2020 Hall of Fame Inductee
Wesley Anderson - Teacher
Wesley Anderson started teaching at Patrick Henry High School (PHHS) in 1955. He spent a total of thirty years teaching Social Studies exclusively at Patrick Henry. Twenty-eight of those years were in classroom #210. American History was the focus of most of the classes he taught during his tenure at PHHS. I remember Wesley as not only one of my favorite teachers, but one who was highly respected by both faculty and students. After our conversation, I knew more about this great educator and the path that brought him into the lives of PHHS Alumni.
Wesley Anderson was born in March 1, 1928 and was raised on a farm in Buffalo, MN. Wes has one brother that will be turning 98 in August 2020. Wes’s mother Phoebe Melin had 2 sisters. Each of her sister’s married men with the last name Anderson. Wes’s father, William managed the farm with his wife. Unfortunately, both parents developed tuberculosis (TB). His mother passed on from complications of TB when Wes was only seven. Four years later, his father, passed when he was eleven. Extended family on his mother’s side took both boys in and the farm life was left behind. Wes and his brother came to Minneapolis in the 1936. They lived with their mother’s sister (Ebba Anderson) and became “adopted” into the Carl and Ebba Anderson Family. Mr. Anderson stated “This was an extraordinary blessing from God.”
In the 1940’s Wes attended Junior High at Folwell Jr. High and Senior High at Minnehaha Academy. He stated class sizes at the private school were smaller than public schools. Class size was about 20 (+ or – 5) students in each period. He graduated in 1946 with about 125 other students who attended the academy with him. After receiving his diploma, Mr. Anderson enlisted in the US Navy.
Wesley Anderson entered the Navy and was active during World War II and the Korean War. In the US Navy he became a Medic and his rank was Pharmacist Mate 3 rd Class which is similar to a Hospital Corpsman. Although Wes did not see or participate in active combat, he spent some time with fellow Corpsmen who would provide treatment for the patients in the psychiatric ward at Great Lakes Naval Hospital in IL during WWII. He did not get into detail, but stated that this “could be nerve wracking”. Mr. Anderson left military service in 1953 at age 27. It was time to make a career choice and something Wesley thought about carefully.
Mr. Anderson had a passion for American History that was inspired by Edward Haynes who was a social studies teacher at Folwell. Wes also had experience from his time in the Navy with medicine the need to care for ill or injured people. The choice was narrowed down to these two immediately. This is when he applied his math skills to help guide his decision. It would take two more years to complete a degree needed to become a teacher. It could take up to ten years to pursue a career in medicine. At twenty-seven, he thought it was a wise choice to commit to becoming a teacher. Like Mr. Haynes, someone who made a lasting impression on Wes, he pursued a degree in education with a focus on American History.
Wesley received his Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Minnesota. He started teaching in 1955 at Patrick Henry. During his teaching years he took additional credits to obtain his Master’s degree, but fell short because he did not finish his Thesis needed to complete the process. He chuckled a bit and said “so I am not quite a Master.” I however, along with many of you would likely disagree with him on this.
When asked about what his first day of teaching was like, Mr. Anderson said he really does not recall. It was uneventful “so it must have been OK”. Teaching must have been a natural for Mr. Anderson; he stated that during his entire 30 years teaching was not only enjoyable, but hopefully, for my students as well. The most difficult part of teaching is all the reports and administrative work. From time to time there would be complaints from parents who may have been a bit protective of their children, but the parties would resolve issues through communication.
Communication was how Wesley built relationships with students. Interaction was his favorite part of teaching. Additionally, helping the students to learn more, about what they already knew, was rewarding. Successful teaching came as a result of teachers, students and parents all doing their part. Wes would gladly spend another 30 years as a teacher if he could complete it in the same conditions he had.
The best advice he could offer a teacher is to get familiar with the names of each student in your class beginning on the first day. “Learn the names and memorize them and use them whenever you see them in the halls, lunchroom, or wherever. I found that this was a good way to maintain control and the students seemed to appreciate that fact that I knew who they were!”
