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”
Category Archives: Part 2 – The Family Story
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”
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”
Postscript: Vietnam War
NOTE from Jill: Much of the information below, was research from my dad, Hal, when putting this section together. I presumed he had taken much of it from Wikipedia, so please note that as you read through this postscript. I was busy with my young family, night school, and my job at Lockheed and reallyContinue reading “Postscript: Vietnam War”
Vietnam War and the Draft Board
When I graduated from high school in 1962 and began my first full-time job as a tool and die apprenticeship there was no draft for the armed services. It was a strictly volunteer army. US soldiers were present in Vietnam for several years but ostensibly only as advisors. The Green Berets were advising the SouthContinue reading “Vietnam War and the Draft Board”
The First Marriage….to Joann
First Marriage, Honeymoon and the Kluin’s Extended Family When I wasn’t at the Jersey shore for the summer, but back north in Union, NJ, I spent a lot of my time alone. I only had a few close friends and since my parents were quite a bit older, they didn’t have relatives close by withContinue reading “The First Marriage….to Joann”
Long Story Short: A Collection of Stories by Hal Gunardson 