email only to all those members for whom we have valid email addresses. Printed copies are being mailed to a limited subset of the membership. If you have received this Newsletter by email and still require a printed/mailed version, please contact the Newsletter editor at [email protected] and one will be mailed to your address of record.
Also note that if you wish to continue receiving MSEA Newsletters and Meeting Announcements, please be sure to keep your dues up to date. Note that the “paid-through” status sheet sent as part of the Meeting Announcement shows current member dues status. If you are not current, please bring your dues up to date or pay forward. Even if you are not planning to come to the Fall 2018 luncheon, checks can be mailed to Laura Johnston at the address included with the accompanying announcement. If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, or you have any address, phone number or email changes, please forward this information to Laura Johnston (425-770-1671, [email protected]). Please send other news items to Laura with your MSEA luncheon remittance or email news items to [email protected].
Newsletter
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Member News (Note: Newsletter Editor has taken some minor editorial license with member inputs/notes) From Jim Eldred: Hi Lee…. I think I did respond to you last year, and if so this year’s response is very nearly the same: I am still working at Leidos (the old SAIC - some other employees you know are also still here), and I generally enjoy it. June and I spent some time in the San Juans and Gulf Islands with Al and Patty Herold (they have a C-Dory), but this year we had three relatives on board as well (also boaters from Minnesota), so it was a bit crowded on our 28 ft, but we made it work. And we enjoy time at Hood Canal digging clams and shucking oysters. (We migrated from a tent to a trailer a few years ago and had a well dug. I think this is old news.) Jim From John Billings: After having lived 40 years in the same house in Ballard (a 15-minute walk from the old Honeywell facility on Shilshole) John and Luanne Billings have moved to Tacoma. Having finally had our fill of gardening chores we found a condo overlooking Commencement Bay which we moved into in July. Still getting settled in and learning the neighborhood but the building community is very cordial and helpful. John’s daughter and grandchildren live nearby, and we feel ourselves putting down roots. John is in his element volunteering at the Gig Harbor boat shop learning the craft of wooden boat restoration. From Norm Gillespie: All well in San Diego. We are living in a Continuing Care Retirement Community on the north side of San Diego for two- and one-half years now. A very good move, and we should have done it a few years earlier-no home maintenance, no cooking, great food, a large family of friends, too many activities. Life is good. We are having a long-term drought here, please send water. Large worries of wildfires all over the state and fire season still for many weeks. We had a small wildfire too close to our complex a few weeks ago, but luckily no damage to us. Pat and I in good health and mobile and active. Tennis still my vice. Went indoor sky diving on my 90th last November. All best to you all. Lots of good memories over the years. Maybe I’ll get up for a luncheon one of these days. From Roger Campana: Hi All, Ellen and I moved to Portland, OR in 2014, and I subsequently retired in 2016. We just returned from a really cool trip to Quebec and look forward to be a part of this new group. I have not seen John Owen since we bumped into he and Sam at the Twisp market about a million years ago! Thx, rog mobile: 360-359-1253 From Ray Castor: Chery and I will not make the fall MSEA gathering since we'll be traveling around South America. Our lives over the past year have revolved around family, friends, traveling, and our cabin in SE Alaska and a little bit of work at Leidos. Life is good. Hope to see everyone at the Spring gathering. Ray & Chery Castor From Carl Gowler: In the last MESA Newsletter, I indicated that the NEPER was going to be up for sale due to the owner’s health issues. After a few months his doctor said that he (Phil) had a good recovery. He then wanted to keep the NEPER and continue living aboard. He had to move everything back aboard after he and his son cleared everything out in preparation for the sale. Phil has now again moved aboard and is catching up the ongoing maintenance. He plans to have her hauled out in Pt. Townsend and do below waterline work then back to Poulsbo to winter over.
