You know, I spend more time in Ohio than I would like to admit. It's kind of funny, because I always rag on that state with my fellow Michiganders, but I'm always down there. Case in point. I attended another Tau Beta Pi initiation this past Friday in Dayton. Wright State University (Ohio Mu) had their initiation and I attended as the official regional/national representative. I also managed to con (not really, but it sounds better) my mother into heading down there with me. It worked out well because I ended up not having to drive! Of course, the entire reason she tagged along was so she could visit our family friends (the Eiseles) who now live outside of Dayton. So while I was attending the initiation ceremony and banquet, she was able to spend time with them and catch up.

The interesting part here was who I got to meet at the banquet. They initiated a woman named Annette Clayton into their Chapter as an eminent engineer (someone who wasn't made a member as a student, but has made great contributions as a practicing engineer). So I ended up sitting at the invited guests table which included Ms. Clayton and several other folks. Well, it turns out that Annette is the president of Saturn. Yes, the Saturn that makes cars! She graduated from Wright State a number of years ago and the Chapter found out and initiated her because of her achievements. It was really interesting to hear about her career, her experience with GM, and her thoughts about various engineering matters. My involvement with Tau Beta Pi keeps things interesting!

After dinner, I headed back to the Eiseles and talked for a little while. We set off around 10:15 PM and didn't make it home until 2:30 AM. However, it was well worth the trip!

Posted by Curt at January 18, 2003 11:27 AM