Today's Featured Biography

 
Howard Castrup

1961 - 1964
Owned a small business, worked as a carpenter, had a part-time job at an art store and freelanced as a portrait and seascape artist. Boxed a bit with mixed results. Tried college at Glendale JC for one semester in 1961. Didn't like it.

1964 - 1966
College again at Glendale JC. Liked it this time. Majored in art, changed to philosophy and then psych, which barely beat out physiology and chemistry.

1966 - 1969
U.S. Army. Stationed in Louisiana, New Jersey and Texas. Was somehow able to avoid Viet Nam. Instead, taught electronics and physics at Ft. Monmouth, NJ. Also worked part time as a maintenance foreman for Surrey & Company and had a night shift job as an electronics technician at Frequency Engineering Labs, NY. Married Jennifer Grant in 1969 in Ysleta, TX.

1969 - 1972
Back to college again. UCLA this time. Awarded a B.S. in engineering (solid state electronics) and was seduced by subject matter into completing all but three units of the undergraduate physics track. Wife and parents not amused.

1972 - 1974
Grad school courses at UCLA. Worked as a Research Assistant in an engineering lab doing low temperature experiments in solid state behavior and learning to play chess. Lost my first 300 games, but did OK after that.

1974 - 1980
Employed at TRW as a microwave engineer and senior statistician. 1976 saw the birth of my daughter Diane, who proved that Aristotle and Wertheimer were right -- the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Completed my Ph.D. dissertation on quantum magnetoelastic interactions in single-crystal rare earths. Great conversation topic at parties.

1980 - 1989
Employed at Science Applications in Pomona and later in Corona as a Program Manager and other things you don’t want to hear about. Divorced in 1982. Remarried in 1989 in San Dimas, CA to my current wife Suzanne. On the side, in 1987, started Integrated Sciences Group (ISG), a small consulting firm. Awarded a Ph.D. in Engineering in 1981, nearly setting a record for procrastination.

1989 - Present
Transitioned ISG from mostly consulting to mostly scientific and engineering software development, along with basic research in measurement science. Added technical training later. Moved to Bakersfield in 1992. Currently developing new software products and consulting in measurement science and petroleum technology, the latter being handled by my VP of Engineering, who is also my wife. Haven't been charged with harassment yet. Easy to avoid if you’re not a congressman.

Post Reunion
I'd just like to add that I'm a bit blown away by how our class turned out. The 50th reunion was a get together with talented, interesting, intelligent and delightful people. Jack, Joanne, Jerry, Tena, Walt, Bruce, Bonnie and all, I hope to see you again next time -- maybe just not 50 years from now.

2013
I'm now a granddad - of twins yet. I didn't know how to be one so I asked the smartest guy in the class of '61, Jack Davies, how to do it. He said:
1. Give them anything they want - ANYTHING!
2. Never discipline them.
3. Give them back to their parents when they become a pain in the ass.
If anyone has any further advice, I'm wide open.
Thanks

2016
Jack was right. If I'd known it was this easy, I'd have become a granddad long ago. Well, with some cooperation from others, of course.

Still running Integrated Sciences Group, although "running" is a bit of an exaggeration these days. Sue and I have taken up hiking and climbing in the local bluffs. In case you're wondering, a bluff is a small mountain in which you can't fall and kill yourself from more than about 600 feet.

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