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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.  ...