Distinguished Alumni of 2002

Gerald "Jerry" Seeley was a 1958 graduate of D.C. Everest High School. He received his B.S. ('63) in mechanical engineering and M.S. ('68) in engineering mechanics from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He also earned a M.S. ('71) and PhD ('73) in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota. During this time he was working as a development engineer at Union Carbide Corporation and Honeywell, Inc., Government and Aerospace Division.

Dr. Seeley began his teaching career at Tri-State University in Angola, IN as professor and department chairman of civil engineering ('73-'78) and Dean of the College of Engineering ('78-'83). During this time he twice earned the Excellence-in- Teaching Award. He received two summer fellowships ('78, '79) to NASA at Ames Research Center, California as an engineer with a team of scientists to develop an orbiting space lab to study soil samples brought back from Mars. He was director of the Tri-State Engineering and Research Center ('78-'83) and listed in Who's Who in Engineering ('80, '81).

Dr. Seeley came to Valparaiso University in Indiana as professor of civil engineering in 1983 and became department chairman in 1987. Dr. Seeley's commitment to engineering education led to many leadership roles in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) including serving as Secretary, Vice President, and President of the Indiana Section. For his long-time service to the American Society of Engineering Education, including Chairman of the Civil Engineering Division, he was honored by ASEE with its Centennial Certificate in 1993 and the George Wadlin Distinguished Service Award in 1997. In 1998 he received the Paul and Cleo Brandt Chair of Engineering at Valparaiso University. In 1993 and 1998 he made trips to China as part of teams to establish contacts between Chinese Universities and Valparaiso University. In 1999 Dr. Seeley was appointed Dean of the College of Engineering. In this capacity he was a dedicated part of the leadership of the University's campaign to raise funds to continue the tradition of Valparaiso University as one of the country's leading institutions for undergraduate engineering education.

Among other responsibilities at Valparaiso University, he was chairman of the Campus Planning and Space Allocation Committee, a member of the Fine Arts Committee, the Budget Advisory Committee, the Faculty Concerns Committee, the Honor Council, as well as the Faculty and University Senate. Dr. Seeley was the author of numerous engineering publications, a licensed professional engineer, and served as a consultant to a variety of companies, including Northern Laboratories of Valparaiso, and Beer, Gorski, and Graff, Ltd. of Chicago.

Jerry's personal interests led to being a member of Friends of Art, a supporter of the Valparaiso University Theater, and an avid fan of the Valparaiso University men's and women's basketball teams.

Following his love of baseball as a player for D.C. Everest High School, Jerry had briefly played professional baseball in the Detroit Tigers organization. Later he became an avid runner competing in five marathons as well as many races of shorter distances.

Taking up cycling more recently, he participated in the Ragbrai-a bicycle ride across the state of Iowa. Traveling was a family favorite activity that resulted in many visits to Florida, the Rockies and canyons of the West, a van trip to Alaska, and several visits to Europe.

Community activities included being a House Captain for Christmas in April, a community home renewal project, and a Board Member for the Visiting Nurses Association. Being a Board Member and President of the McClure Reserve, a nature conservancy area, indicated his wide-ranging interest in appreciating and conserving wild spaces and animal habitat.

Jerry credited several D.C. Everest teachers with being important influences during his High School years. He was especially grateful for the encouragement and guidance given him by Al Greason, a dedicated and challenging history teacher, who inspired him to look at the world in new ways and to see possibilities for himself that he had not dreamed of.

Jerry and his wife, Barbara, had two sons, Marc of Shanghai, China and Kris of Chicago. Jerry passed away on April 16, 2001.

John W. Kennedy – Class of 1957

John W. Kennedy, a 1962 graduate of The University of Wisconsin, Madison, with a bachelor’s degree in Botany and Natural Science and minors in English and History.   He received graduate credits at the United States Department of Agriculture and Graduate School at New York University with advanced studies in the biological sciences including entomology, plant pathology and nematology.   John also had eighteen years of advanced management training with the U.S. Government.

John entered the USDA as plant quarantine officer and port inspector trainee for the plant quarantine division with an assignment in New York in February of 1962.   He was promoted to Chicago, Illinois in 1962 and again in 1968 to Hoboken, New Jersey, as an Assistant Head of the Permit Section, issuing permits for plants and plant products, etc. arriving from foreign countries.   John was promoted to Assistant Director of Methods Development for quarantine treatments used by agriculture against plant pests not known to occur or be widely distributed in the United States.  He was promoted to Staff Office in the Washington D.C. office of Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ), USDA at Hyattsville, Maryland. He coordinated research and methods development activities at several laboratories in the United States. John Authored the Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Treatment manual (289 pages) used against plant pests and coordinated research efforts with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS, USDA) on major pests. 

With Dr. James Brazil as his supervisor, his staff formulated the original strategy used in the eradication of the Boll Weevil from the United States.   Logistics, equipment, personnel and budgets were formulated.

An emergency reassignment was ordered by the Secretary’s Office to clear all pesticides used by the PPQ, USDA at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).   Over 19 pesticides used on major programs were registered or cleared using quarantine exemptions.

John served on the Armed Forces Pest Control Board, representing Agriculture, determining pesticides to be used by the military at bases around the world, including spray program.   He cooperated with the Air Force Spray Team stationed in Delaware on aerial applications for the Japanese beetle.

