While planning my trip to the San Francisco meeting to blog about some of the technical sessions, I also arranged to visit my sister in Santa Rosa. In going through a box of old photos among my Dad's effects to prepare for my visit, she found the photo on the left.
This was the student section of the AIChE at Northwestern University in 1948. My Dad (Dale Bergstedt) graduated in 1950, so he must have been a sophomore. After graduation he worked for his hometown Culligan on regenerable ion-exchange technology that became instrumental in modern-day water softening and deionization. He spent all of his career in water and wastewater treatment, also getting his Masters in Environmental Engineering from the University of Minnesota and his PE along the way.
When I enrolled at the University of Minnesota, I didn't think in my wildest dreams that I was following in his footsteps (teenage sons rebel, right?). It was just that I loved math, chemistry and physics, couldn't choose between them, and thought that chemical engineering allowed me to do all three!
Feel free to guess which one is my Dad. If you click on the picture you will get an enlarged version. Here's a recent picture of me that may (or may not) help you. The first person at the Annual Meeting that tells me correctly, row and place, will be treated to a glass of red wine (his favorite...and mine too). Hint: it's not a prime number!
Hope to see you all there, and look for my posts starting Monday evening!