While teaching at PHHS, Wes filled six summers at a church camp in McGregor, MN as camp manager. After retiring from public education Wes did some carpentry work with a friend who built new homes. As much as he enjoyed that, he decided to completely retire and loves it. He wanted more time for biking, hiking and time with the Grandkids. In addition to that, he now spends time repairing cane chairs. He told me he just finished a big rocker.
Wesley Anderson met and married his wife Corinne in Minneapolis on September 16, 1950. They have two children Jay and Peggie. Jay has three children and Peggie has two. Some of the five grandchildren have followed in their grandfather’s footsteps and become teachers. Another blessing is the 10 great grandchildren which Wes and Corinne are very happy about. Until COVID came, they saw their families regularly.
As much as COVID19 has changed our lives and how students receive their education, Wesley recalled a time that was another defining moment in history. This was the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. That Friday afternoon on October 26th, Wesley recalled that faculty was wondering if the crisis would be resolved or if they would even be coming back to school come Monday. The threat of nuclear war was imminent.
Students were also very concerned about what might happen as tensions between the United States and the USSR were rising. Fortunately, on 28 October 1962, Khrushchev agreed to President Kennedy 's proposal and assured the world that the Soviet Union would begin removal of the missiles on 30 October. Unlike the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the Cuban Missile Crisis demonstrated JFK’s political acumen and ability to negotiate. This became a teachable moment about the art of negotiation and the peaceful resolutions can be found.
2020 Hall of Fame Inductee
Tom Horvath, Class of 1980
Mr. Tom Horvath is a senior research engineer in the Aerothermodynamics Branch (AB) of the Research & Technology Directorate (RTD) at the NASA Langley Research Center, where he has worked for over 21 years. His primary area of technical interest includes both basic and focused experimental research to determine, assess, optimize and/or benchmark the aerodynamic characteristics and heating environments of a wide range of aerospace vehicles to enable access-to-space and planetary entry systems.
During his professional career, the results of Mr. Horvath’s research have been published in over 100 agency, conference and journal publications and have impacted the design and flight of many Agency, DoD, and industry aerospace vehicle programs. A nationally/internationally renowned aerothermodynamicist, Tom has personally performed leading-edge, comprehensive, benchmark hypersonic aerodynamic/aeroheating/ fluid dynamic studies in both Europe’s and this country’s premier hypersonic wind tunnels; and has made significant, sustained, enabling contributions to essentially all major Agency access-to space and planetary programs.
Of particular significance are Mr. Horvath’s scientific/technical contributions to the Shuttle Columbia accident investigation. He personally planned, implemented, and performed, in a comprehensive fast-paced manner, all experimental wind tunnel hypersonic aeroheating studies for the Shuttle Columbia accident investigation, providing essential information paramount to the success and closure of the accident investigation board.
Presently, Mr. Horvath supports a multi-center/industry team that provides real-time flight support to the Shuttle damage assessment team. His efforts were highlighted during Space Shuttle Discovery’s Return to Flight where recommendations to the NASA Johnson Mission Management Team were instrumental in determining the need to perform a spacewalk to repair damage and ensure a safe re- entry of the vehicle.
Tom is now principal investigator of a large team obtaining quantitative infrared measurements of the Shuttle during entry using aircraft within NASA and the DoD. Awards, Community Service, Contributions to AIAA and NASA’s Outreach Programs: Mr. Horvath is currently a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and is the author/co-author of over 100 technical publications.
Early in his career, Mr. Horvath received the National Aero-Space Plane Gene Zara Memorial Award for his technical contributions in support of the development of a hypersonic cruise vehicle. In 2000 a technical paper summarizing Mr. Horvath’s contributions towards the development of a lifeboat for the International Space Station was awarded “best thermophysics paper”.
More recently, Mr. Horvath was presented a NASA Exceptional Service Medal by the Agency in 2003 for outstanding scientific contributions to a broad spectrum of access–to-space and planetary entry vehicles. For exemplary contributions to understanding of Space Shuttle Orbiter aerothermodynamic phenomena which were critical to the Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation and the subsequent safe entry of Discovery’s Return-to-Flight mission, Mr. Horvath was recognized by the Agency in the form of an Exceptional Engineering Medal in 2005 and an Agency Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal in 2006.
