I am a graduate of U of I College of Engineering (Mechanical), class of 1941—exciting and anxious years, with war raging in Europe and the U.S. teetering on the brink.
Things were very different then. The only woman who came in every day was the cook. It was rare when any other woman came in. However, the war was on everyone’s mind. We had Sunday afternoon presentations by various professors who gave us their views of the situation. Since graduation, I have always considered my four years at Cosmo the most rewarding of my life. I am now eighty-nine years of age, married for sixty-four years with four children and nine grandchildren, all of which has of course been rewarding.
During my time at Cosmo there were about half graduate students, which made for a very intellectual environment. I considered all of them good friends, but especially an Iraqi, Amso I. Amso; Munci Ozelsal, Turkey; Abdul Sattar Shalizi, Afghanistan (who later was ambassador to the UN); Emmet Shintani, Japanese-American; and Bennett Berman, a boyhood friend.
I maintained contacts with all of them for some time. I recently talked to Abdul’s son who works at the World Bank in Washington. He told me that his father, at age ninety-two, had returned to live in Afghanistan. Another contact was made about Bennett Berman. He died last year. Bennett went to Harvard Law School after U of I. He joined the navy as an officer, returning to Harvard to finish his law degree and practiced law in Chicago until his death at age eighty-nine. I have enjoyed writing about the club some seven decades ago. I hope I haven’t bored you. I hope the club is still thriving and providing the same stimulation to its members that I received.
Cordially,
