Hello, classmates. Karen (Anderson) Coghlan here with a note about Rich Winant and Bob Fisher.

I am delighted to tell you all that this year, both Rich and Bob have both been selected from the class of 1961, along with five honorees from other classes, for induction into the River Dell Distinguished Graduate Hall of Fame.

 Rich holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Services, concentrating on educational, social, and organizational change in urban environments, despite the fact that he was kicked out of college on his first try. Rich served in Vietnam and while on active duty, married Dorcey, his wife of just-short-of 50 years. He is committed to the value of public higher education and has spent his career promoting opportunities for many to achieve their educational goals. He is also actively committed to the civic good, serving on theater boards, historic commissions, and community and state advisory boards. Rich is also a Revolutionary War reenactor, having fought in about 50 battles since 1997. He was recently elected first vice president of the Lehigh Valley American Revolutionary War Round Table. Rich’s favorite avocation, though, is storytelling, which he has done at schools from Abbeville, South Carolina, to Bedford, Massachusetts.

All of Bob’s degrees are in physics. His doctorate is in laser physics and the closely related field of nonlinear optics. I get the laser physics part. Bob has tried to explain nonlinear optics to me several times and it is totally beyond me. Internationally recognized, he has made profound contributions in the field, pioneering research discoveries both in experimental findings and in theoretical predictions. For example, in 1969, Bob published and patented a technique for taking the world’s then shortest laser pulses and making them 100 times shorter, changing the world of picosecond science to the world of femtosecond science. See what I mean? Bob’s softer side is his enjoyment of volunteering - coaching disadvantaged children in chess, mathematics, mandolin, and guitar - and his love of, and proficiency at, those two instruments. He plays professionally and teaches, and is presently a finalist for the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Mentor of the Year award.

 There will be a dinner honoring our two classmates at Seasons in Washington Township on October 19, 2017. A registration form is attached. It would be wonderful to see some old friends that evening as Rich and Bob join Harvey Weiss, RD ‘61’s 2013 inductee, in the Distinguished Graduate Hall of Fame.

There is also an opportunity to put a congratulatory ad in the evening’s journal. If anyone is interested in doing that, please email me at kcoghlan@comcast.net and I will send you the information.

 Kindest regards to you all, and I hope to see a bunch of you in October.

k