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From Larry Armbruster Camp “Run-A-Muk” Gathering For many years Jeff and Penny Scott have graciously held a biannual campout at their hacienda in Sun River Oregon. This year it was held the last week in June. Honeywell attendees included Mike and Joan Fager, Bob and Linda Twigg, Pat and Trish Kelly and Larry and Jean Armbruster. Because Jeff has a shop that is the envy of all, he always plans an activity and this year’s activity was knife making. He repaired an old blower donated by Mike and then built a charcoal forge and also built a propane forge. Lawn mower blades were turned into knife blades. The women had a great time visiting and shopping.
Bob Twigg and Pat Kelly in Jeff’s Shop
Larry and Pat with Jeff’s propane forge
Mysterious Witness
Pat Kelly: Encouraging Larry to work harder
Pat and Jeff installing steering damper on the Kelly’s RV
Contemplating the Meaning of Life Right to Left-Front; Larry, Jeff, Bob, Pat
Right to Left-Back: Linda, (two friends of Jeff and Penny), Penny
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From Dennis Garrood: This past June, Dennis Garrood and Lee Brissey embarked on a Land and Sea Photo Tour of Alaska including Kenai Fjords and Lake Clark National Parks. Both areas are only accessible by boat or bush plane. Unfortunately, the weather negated the boat trip to the Kenai Fjords, but we found plenty of wildlife and vistas to and from Seward - our planned port of departure for the boat trip.
The pictures are just a small sampling of the diversity of wildlife that we encountered along the way.
The highlight, by far for each of us were the three families of Alaskan Brown (Grizzly) bears that we encountered in and around the Silver Salmon Creek Lodge situated on a beach on the western shores of Cook Inlet in Lake Clark National Park. The lodge is about 1 hour by small plane from Anchorage. This area is noted for viewing brown bears in their natural environment and both of us were amazed at how close we were able to safely observe the bears.
The main mode of transportation while at the Lodge was the ubiquitous quad runner pulling one or more trailers full of photographers.
As evidenced in the pictures were the “damp” conditions that prevailed during our three day stay; but hey, what’s Alaska without rain and bugs! Speaking for both of us, I’m sure we’ll be back to Alaska for more. From: Nick D’Ambrosia: After Marine Systems announced its closure, I went to work at a small ultrasound startup called SonoSite in Bothell. At SonoSite, I helped develop numerous ultrasound machines, learned about medical device development, and moved into technical management. SonoSite was acquired by Fujifilm 13 years later and I moved on to Stratos Product Development, an engineering consulting firm in Seattle. At Stratos, I hired and managed a team of software and firmware developers. We created numerous consumer and medical devices – always something unique and novel to work on. Stratos closed last year so I moved to Echodyne Inc., a startup developing meta-material-based radar systems for AUVs, surveillance, and autonomous vehicle markets. I’m still living in Wallingford and married to Isabel (26 years for both). Our two sons, Joe and Sam, are in college. Joe will graduate from Western Washington University with math and education degrees in a year or two. Sam is in his first year at the University of Washington, studying physics, and philosophy.
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From Terry and Linda Corcoran: The Corcorans will miss the Fall 2018 luncheon. Few things have a higher priority than MSEA, but ND vs Navy in San Diego does.
Proud grandparents with daughter Katie and son, Aden Roan, during a visit to Morgantown, WV. Aden had malrotation at birth requiring lifesaving surgery. But five months later he is fine and is up to 16 lbs. While being a doting mother, Katie is teaching on-line classes at West Virginia University and has recently completed a book with Professor Wellman (UW) and Kate Stockly (a Boston U grad student.) The book, entitled High on God: How the Megachurch Conquered America is undergoing review and should be published by next summer. Katie and Mike are already looking to buy a home to accommodate their larger family.