Tom was one of twenty Agency and industry team members cited in the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Stellar Award for “providing a critical contribution to the findings and recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board”. In 2006, Mr. Horvath was recognized for his technical accomplishments as the AIAA National Engineer of the Year. Tom has supported NASA’s outreach activities by presenting talks to local elementary students. In addition, he has routinely served as a technical mentor to NASA engineering cooperative students.
Tom, his wife Sandra and their two daughters coordinate the Children’s service at their local Church each Sunday. 1994 Ripon College Outstanding Young Alumni Award 2009 Ripon College Distinguished Alumni Citation 1200 words Tom Horvath dreamed of being an astronaut when he was young, but his career instead has taken him into the inner workings of the space industry. Horvath has worked at NASA for over 30 years as an aeronautical engineer and was named American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) National Engineer of the Year for work done to better understand the nature of how the Space Shuttle Columbia was lost in a breakup during re-entry in 2003.
He currently uses special aircraft equipped with special infrared camera to look up and “image” a spacecraft as it re-enters the earth’s atmosphere. From the infrared images, his team can determine the actual temperature the spacecraft experiences during its flight back to earth. “These temperatures can reach several thousands of degrees F, so the astronauts and hardware must be adequately protected to survive,” Horvath says. “An aerospace engineer must determine the ‘Goldilocks’ thickness of this thermal protection. Too thick and it’s too heavy and costly. Not enough, and the spacecraft and crew won’t survive. The temperatures we infer from the infrared observations help us validate complex predictive tools used for design.”
Horvath’s journey has been tightly woven together with relationships he forged through Ripon College: “I graduated from a high school in Minneapolis in 1980. At the time, I was deeply disappointed that a failed eye exam had brought my ambition to become an astronaut to a screeching halt (at the time, most astronauts were military pilots). So I was not sure what I was going to do for a career. At the end of my senior year at high school, I attended a college fair where a Ripon College representative was present. I had never heard of Ripon at the time. I was interested in a small school where I would not have classes with a large number of students, so I applied to a program where you could spend the weekend with an actual Ripon student on campus.
“I stayed with a senior physics major named Jeff Viken ’80. It was a fantastic weekend. If I recall correctly, Jeff had a side business going on where they would make pizzas in their room and then sell them to others! As Jeff had graduated as I entered my freshman year at Ripon, I would not see him again for the next several years. Our paths would cross four years later as Jeff and I both ended up at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
“From my first week at Ripon, Professor Dino Zei really took an interest in me. About a few weeks into my first physics class, I realized that I had not been exposed to some of the basic mathematical tools that would be required for class. ... He eventually spoke to the mathematics department head and made sure that I took the appropriate pre- calculus courses to allow me to keep up with the rest of the class. “Our class of 1984 size started out with 10 students, I believe. By my sophomore year, our class was whittled down to four or five. I was especially close to Carolyn Jordon ’84 and Zia-ur Rahman ’84. The three of us seemed to click together and helped each other out with homework
assignments.
Zia always set the bar high for Carolyn and I! I think I may have beat him in only one exam my entire four years at Ripon! But it was certainly a friendly rivalry and the competition certainly drove me to study harder. “I met Larry Huebner at Ripon. Larry was actually in the physics class ahead of me (1983). Like our class of 1984 group, I recall their class having a similar level of comradery and relationships with the physics professors. As Larry was one year ahead, he was usually willing to give me tips as an exam approached.” “Larry was in a fraternity with a Bret Jaeger ’84. Both Bret and Larry would both impact my life significantly.
After his graduation from Ripon, Larry went to work at NASA Langley in Virginia, and I temporarily lost contact with him. A year later, Bret (a history major) and I both graduated from Ripon. That fall, I was set to start studies at the University of Minnesota as a graduate student in their aeronautics department. Bret called me up several weeks from the start of classes to see if I wanted to take one last road trip — out east to visit Larry and NASA. I couldn’t refuse. “While on the east coast and visiting Virginia Beach, Larry ‘suggested’ that I interview for an internship at NASA where he worked. I was NOT prepared for an interview. Shorts and T-shirts were all I had packed in my suitcase. Nevertheless, Larry set up the interview with the department chair at NASA. It actually went well. However, when asked if I had a letter of reference, I had to admit that I had not come prepared. I told the NASA department chair that all I had with me was Professor Zei’s phone number. He called Dino right there on the spot!
