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Pakistan or Bust – 1986

In 1986, I received a lead on a project from my associates at Lummus. A refinery in Pakistan, Attock Oil Refinery, had a problem with the composition of its feedstock. The crude oil they processed from a local oil field was changing over time; getting heavier and more difficult to process. They needed someone withContinue reading “Pakistan or Bust – 1986”

Disenchantment Sets In

Leaving Lummus Lummus was a great place to start a career and learn as much as possible as quickly as possible. It was a good time to be working in the oil and gas industry since the previous downturn was just ending and the inevitable upturn was well underway. I had the opportunity to workContinue reading “Disenchantment Sets In”

Moving the Family to Germany – 1976

Germany – Process Design Manager It was 1976 and the oil and gas industry was expanding, especially overseas. The Lummus Company was extremely busy and had numerous international projects underway. One was a major refinery expansion in Germany at the Erdol Refinerie Neustadt. I was chosen as the lead process engineer for this project andContinue reading “Moving the Family to Germany – 1976”

Hal’s View of the Problem: Solar Power

WARNING – The following is a dispassionate discussion of the practical limitations of alternative energy without any influence from feelings or wishful thinking. There is a finite limit to the amount of energy input. Solar radiation at the earth’s surface is limited to a certain quantity of energy per unit area. On a cloudless sunnyContinue reading “Hal’s View of the Problem: Solar Power”

So Long Annie……

It was a sad day at the Johnston House. Today our beloved Annie Girl went over the Rainbow Bridge. It was my hope that my dad, Hal, was waiting for her as she crossed. She had a rough couple of weeks and we could see that she was going to continue to struggle. She wouldContinue reading “So Long Annie……”

Crazy Solar Hippy

<Jill Gunardson-Johnston Post> The last Long Story Short blog post featured a number of memories on the solar projects my dad was part of. He noted about the crazy solar hippies that they set up next to at a conference. After some research, I was able to find out additional information about this group. QuiteContinue reading “Crazy Solar Hippy”

Part Time Night Job – The Solar Craze

First oil crisis – October 1973 – Nixon Administration The first oil crisis was a result of the Arab-Israeli war in 1969. Arab nations refused to export crude oil to nations supporting Israel and by October 1973 the price of crude oil had risen from $10 per barrel to almost $50 per barrel. The shortageContinue reading “Part Time Night Job – The Solar Craze”

College – Seminal Moments

There were a few incidents during my college career that were truly learning experiences where the lesson went well beyond engineering. They stand out as lessons for business and lessons for life. The picture above is of my friend, Dennis Connell and I during our initiation into the fraternity, Iota Xi Omega at Union College.Continue reading “College – Seminal Moments”

NJIT Night School – Engineering

After completing mandatory night courses in algebra and trigonometry at Union Junior College I transferred to Newark College of Engineering (NCE) with a major in mechanical engineering. After the first semester, I switched from mechanical to chemical engineering continuing in the evening program. While I was working at Lockheed in Edison, NJ and attending eveningContinue reading “NJIT Night School – Engineering”

Civilian Contractor – Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Aircraft civilian contractor Lockheed had an assembly line in Edison, New Jersey where they manufactured a special type of electrical meter and various specialty parts for microwave communications. But they also had a separate machine shop as part of their “skunkworks” that designed and built prototypes of top secret classified military projects. I wasContinue reading “Civilian Contractor – Lockheed Martin”