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On Bob's 83rd Birthday
The following speech was delivered at the Mission Valley Marriott in San Diego
during a celebration of Bob Fefferman's 83rd birthday.
By LaVerne Fefferman
What is eighty-three?
A measure of time? A hurdle to overcome? Eighty three is a milestone of
longevity and accomplishment. It is a milestone built from diverse
elements.
Each of you here today has touched Bob in a unique way. And each
of you form a link in the bonds of support and friendship which brought Bob to
this place in his life. Today Bob is grateful to be able to celebrate with all
of you, reminisce together, and thank each of your personally.
For the
moment to remember, come with me as we turn back the clock:
April 12,
1912, Minneapolis, Minn., a young woman, Mary Chayit (Kite) Fefferman presented
Mendel with their first son, Robert Lawrence Fefferman. Mendel, a hard
working tailor, who came from Kupin north of Komenitz, Podolsk. Mendel
clothed you, Bob, all through your life until college, a well-dressed young
man.
You, Bob, began playing piano at the age of seven and your
"grand debut" at the age of fifteen, January 23, 1927, was a recital
held at the Northwestern College in Minneapolis.
You attended Roosevelt
High School in Minneapolis named after, who else, Teddy Roosevelt, and Teddy
Bears were the symbol. Trivia information: the high school year book on the back
table uses the word "Sagamore" which was the name of Teddy Roosevelt's
home.
In June 1928, at the time of your graduation from high school, you
were an honor student and state organist in Dunstedters' Place. On May 21,
1988, you were able to attend the sixtieth reunion of your high school at the
Normandy Hotel in Minneapolis.
After high school, you worked at the new
Minnesota Theater then went to the State Theater as assistant advertising
manager. Do you recall the time you arranged to have balloons dropped the Foshay
Tower, at the time the tallest building in Minneapolis. each balloon had
free tickets attached which were for "The Wolf of Wall Street,"
starring George Bancroft.
In 1930, after some persuasion on Mendel's part,
you enrolled in the University of Minnesota. At your graduation on June 18,
1934, you had been a four-year honor student and a member of the Jewish
fraternity for engineers, Sigma Alpha Sigma. You now possessed a
bachelor's degree in civil engineering. Your proud father attended your
graduation. He died in November of that year.
For the first year
after your graduation you held several jobs. But in 1935-36, you were
hired by the Department of the Interior's Indian Service. You worked on the
Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin. As the only engineer among foresters,
you located new roads, supervised their construction, built small-span timber
bridges, located an supervised telephone lines, supervised ground water surveys
for fire fighting needs, mapped out areas for major improvements, recommended
road equipment, handled personnel problems, coordinated firemen's activity, and
made wage recommendations.
From 1936 to 1943 you were a senior civil
engineer for the Board of Park Commissioners. Sixteen to twenty engineers
and draftsmen were under your supervision. Among the highlights of your career:
the footbridges engineered in the park areas and laying out the Wold-Chamberlain
Airport. The airport is now the Twin Cities Airport and the footbridges still
serve the people of Minneapolis. We know this because on April 12, 1992, we
celebrated your 80th birthday in Minneapolis and toured your bridges with your
niece and nephew and our daughter Sherry.
In 1943, you were hired as a
senior dynamic engineer for Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation. Now it is
known as General Dynamics Convair. You held many positions and can reflect
on the engineering of the B24, Convair 880, 990, Charger, F106, and 102 to name
a few.
In 1964, you were named Director of Engineering Administration of
General Dynamics-Convair by Charles W. Frick, vice president of
engineering. You are so proud of the Harbor Drive stress test building
which you engineered that you make Sherry and I stand and salute each time we
pass on the site. It is still in use.
Planning ahead for retirement
from GDC, you received your California structural engineering license on January
20,m 1961. You moonlighted in order to establish yourself as an independent
professional looking forward to the time you would leave full time work.
You built a network of contacts among the best architects of our fair
city. Fate stepped in and in 1971 you suffered a cerebral aneurysm. God
save you and with surgery to implant a shunt, you were able to return to us,
retire from Convair in 1972, and pick up your business. From 1972 to 1992, you
operated a successful structural engineering business. ...