Despite a bad knee, Donald James “DJ” Corcoran and Julia Frances Smith were snow shoeing with one of their dogs, Sadie Mae. Blu did not make the trip. DJ was recently promoted to Senior Program Manager at Synsor in Everett. Synsor is a privately owned company that builds kiosks for various chain stores located throughout the US, including Starbucks. DJ is responsible for bids, build and final delivery and acceptance of all their kiosks. He travels a lot but still manages to relax with two very playful dogs. Julia teaches at the Northshore School District, rides a motorcycle, and easily manages both DJ and the dogs.
From Mike Bonsignore: Hello to all the Marine Systems members and their families! Sheila and I are well, enjoying life and dividing our time between Seattle and Santa Barbara. We have quite a bucket list and just completed a visit to Argentina and Bolivia. Next is a journey around New Zealand next spring. We sold our wonderful boat Tuko last December after thirteen years exploring the one thousand miles between Seattle and Skagway. Hank and Carolyn VanCalcar met us on their boat Sandpiper a few times, so I could give Hank a fishing lesson! Our three offspring and five grandchildren are doing well. Hudson, our eleven-year-old, is my fishing buddy and anxious to get on with archery and fly casting. How great is that! I have been on the National Geographic Board for 14 years at a time of great concern for the state of our planet and how it can be rescued. Climate change, ocean plastics pollution and over population are the centerpieces of our grants and program investments. Social media has dramatically extended our storytelling reach to millions of people around the world.
Sheila and I look back on our eleven years at MSD and all the clever and dedicated people we met there. It was my best job in thirty years at Honeywell. We send you all warmest regards, best wishes and a future filled with good health. “We are living a full life as long as we can”. Mike
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Passages Roger Christensen: Our dear friend and colleague Roger Christensen passed early on the morning of 14 May 2018. He passed at his condo in hospice care peacefully and without pain. He was surrounded by family and up until his final days he was visited by many friends. A Celebration of Life was held on 9 June at the Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore Washington and was attended by a number of Roger’s MSEA friends and colleagues. We’ll all miss this wonderful colleague and good friend who always embodied an enduring positive spirit. To the very end his glass was always way more than half-full. Larry Johnson: From Barbara Kim: My husband Larry Johnson died Sunday June 3rd, 2018, at 4.07 PM. He was very comfortable. He quietly took his last breath while our daughter Katriz was massaging his feet. It doesn’t seem real that Larry is gone, but I know that he is in heaven and probably working on his latest app. He was always writing new programs. Larry accepted salvation that was freely given. With gentleness, respect, and in truth, always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the HOPE that you have.
Photos from Spring 2018 Meeting
“Azorian” Project Team Members share memories and anecdotes in a round-table discussion. Larry Armbruster, George Diefenbach, Dick Abbey, Hank VanCalcar, Pat Maes, John Owen.
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John Owen, Red McKinney John Brenan
Jean, Sharon, and Erich Armbruster John Steiner, Dick Scribner
Manuel Gonzalez
Larry Lehtonen and Laura Johnston Hank Van Calcar, Dick Souslin Carolyn Graves
Chuck and Rosalie Preble John Balk
Figure 1 Ellis and John Steiner Dick Scribner John Owen, Red McKinney
John Brenan Dennis Duncan, Jim Eldred
Lin Corcoran, Doris Lagoe Jean Armbruster, Linda Twigg Joan Fager
Tom Powers John Brenan, Luci Powers
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Lee Brissey, MSEA Newsletter Editor (425-985-6640); [email protected]
Ken and Jaci Mohn Clyde Laughlin, Linda Jeschke
Carl Gowler
Laura Johnston, Mike Goodreau Larry Armbruster
Mal Harnois, Pat Maes Bob Higgins
Alan, Gary, and Ken Prentiss
Kathie and Bob Ward Laura Johnston
Bob Twigg, John Balk Christa Balk, Carolyn Van Calcar
George Diefenbach, Mal Harnois Bob Twigg
A great turnout to share good memories and hear about the “Taking of the K-129”
Manuel Gonzalez, Dick Abbey Ken Prentiss
