Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1531663
JANUARY 2025 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 29 school. I experienced the joy of tactical, applied learning. I was exposed to draing, photog- raphy, printmaking, and wood shop (where I built a sailboat for the local regatta), and met- als/electrical shop, which covered welding, sheet metal, electrical and working with differ- ent power tools. at was followed by a class in electronics. I learned about soldering, elec- trical components, electronics, and ladder logic programming, all before I entered high school, which, by luck, was the smallest and most remote high school in the mountains of Oregon, but with the state's highest academic record. It made a huge impression on me. I'm guessing many of your generation had similar experiences. Unfortunately, today's U.S. public education lacks those applied education experiences. Yes, and if the erector sets, chemical kits, and shop classes didn't seal my fate as an engineer, then the "space race" with Russia certainly did. Culturally, there was a new focus on science. We were in the race of our lives, and it would take a lot of smart people to get us to where we wanted to go. Studying engineering made a lot of sense. I selected chemical engineering as they had the highest starting salaries. By the time of the moon landing, I had grad- uated with two degrees in engineering (but joined the Army Reserve to get a deferment to complete those degrees) and was working at Hewlett Packard (HP) with Bill Hewlett and David Packard. ey were amazing inventors, engineers, and entrepreneurs. at is where my printed circuit board journey began. It seems engineering runs in your family, as your two sons also became engineers. How did that come about? My sons took an interest in my hobbies: mak- ing and building things. I was working for HP, managing the NanYa PCB program, and we lived in Taiwan and Hong Kong. ere was no English-language television to occupy their time. ey played frequently with Smart LEGOS, which I was happy to bring home from my travels in Europe and Japan, where the Books that helped Happy nurture a love for science fiction. Images from Happy's days at Hewlett Packard in 1970.