At the request of The Smithsonian Institute, John served as a consultant to determine the appropriate treatments or procedures to be used when moving sensitive artifacts (Kitty Hawk, Space Capsules, etc.) to the new Air and Space Museum.

He was promoted to Staff Officer over major pest programs including Gypsy Moth, Japanese Beetle, biological control and other programs including the Med fly, grasshoppers, etc.   John also authored two Environmental Impact Statements on Gypsy Moth and Japanese beetle.   He led the eradication programs against isolate infestations of the Gypsy Moth in several locations, including the first aerial application of pesticides over a populated area (San Jose, CA).   He represented the USDA as keynote speaker at several public meetings and answered questions by the news media.

John resigned from the USDA after eighteen years of experience to star John W. Kennedy Consultants. They have represented over 90 companies in 19 countries, the government of Mexico (regarding eh avocado issue), organizations such as The National Agricultural Chemical Association (NACA), the U.S. Forest Service (acted as an expert witness) and other agricultural groups.

John became involved in aerial application technology and wrote manuals, under contract, for the state of California.   John has given lectures concerning the use of GPS and new systems such as Satloc, to lay out spray blocks and record the flight.   He became familiar with satellite imaging and has contacts with NASA and private satellite builders that can provide locations of specific plantings using satellites and/or aircraft.

John knows the directors and the scientists originally involved with isolating the two different varieties of Fusarium oxysporum used on opium poppy and coca plants.   He authored the novel, “To Slay a Demon”, aimed at expressing technology that can be implemented in eradication coca plants from Central and South Central America in an action scenario.   The novel is a manual, in disguise, discussing the basics of conducting an eradication program.

John has authored several magazine articles, including a segment at the Crop Protection annual meeting concerning Pesticide Drift providing the results of a study by John W. Kennedy Consultants, under contract by the National Agricultural Chemical Association (NACA).   John has appeared on A & E television and the Discovery channel.   The segment featured a discovery that he made of an ancient underwater pyramid in Rock Lake, Wisconsin.   Later investigations proved the existence of a whole complex of artifacts and the investigators named a pyramid after his find.

Joel T. Michalski - Class of 1988

Joel Michalski, 1988 DCE Everest graduate and Hamline University graduate, is an incredibly unique and modest man with diverse interests and talents.  As he modestly states, “Really I don’t feel like I've accomplished anything remarkable-I’ve only been able to go to remarkable places and have some incredible experiences.” 

 Many students and community members were able to participate vicariously in one of Joel’s most recent incredible experiences.  He spent one year at the South Pole keeping the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory, South Pole Observatory running smoothly.  He states, “The year at the South Pole was made especially rewarding because I was able to share, on a week by week basis, all my experiences with friends, family and various students, including those from Mr. Herren’s chemistry classes.  I worked with Mr. Herren on a South Pole to DCE classroom presentation about the South Pole, life and science as well as working on a global atmospheric study with one of his students.” 

Joel explains that NOAA is one of seven uniformed services: the Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard, US Public Health Service and the NOAA Corps. “The NOAA Corps is by far the smallest, with only 250 officers and no enlisted personnel.”  Joel was motivated to apply by one particular sentence in a NOAA brochure:  “applicants must be willing to work in remote locations under arduous conditions.” 

This description fit Joel. While waiting for the selection board to accept his application, Joel biked across the United States—7000 miles in 100 days!  On return, he was accepted for commission into NOAA.  His first assignment in late 1994 was on the NOAA Ship WHITING, a coastal charting vessel.  “Incredibly, I met the ship in Woods Hole where I had spent my summer two years ago [as an undergrad in a research appointment through the University of Minnesota]- my desire for a life on the ocean being realized in the very place I had seen the ocean for the first time!” 

In 1996 Joel was transferred back to Woods Hole, where he served 18 months aboard the NOAA Ship ALBATROSS IV, a fisheries research vessel assigned to the Northeast Fisheries laboratories.  “I witnessed the devastating consequences of overfishing and poor resource management. “  From there Joel was assigned to the Chesapeake Bay Office in Annapolis, MD.  The job was a bad fit so he resigned NOAA, only to rescind his resignation to be considered for the South Pole Station billet. 

“After a year of living in the coldest location on earth, I was reassigned to American Samoa in the heart of the Polynesian South Pacific.  What a contrast and what a fantastic work environment.  It was two years of rehabilitating a worn out old station that had been neglected for years.  Major projects such as restoring a huge solar photovoltaic array that had been dormant for 10 year and replacing the station generator made for great success and my supervisor in Boulder successfully nominated me for NOAA’s research employee of the year, along with 7 other recipients that year.” 

Currently Joel is Operation Officer on the NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN, which home ports in Seattle, WA.  He is responsible for the coordination of the ship capabilities with the scientists and their projects. 

Joel identifies several DCE instructors as key to his development: Mr. Smith (math IV), Mr. Herren (chemistry), Mr. Yulga (physics), and Mr. Aleckson (writing intensive history), Mr. Holt (cross country and track).  His versatility and depth are reflected in his most fond memories being participation in choir with Ms. Haines and the musical, West Side Story, with Mimi Miller. Joel shares his experiences and sense of adventure with DC Everest students, hoping they also will seek incredible experiences in remarkable places.