Harry's Mentors

Helen Ogston taught me English and music in my senior year in high school '45-'46. That was the nominal part. What I really learned from Helen is that there was a whole world beyond the Amargosa Valley and that I too might become somebody in that world. She got me thinking beyond my immediate horizon.

Lauren Wright introduced me to the fascinating subject of geology. I was running a hoist at a talc mine in the Mojave desert at the time. From then on I was hooked onto the idea that I might be able to do it too. And so it turned out.

Norman Dolloff taught me about the earth, its origins, and above all, how to think and discover new insights. He taught me the awesome length of geologic time, a time so vast I could hardly imagine. Norman was ahead of his time, only now are some of his mineral extraction ideas finding use in the marketplace. Above all, Norman was a friend.

Cutler Shepard found me in my senior year San Jose State College so that I could graduate from Stanford. He later arranged for me to finish a Ph.D. at Stanford in 71. The Stanford experience redirected my life into materials science. But Cutler's imprint was more. Like Norman and Helen, Cutler earned my respect and friendship at the same time he challenged my brain. Cutler was my first managerial role model.

Don Cooper enabled my return to Stanford. Don was a unique manager on the human side. What you saw was what he was. He recognized the value of work by others before the others realized it themselves. He was evenhanded, calm, cool and collected. His faith in people motivated them to justify that faith.

Kris Rosenberg found me in time to make something worthwhile of my personhood and life. With her my emotional equations began playing out fast and furious—hang-ups gave way slowly at first then with gathering speed. With each minor triumph, my damaged psyche recovered apace to what it is today in creating this book you are reading. Kris taught me much of what you will read in these pages. Thank you my lady; you made (and make) my life worthwhile.

Bill Nix picked up where Cutler left off. Never will I have his way with numbers and theory, but enough rubbed off to get me by. Like Cutler, Bill was good with his protégés and learned from them as he guided them into new careers. Always ready to help, Bill provided critical insight into a paper I am writing that completes my thinking about how metals deform at low temperatures–thirty-five years after my time in grad school.

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