I never spoke to Dino about the call, but I guess he provided a good verbal recommendation. I’ve been here at NASA since the fall of 1984. “Larry has since transferred to NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, but I do usually see him several times a year. I often call Larry up to discuss some aspect of my work that might involve engineering work that is performed at MSFC. I usually hear from Bret and Larry when the Vikings and Packers play against each other. Carolyn dropped off my radar for years after graduation. Then one day, I see her at the NASA cafeteria! Turns out she periodically works as a NASA contractor and comes to NASA Langley where she assembles and calibrates her science instruments.
Jeff Viken is still here at NASA Langley, as well, and our paths cross many times. “It was always a dream of mine to be an astronaut. Life threw me a couple of curve balls but working at NASA has been the next best thing! I get to work on spacecraft that go into space and then return back to earth. The relationships that began at Ripon helped get me to where I am today, and some of the relationships continue to influence my work.
“Funny story: Back in 2014, I was NASA Johnson Space Center just after the successful launch and test flight of a capsule that is intended to replace the Space Shuttle. A large group of engineers and support personnel had been invited to a celebration party. I started a conversation with a stranger. Based upon his accent, I quickly placed him from somewhere in the Midwest. He soon started talking about the Green Bay Packers, so I narrowed it down to somewhere in Wisconsin. His voice sounded oddly somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. After about 10 more minutes, he mentioned his brother also worked at NASA. A lightbulb went off. I quickly asked if he had gone to Ripon College. He responded yes – and added how did you know? Turns out he was Larry Huebner’s brother, Bill ’80. I had never met Bill, but his voice and passion for the Packers gave him away. “Certainly all the math and physics coursework at Ripon College provided me with the tools I would need to successfully perform my engineering work at NASA. But I have to admit, that wasn’t the most important aspect of how Ripon would shape my career and life in general.
My experience at Ripon College first and foremost taught me to believe in myself – even through difficult times. The challenges I faced trying to catch up academically in my freshman year at Ripon seemed, at least for a while, insurmountable. But I didn’t give up. I surrounded myself with people who took the time to help me
2020 Hall of Fame Inductee
Michael Skavnak, Class of 1956
Graduation from Patrick Henry High School in June of 1956 brought me to the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis to study engineering. I did not do well there so I transferred to University of Minnesota- Duluth (UMD). That went well for me.
My second year at UMD I tried out for the football team. I became starting center, middle linebacker, and played two remaining years of eligibility. I majored in science and physical education, wanting to coach and teach. I graduated in June 1961 and married my wife, Shirley, two weeks later. Returning from our honeymoon we met a friend who told me of a teaching job open in Princeton, Minnesota. I went for an interview, enjoyed the small town, friendly people, and took the job.
Shirley is a teacher also, so we've spent the rest of our lives living and teaching in Princeton. We have raised three lovely successful daughters, have eight wonderful grandchildren and one great grandchild on the way.
In 1967, I was elected President of the Princeton Teachers Association. The National Education Association (NEA) national convention was held in Minneapolis that year. The national president was Mrs. Applegate, a former Princeton teacher who invited my wife and I to be on stage at the convention. Among the dignitaries were Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, and the governor of Minnesota. Wow!
I have taught science in Princeton for 35 years and substitute taught for 11 years after retirement. I coached junior high football for 25 years; junior high baseball over 20 years, youth hockey over 15 years, and refereed and umpired countless games. I ran the clock at most home basketball games and the clock and scoreboard for home football games.
In 1971, I joined the Princeton Lions Club and in 2021 will have been a member for 50 years. Our club's 60 plus members have a charity fund of over $50,000. We donate to many local and national causes such as Lion's Eye Clinic at the University of Minnesota and Leader Dogs for the Blind. I have received over ten awards from the Lion's Club including Melvin Jones Lion of the year, and the Hearing Research Fellow, and the Helen Keller Award. I am very proud of my work with the Lion's Club.
I belong to Christ Our Light Catholic Church and have been a Eucharistic Minister and Lector for over 40 years. I volunteer in many other areas at church also.